How to REALLY Discern What's In Your Food

Every last food product shelved in the United States of America has a nutrition label on it. Most diets, nutritionists, and health classes direct your attention to the grid containing the infamous calorie, fat, sodium, and sugar count held within its ominous walls. This information can be important within the right contexts, but when it comes to solid, whole food nutrition that is absorbent to your body, it’s the last place you should look.

A list of ingredients, usually directly below the nutrition information grid, spills the true contents of every food product. However, as if the small print didn’t make it hard enough to read, the words themselves are hardly even pronounceable. What are they, anyways?

Some are scientific labels for phytonutrients¹, some are self-explanatory, but most are substances harmful to the human body for a number of reasons. But, how the heck do you discern what’s harmful and what’s not?

Here’s a start.

1) Hydrogenated Oils, aka “trans fats”: This devil of a killer can be found in most fried foods, excessively processed foods, fast foods, some cooking ingredients, and packaged-to-last-forever foods. Examples: French fries, some breads, pastries, Crisco, cookies, and packaged dessert goods like Little Debbie’s and Twinkies. It clogs arteries and lines the walls of your veins, among numerous other disease-promoting things.

What it does: Research studies show conclusively these deadly oils cause non-insulin dependent type II diabetes, or hyperinsulinemia. This is a disease, which can eventually burn out the pancreas and cause insulin dependent diabetes. These changed molecular oils dramatically increase the risk of coronary heart disease, breast cancer, other types of cancers and autoimmune diseases. Over 100 research studies show how harmful these oils are to the human body.² It is also a primary contributor to obesity.

Also, did you know that trans fats are illegal in nearly every country BUT the U.S. because of its dangers, and that there are no known safe amounts to consume? The FDA at its best.

2) High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS): Every woman even somewhat interested in baking has corn syrup hidden in her cupboard. There is nothing wrong with corn syrup in and of itself, but what happens when you take corn syrup, process it, chemically alter it, and package it away for mass consumption? HFCS is usually found in jams and jellies, soft drinks, “healthy” juices, breads and pastries, condiments like ketchup, and almost anything sweet, seeing as it’s an artificial sweetener.

What it does: Causes blood clots, heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, and various types of cancers.³

3) Aspartame: Here’s another artificial sweetener for you. You can find it in almost all flavored syrups (like at Starbucks), “sugar-free” items, gum and mints, soft drinks, and most anything sweet yet “sugar-free”. A brief synopsis (in English, for the non-rocket scientists reading this) of what it does: There is a part of the brain (located in the middle of the head) called the Hypothalamus, which, unlike the rest of the brain, is unprotected. While the rest of your brain rests easy in its comfortable protective coating, the Hypothalamus is busy controlling your nervous system, metabolism, body temperature, hunger, and thirst. Guess what aspartame targets?...

What it does: Aspartame causes a HOST of things. To make it easy on the eyes to read, it causes:

~ Multiple sclerosis (MS)

~ ALS

~ Memory loss

~ Hormonal problems

~ Hearing loss

~ Epilepsy

~ Alzheimer's disease

~ Parkinson's disease

~ Hypoglycemia

~ AIDS

~ Dementia

~ Brain lesions

~ Neuroendocrine disorders⁴

Everything you eat does 1 of 2 things: Causes disease, or promotes health. Do yourself and your family a favor— stop focusing so hard on the calorie count, and focus on the nutritional count. For the individuals’ naïve to the label-reading world, it’s time to start. Begin by doing some spring-cleaning and tossing everything in your cupboards and refrigerator with these 3 ingredients in them. There are a number of ingredients to be wary of, but this is an easy introduction to discerning what exactly is in your food.

¹Small “nutritional substances [found] in foods which act as important biological response modifiers”. In other words, microscopic, plant-derived, chemical compounds that aid in the absorption and distribution of nutrients. Some familiar examples of these may be beta-carotene, lycopene, and vitamin C.

