Dog Poop In Your Food?

I have had a post rattling around in my head for some time.  I hesitate writing one like this because I get accused of picking on people.  This is NOT aimed at anyone in particular.  It is just my thoughts about the subject.  :)  

Have you ever heard the story about dog poop in the brownies?  When I first heard the story, it was something along these lines.  A Dad brought out a plate of brownies that the Mom had made for the family.  He gave each of his children a big brownie, but before they took the first bite, he told them that Mom had put a 1/2 tsp. of dog poop in them.  Of course none of the children wanted a brownie.  He questioned them as to why they did not want it citing that with there being so little of the poop in the brownie that they would never taste it.  They told him they knew it was there and they would not eat them.  The Dad went on to explain how their choices in life were like that.  If they made little bad choices, the whole batch would be spoiled.  If we dabble in this sin or listen to this junky music a little or just take a peek at that bad thing, etc. it will greatly affect our whole life.  

This also applies to other areas of our lives.  Americans spend the lowest amount of money (percentage wise of their income) on food than any other country, yet we soar above other countries in health care costs.  Cheap food abounds in America.  I read a statistic the other day that says we cook less than any other country in the world.  Everything is ready made or throw in a microwave or fast food.  I hear people talk about how they are struggling financially, yet they eat out at least once a week and usually it is fast food.  There is a lot of meat in the statistics above, but I am not going to delve into all of them.  It seems like people are sick a lot.  Cancer is rampant as well as all sorts of other diseases and problems.  I hear people say, well we only eat (this junk or that junk) once in awhile, maybe once a week.  That can't be all that bad.  Think dog poop.

I have been grossly overweight for much of my adult life.  I could go into several factors that helped that along, but I don't want to make excuses for myself.   I recently had a niece ask on Facebook why it has to cost so much to eat healthy.   One of their friends said that they had made some changes in how they eat and that cutting the junk out of the grocery bill seemed to balance out the costs.  They said they quit buying soft drinks, chips, cookies, ice cream, etc. and it had made it possible for them to make some changes.  Another thing they did was to get rid of the "whites"... :)  White flour, white rice, white sugar and white pasta.  These are good words and ones that will help bring some good changes to your diet.  I have tried all sorts of diets, but none of them seemed to last very long.  We started making food changes over 15 years ago.  I have seen my health improve, but not my weight.  About a year ago we started some new dietary principles.  They were ones we knew about, but had not embraced them yet.  Then in March of this year, we made some more changes and since mid March, I have lost 28 pounds and Michael has lost 35 pounds.  I do believe we have lost more inches than pounds.  Our clothes are so much looser and Michael tries on clothes every week and adds new things to his wardrobe that he has not been able to wear for years.  The best part though is how good we feel.  I feel better now than I have for over 10 years.  I have energy and my skin, hair and nails are different.  I don't struggle with being hungry or feeling deprived.  

I did not say all of the above to advertise some eating plan.  The real point I want to get across is most of us need to make changes in what we eat.  High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is in almost everything.  Look at the stuff in your pantry.  Read the ingredients.  Think of HFCS as the dog poop in the brownies.  It is BAD for you.  It is causing all sorts of problems in our health and our children's health.  Some people eat lots of salad.  That is so good, yet they smother it with salad dressings that are full of nasty stuff.  Homemade salad dressings are SO easy, and take very little time.  HFCS is only one of the big problems.  There are others.  Start reading, be aware of what you are eating.  

Another thing is sugar.  If you love carbohydrates like pastas, breads, etc. than you are craving sugar.  That is what those things consist of.  I was a carb QUEEN.  I love breads, pastas, crackers, etc.  I did not want to give up those wonderful delicious carbs that I love.  One of the changes I have made is to switch to either a SWG (Soaked whole grain) bread or bread made with spelt (a grain).  I also limit myself to one slice a day (although there is an occasional day when I eat another).  I rarely eat pasta right now, although with the cooler weather coming, I will be adding more of that back in to our diet. Also, when I do use pasta it is Kamut (a grain) or Spelt pasta.   Since making those little changes, I find I do not crave the carbohydrates like I did.  Fruit is good for you, but lots of fruit means lots of sugar.  I try eating only one piece of fruit a day.  Fruit juice sounds like a good thing for little ones.  Be careful how much you give them.  You are giving them sugar when you give them that juice.   I get most of my carbohydrates through vegetables now and it seems to be working.

Start making changes in your diet and your food money.   Start with one thing and incorporate it.  Then add another.  Do research about what is real food and what is good for you.  Don't be too busy to fix your family a good home cooked meal instead of eating out or throwing a frozen dinner in the oven.  Try cutting out soft drinks and chips.  Homemade pizza is very easy to make and so much better for you.  

I am not speaking as one who "has arrived".  I am on the slopes with you and I am still tweaking and making changes.  I try to read with an open mind and I also ask the Lord to direct our choices.  I encourage you to do the same.