Hello everyone. I hope all is well with you. I’m back today and I’m talking about the food we eat. I just watched a documentary titled, “What the Health.” It was eye-opening to say the least. To check out the documentary click the link below.
In this show, the producers claim it is the meat we eat that’s causing heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. They feel the public has been misinformed by all the health organizations who encourage us to eat meat. Their spin on the whole thing is these organizations accept donations from the meat industry and therefore, act as advertisers for it.
Photo via Visualhunt.com
I watched the documentary in its entirety and it did make me question whether or not their claims could be true. There were people interviewed on the show that were taking all kinds of medications for diabetes and heart disease and after two weeks of eating a plant based diet they were either off all medications or on their way there. They interviewed doctors who all claim that meat is the cause of many of our society’s sicknesses. The popular theory is that all the pesticides and preservatives in our meat are causing these life changing illnesses.
The way our food is processed has come under attack before. In the documentary, “Fed Up,” it illustrated how sugar is added to our processed foods, like canned tomatoes and other vegetables (See the link to the trailer below). It’s added to our soda and cereals as well.Now sugar is just empty calories, so if we’re adding empty calories to our diet, what happens? We store those calories as fat and now that we’re a more sedentary society, we don’t burn off those extra calories. Where does that lead us? Obesity. What happens when we’re overweight? We’re at a high risk for heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
We are literally poisoning ourselves with the food we eat. How sad is that? So what’s the answer? Well according to the producers of “What the Health,” we need to eat a plant-based diet. But where will we get our protein you ask? From nuts and beans.
I’m going to try and eat a more plant-based diet and see how I feel. How about you? Do you feel the way our food is processed is making us sick? Leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you!
**** On a side note, there were some conflicting claims between the two documentaries so keep that in mind if you watch them. 🙂
It’s so difficult to find foodstuffs that do not contain sugar. Even if the label says they don’t, there’s usually aspartame added to sweeten. I try and eat a selection of vegetables every day, but do like meat and fish.
I hear you, Stevie. After I watched that documentary, I was like so I can’t eat anything? I literally felt like I’d have to eat twigs and leaves to stay healthy. LOL! I do feel these documentaries have merit. However, I’m on the fence about meat. I don’t think it’s all bad for you. Maybe we’re eating too much of it. I’m not sure, but the sugar is an issue. I see it added to a lot of our foods. 🙂
Sugar is poison to our systems.
Thanks for stopping by, Stevie!
There are so many theories about the food we eat and the effect it has on us. A lot of the meat we eat is injected with growth hormones. And a lot of the plants that make it to our table are filled with pesticides. After a lot of reading, I think it’s best to maintain a balanced diet. Mostly plants. Some meat. As little processed food as possible.
Yeah. I think you’re right. However, I’ve heard of people going completely vegan and they lost a lot of weight. That’s the intriguing part for me. I might just cut back on meat…maybe not eat as much and see what happens. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts! 🙂
I’m anemic and red meat does a lot for me- iron supplements are *REALLY* hard on your stomach, And I’m not really in a better place if I’ve taken my supplement and then not been able to stomach food for the rest of the day. However, I am trying to eat more whole foods and less processed foods, for sustainable and health reasons. I don’t think many people can argue against whole foods being good for you but I question documentaries that present only one (extreme) side. Great post!
Yes. I agree with you about the red meat is a great place to get iron. I was borderline anemic growing up, so I’ve always been a fan of meat, but I’m thinking if I cut some of it out, it’ll help me lose a little weight. 🙂 I’m like you, I do take these documentaries with a grain of salt, but they do make you think! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts! I appreciate it!
When you look at the amount of illnesses there are that weren’t heard of before you can’t help but wonder if the miracles of the modern world… like processed food… are responsible..
Yes. Ritu. It’s sad to say, but our need for speed, getting everything faster could be killing us. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!
🙂
It fills me with dread x of course they taste all the more appetising in the cruellest of ironies. Snow White and the apple!