² http://www.dldewey.com/hydroil.htm

³ http://www.thenutritionreporter.com/fructose_dangers.html

⁴ http://www.mercola.com/article/aspartame/dangers.htm

"Constant"

It's amazing how life works, isn't it? You have your ups and your downs, your low times and your high times, all an emotional reaction to the surrounding events and people. I have found myself more emotional in this past month than I think I've ever been- which is kind of huge, seeing as I'm not usually the stereotypically temperamental female. That dang perpetual pendulum of emotion! What problems it causes us all!

The mini-yearbook theme that my group in class has (finally) chosen is "constant"- the steady consistency of the Lord throughout mankind's ever-so-repetitive history. Not only is this an applicable theme to a yearbook and an astute observation of human nature, it's surprisingly become increasingly applicable in my own life.

People who you would never expect to turn to worldly things for solace, do so.

People who you would never expect to make a faulty decision and harm you, do so.

People who you believe you can trust, who you think would never break it, do so.

And once you believe you've learned your lesson the first time around, with the first "set" of people, and you've finally reached a place of healing and comfort, history repeats itself and people let you down all over again.

I realize that as the writer, I am being quite vague as to the pertaining situations in my life. I apologize. Sometimes, it helps to spill my thoughts on clean paper- or rather, clean text boxes?- to clear my head. Organization happens after I see what the contents of my head are, exactly.

At this point, I'm just not sure of most things.

Except one, and that is that God is a constant in my life- despite the fact that people let me down repeatedly, He never will. He is the only consistency, the only unfailing Being present in my life- past, present, and future. When people fail me, He is the Solid Rock that will prop me up; the Gentle Touch that will revive my heart, and the Loving Word that will offer me the strength and courage I need to press on.

Social Cataclysm

There's a scene in the movie Hitch that takes place in a bar. It has something to do with two Grey Goose Martinis, a few terrible pick-up lines, and a certain "#@$% off" sign. I'm sure you remember this epic scene if you've seen the movie. I find it fascinating that Hitch could look across the room, and by simply observing the actions of the sardonic Sarah Melas, deduce exactly how to shut off her "sign" and pique her curiosity.

I've been told I wear that sign on occasion, too. I find that fascinating as well.

I love to observe people. As I'm sure you've already gathered from my previous post, as a child, I was extremely extroverted. As I've grown older, however, I've learned to keep my mouth shut and listen more. That simple action of listening apparently binds itself to a certain facial expression of mine that says, as mentioned, "$%#@ off." Unfortunately, that couldn't be further from the truth, but we'll save that discussion for another day.

A great friend to me on campus was kind enough to inform me of the sign I supposedly wear on my forehead during these times of observation. I apologize in advance to the reader if you've gathered this impression from me. If indeed you have felt my "gaze of impending doom", know that I was simply watching you as opposed to spurning you. But, I digress; back to the topic at hand.

My observations as of late, involving not only others but myself as well, is one of a gradually swelling social cataclysm, which someday in the near future can be expected to implode.

Selfishness. Oh, it's more than just the Sunday school word we've all rolled our eyes at at some point in time. We all believe we know exactly what selfishness is, where exactly it rears its ugly head, and how exactly we shouldn't exercise it. From what I've deduced, that is not only a vain and conceited thought, but the fruits of a way of thought.

To think that our eyes see everything is foolish. To think that we see all the "logs" relating to selfishness in our own eyes, or in others' eyes, is foolish. The fact of the matter is, is that we will never be able to count the number of ways one can act selfishly, especially when it pertains to relationships with others.

Consider these quotes:

"Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live; it is asking others to live as one wishes to live."

~Oscar Wilde

"One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody."

~ Mother Teresa

"The one who loves the least, controls the relationship."

~ Dr. Robert Anthony

Finally,

"The selfishness must be discovered and understood before it can be removed. It is powerless to remove itself, neither will it pass away of itself. Darkness ceases only when Light is introduced; so Ignorance can only be dispersed by Knowledge; Selfishness by Love."

