I was, in my earlier years, arrogant about my ability to eat anything and not gain weight. I scoffed at the "nuts" who said you have to eat whole grains, limit sugar, and eat healthy food in general. I was immune to health issues that others had, or so I thought. My idea of a diet soda was to drink half a glass of full sugar root beer. Then, it all caught up with me. I learned about the importance of good nutrition. I learned that Captain Crunch could kill me. Over the years, since being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I watched DW's oldest broth die of diabetic complications. I watched one of my best childhood friends die of diabetic complications. They didn't control what they ate, and figured that leaving the skins on when mashing the potatoes was good enough.
Diet is far more important than most people realize. It's the difference between a good life, and a life riddled with pain, and the inability to do the things you want to do, like stick around for the grandkids.
Food related illness is epidemic in this nation, because we've been taught to eat unhealthy by those who profit from selling the unhealthy garbage to everyone who they can con into buying it.
There are scientists in the major food organizations whose job it is to, for all practical purposes, make food just shy of addicting, by adding those things we naturally, or unaturally crave, such as fats, sugars, and starches. And the fats and sugars aren't even ones that have any nutritional value. They use the cheapest they can find to maximize profit.
I've been listening to too much NPR radio lately. And beyond that, I've seen how short term profits outweigh virtually every other aspect of our society. If someone can legally get away with taking short cuts, healthy or not, to maximize profits, they will.
And so I echo CWS4322. I wish someone could have gotten through to me when I was young enough that it would have made a difference. But then again, GotGarlic certainly has a point. Nagging just makes most of us rebel, even against things that will benefit us.
I said it last week, somewhere in this thread, we love to cook, we know how to cook, we know about nutrition, and still we eat things that slowly drag us down a path that leads to sorrow and pain. I've seen and experienced that pain first hand, with my BIL, and one of my best friends. I hope my children never have to experience because I did stupid things with my diet.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