You’ve got that right! It’s scary what our world might become if we don’t do something. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Gosh Lisa, you open up with hoping all is well with us and then say, oh you’re being poisoned 😉
I totally agree with this post; form a science perspective a lot of “food” manufacturers have spent decades chasing sales with additives and sweeteners; from drinks, to tinned foods, to snacks and even meat. Tinned meats are easy to avoid; meat can be an issue unless you have a very good local butcher who can validate his supply line. Mine now comes from a butcher in Scotland who’s meat and game has provenance. I can’t say the same for supermarkets. Fast food and supermarkets..one could blame manufacturers yes, but then again it’s supply and demand. If folk chose not to buy it then they would change their methods accordingly. Thing is we often take things on trust and have done for decades which is why the mess is now live and active. I rather think its up to us as consumers to start adapting our habits and get that message out that buying things on their say so is not good enough. We are omnivores so get dietary requirements from mixed sources of food. Meat is part of that; not essential wrt vegans, but for many it is. The onus should be for us to check labels and if in doubt buy something else. As the historian stated documentaries often polarise a debate by being unbalanced. However, one can easily drop anything processed… depending on how you define that of course; To me it’s pre-packed, including meat in tins, ready meals, most snacks (eg crisps with too much salt and assorted E-numbers), fizzy drinks (sugar) and so on.
Hmm, I could write a post on this so kudos for this one and excellent discussion points.. as my ramble (cut short) infers 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Gary. You’re absolutely correct. It is supply and demand. If we demanded healthier food, we’d get it. That’s why these documentaries are important. They make us question the way we think. I know my opening was a bit drastic, but I’m trying to help people make better choices and sometimes a shocker wakes people up. 🙂
Haha, I’m feeling very anarchistic now thanks to you! Down with the supermarket overseers and all that. Agreed though, information is needed to educate. I feel people have, in general, stopped asking questions and just accept things. There was a similar discussion point about that sort of thing on scaleitsimple last week where I errr, jumped on the soapbox again 🙂
LOL! I think I’m a reformer of sorts, always looking to make things better. 🙂
haha, the tide is turning and the Bloggers will soon rule the world! Actually, that might not be such a bad thing!!!
You’re right about that!
It’s almost hypocritical of me that I am carnivorous at all, considering my affinity for Buddhism and animals. But at the very least, I should be paying attention to how the animals are treated by the companies that produce the meat that I eat. As you can deduce just from my little profile photo here, I’m not someone who is very concerned about his own health, so such concerns won’t prompt me to change my dietary habits. But compassion can, and should. Regardless, I’d still like to know if you feel any different after you switch to a more plant-based diet for a spell.
I’ll keep you posted. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Hi Lisa, I decided to eat a Vegan diet a few years ago. I discovered foods, and new ways to make the things I liked, I never would have found had I not put a ban on so many staples like meat, dairy, and eggs. It opened up my food horizons in a big way. I didn’t do it for any ideological or health reasons, more because I wanted to see if I could do it and what I would learn. I gained perspective, maybe lost a pound or two and REALLY craved a good juicy chicken breast after six months. 🙂 Since then I’ve found my way back to meat, cheese, and eggs. I try and eat green things every day and portion my meals for myself and my family with veggies filling half the plate or more. But, that doesn’t mean I do enough. Sugar worries me. It’s everywhere and it’s the fuel that makes cancer grow. When I take obvious sources of refined sugar out of my diet (cookies, ice cream, etc) I find a simple peach or nectarine is the sweetest and most delicious of treats–don’t get me started on the perfect mango. . . So, I think there is something to re-training our taste buds. Even if a complete ban doesn’t last, stretching in the right direction pulled my “normal” farther away from the processed food/high fat/high sugar side of the pendulum and closer to the healthy corner.
I love the question you posed and how it made me think– thank you!
Thanks for stopping by Angela. I appreciate your thoughts. I know what you mean about craving a chicken breast. I’ve gone just a few days with this change and I’m craving one right now! But I’m rethinking if I want to cut out meat all together because of the iron issue. I might just cut back on meat. We’ll see. I agree with you, sugar is something we really need to watch, especially in our processed foods. It seems to be added to everything. Thanks again for stopping by, Angela. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. 🙂
We don’t eat commercially raised & processed meats. We eat wild game almost exclusively. I don’t even like the taste of most store bought meats anymore, especially pork (so flavorless and rubbery compared to wild pig meat). Mr & Mrs B have gone mostly vegetarian, too. They will occasionally eat some wild game with us. Mostly, I like getting my protein from bans because beans mean cornbread and cornbread is so yummy😍
You are so smart! When I saw the “What the Health” documentary, I thought how in the world can we take care of ourselves and the only answer that made sense was for us to raise our own chickens,cow, and pigs and grow our own fruits and vegetables. Not something we can do at the moment. Oh and by the way, I love cornbread, too! 🙂
We have chickens and they’re mean. Everybody (except me) likes the eggs so I’m not allowed to kill and eat the chickens. These chickens have definitely made me decide raising livestock isn’t for me, which is ok since sunshine loves to hunt😆
It works out well for you then. Glad to hear it. 🙂
This reminds me of the premise for the documentary on the guy that tried to live solely off of McDonalds menu for a month. I haven’t seen it yet, but based on commentary, this previously healthy guy was miserable before the month was over.