~ James Allen

Learn to truly love- to love deep, to love wide, and to love lavishly. To love is to sacrifice your own desires, your own goals, your own dreams, your own opportunities, your own recognitions, for betterment of the ones around you.

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." - John 15:13

Many interpret this scripture in way that says, "die for a friend, and you'll truly know how to love." While this remains true, as Christ so graciously demonstrated, we miss the opportunity to exercise a kind of "death" in our everyday lives that nurtures love. Death to the self, to live for others. That is love. That is selflessness. That is servanthood.

That is Christ, the Man we are to strive to be like, and so epically fail.

The social cataclysm I see growing in our generation is craftily concealing itself in such subtleties, that they will cause division and strife. I urge the reader to examine the motives of their hearts in correlation with their relationships, and to pray for the insight to see their particular areas of selfishness. The devil is a crafty one, and I encourage you, the reader, to fight him on the "splinter" level, not just the "log" level.

Truly,

Riley

"Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own? Or how can you say to your brother, "Let me take the speck out of your eye," when there is a log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." - Matthew 7:1-5

Identity Crisis

This blog is the beginning of the end to my journal writing life.

I never saw the point in getting a "Web Log", the real name for a blog, especially since I possess a good number of pens and journals due to a silly fetish. (I have a collection of random office supplies that would stock Staples for a year.) The idea of my personal life, my thoughts, the things I keep dearest to my heart displayed for all the world to see is certainly not as appealing as the privacy and intimacy of a journal. Then again, I've never been the most private person, either.

As a child, I was extremely extroverted, enjoying activities such as dancing, singing, and performing. I'd say "hello" to passersby from my seat in the grocery cart, discuss Jesus with strangers, and tell the hairdresser about my parent's financial difficulties. Yes, as a child, I definitely lacked discretion, and my shortage in tact continued through my teen years. It provided me with a countless number of lectures on the different meanings of the word "modest".

For example, when I was sixteen, I learned modesty in behavior, the hard way. I had a close friend of 5 years- too close- until January of 2007. He had strong feelings for me for the duration of our friendship, and I made the mistake of flirtatiously leading him on. My family warned me- lectured me, pleaded with me- as to what lay ahead if I continued flirting, but I didn't heed them. My behavior resulted in two hurt hearts and a lost friend.

I learned another very hard lesson in modesty in December of 2007. The situation was unique, to say the least, and I wasn't mentally or emotionally prepared for what lay ahead. I had invested so much of my time, my identity, and my emotions into two of my closest friends, a Jonny and Alyssa, and couldn't dream of the anguish that their relationship would cause. They began to date in November, and I obviously became the third wheel. The fact that Jonny could deceive and manipulate like no one else didn't help the situation either- especially when I discovered that it was the reason my girlfriend was jealous and angry with me. He had been feeding her lies about me and my conduct so smoothly and deceptively, she grew angry and jealous, and refused to talk to me. She still refuses to talk to me.

Long story short, I had been so immodest with my identity, with what I stood for, I became who I associated myself with. As a result, I lost my sense of purpose when I lost them as my friends. All at once, those daddy-daughter discussions on modesty sunk in. I swallowed hard, turned to the Lord, and gave Him the mess I had created of myself to fix in any way He desired.

That dramatic episode came to a close a while ago, and I have certainly learned to apply modesty in all areas of my life. Granted, I'm not perfect, but who is other than our Savior? I'm simply thankful that He embraces all of me, my faults and flaws, forgiven and forgotten. Now, I place my identity in Christ's and my heart in His hands, offering what I can and will to serve Him.

So, maybe there is a purpose to this blog, other than my innermost thoughts casually jotted down for all to see. Maybe dislodging my journal contents to the World Wide Web will be worthwhile: perhaps there's a ministry here.

We shall see.

Yours truly,

Riley