How often is it that we make purchases in a hurry or from a whim??? Do we realize what we are putting into our bodies??? Or do we sacrifice quality for convenience and give in to learned habits and/or personal cravings. Like yourself I have on more than one occasion been a victim of consumer marketing ploys. Aren't we all prone to make purchases based on the appealing nature of the package our food comes in??
Let me also ask you how often have you scratched your head and asked yourself what exactly these 5-6 syllable words mean that are listed in the "ingredients" label. There is a purpose for this. Besides leaving us all befuddled and wondering what the heck it is we are consuming.
Like other things in life our food has positive or beneficial characteristics as well as less known but nonetheless harmful characteristics. Sure there is a place for adding extra chemicals to "preserve" our food that is often times placed on a shelf for weeks at a time. And... I suppose if we didn't add food coloring/dyes than we would think twice about eating something. Color offers a huge incentive for our palate.
Sure the advances we have made since "the good ole days" have served us well to an extent. For some of us our lifestyle habits and society in general dictate to us what is deemed acceptable and good. May I suggest though that the subtle changes in food preservation over so many decades has actually eroded our health and quality of life.
O.k. here's the scoop. On the one side of the coin it is apparent that food additives and prservatives are essential in order to maintain quality and flavor. Not to mention protect us against the growth of bacteria and fungi. Words such as butylated hydrozytotoluene (BHT) or monosodium glutenate actually do serve a purpose other than confusing the label reader.
Are you ready to hear the flip-side?? These antimicrobial agents, artificial colors, flavor enhancers, antioxidants, etc.. also are a fairly significant culprit when it comes to allergies as well as ADD. They can also be behind asthma, and hayfever. Do you have vague symptoms like rashes, headache, tight chest, eczema, etc... It is quite likely that your diet is the trigger for these symptoms. Our bodies don't recognize many of these foreign substances and can cause inflammation of brain and body tissues. Not to mention offering no nutritional value whatsoever.
So let me inspire you to turn over a new leaf so to speak. Next time you go grocery shopping really consider if the product on your shopping list will be a contributor to your health and well-being or if it will only put you "at risk" of future ill-health/disease.
All things are possible with faith and determination. I with God's help am still learning and implementing new strategies to ensure a brighter future. We at the COG believe in YOU!!