There is plenty of truth to the injurious effects of a processed, sugary, Western Diet, especially when coupled with a more sedentary lifestyle.
But I don’t know if I could ever give up my Snickers and Taco Bell;)
Taco Bell is probably one of the healthiest fast food places around. So you’re doing all right. 🙂
hehehe I’ve been waxing poetic for several years about my unhealthy fondness for Taco Bell, and you are the FIRST to ever say that 😉
Bless you!
It’s the only fast food we get. 🙂
I have an almost meat free diet which helps my fibromyalgia no end.
That’s awesome! I’m so glad to hear it! Gives me more incentive to try a meat free diet! 🙂
This is so interesting – I used to eat a lot of processed foods since it is very convenient when there isn’t a lot of time to make a proper meal. But then spent a year living in South Korea in my early twenties and every thing changed. They don’t rely on processed foods a lot, and the few products they do have are sometimes very expensive! I started to change to fit my new environment and the increase in energy, the better sleep, over all feeling better was so worth it! Being back in Canada I’ve changed back a little bit but not to the same extent as before.
Wow. Another testimonial against processed food. I’m more convinced than ever that I need to make a change. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experience!
good post and food for thought (so to speak). Do you plan on doing an update after you cut down on meat? I vaguely remember someone mentioning cut out “white” from your diet. I.e. white bread, sugar etc. I think the other thing is get off our arse more.
You’ve got that right. I’ll probably do another post after a while to let you all know how I’m feeling. And you’re so right. We need to move more. It’s one of the best things we can do for our bodies. 🙂
Its the double whammy of processed meats that is really bad for us…but things like bacon are so so tasty! We’ve been trying to eat less meat for the last few years. Now, when I *do* eat meat, I spend more on happy meat from a local butcher. To be honest though, I hardly cook with meat now. I really like eating all the veggies and fish.
I think you’ll be okay if you try to cook from scratch, rather than eat too much over processed foods. It’s mad though, even bread seems to have more sugar than it needs. 😦
I know! Everyone’s saying stay away from store-bought bread. But who has time to cook like that any more? Certainly not me. I’m going to do my best to follow an all plant diet. I don’t know if I’ll be cutting out all meat, but I’m certainly cutting back. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts! 🙂
I think it is much easier to cut back, rather than make a rule that you can’t eat it at all.
I agree. 🙂 Maybe I should cut back and if I feel that much better, I’ll eliminate it all. 🙂
I’m a carnivore, and won’t be giving up meat and fish. But I do thing processed food is unhealthy as almost everything has added sugar and I believe that is much worse than the meat we eat. I do eat locally grown meat that is grass fed without antibiotics/drugs. Not only do I know it is healthier for me, it tastes so much better.
Wow! Good for you! It sounds like you’ve found the perfect solution! Glad to hear it!
I suppose people are turning to processed foods more and more out of convenience. But it’s not hard to reach for fresh veggies and fruit instead 😉 I try to eat the latter but sometimes I crave salty and that’s more processed items that I use to fill that want.. good for you for getting on a healthier track after watching those documentaries, Lisa!
Thanks, Christy! Yes. We’re a much busier society than we used to be and I can see where fast food and processed food is a choice we make when we’re in a hurry. I’m also trying to slow down so I don’t have to choose those options, either. I’ll keep you posted on how I do. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. 🙂
I ate a salad and veggie pizza tonight! I don’t eat a lot of meat, mostly fish, but every couple of weeks I have to eat a hamburger. Found a restaurant in Breckenridge that serves all natural everything. No soy, hormones, antibiotics…. I can even drink their shakes from locally made handcrafted ice cream and I’m lactose intolerant!
Wow! That’s awesome! 🙂
sigh….at this rate one will think the only safe thing to consume is water..A lot of things we eat contains a bit of sugar…i guess we just need to make a conscious effort to maintain a healthy lifestyle…*sips green tea
Yes. I know. It’s scary. I’m thinking about growing my own food just to be on the safe side, but that takes up so much time. I think that’s where processed foods and fast food came in and became so popular…to safe us time, but does it if we’re not living longer? Sigh.
Yea yea…Convenience = processed food….let’s just do what we can for ourselves so we can live longer and avoid as many health challenges as possible
Absolutely! Well said! 🙂