Unapologetic Unapologetic

I have started this post four or five times and gone back to the beginning. Some people will read it and say I need to get off my high horse. Others will say that it is just me promoting my business, and others still will say "Hey, aren't you taking this a little too seriously? It's just food." Each time I have started over, I am more adamant that I should talk louder. The food we are eating is killing our nation, crippling our healthcare system, and creating generations of unhappy children who will turn into unhappy adults.



If I come off like a hard line a-hole, well good. It seems to me that people aren't speaking up enough. There seems to be this notion that we should let our kids "be kids" and allow them to eat and drink what they want. Go to your summer pools and look around at kids drinking 20 ounce Cokes, Gatorades, all day, and view the rolls that they create. Explain to those kids that you are "letting them be kids".



There is a notion that my family eats nothing but granola, drinks water, and never eats fast food. This isn't the case. Our kids probably eat Canes and or McD's 3-4 times a year. We let them eat ice cream, donuts, and get Sonic Blasts from time to time. We also constantly have to explain to them that no we won't pick up Raising Cane's and bring it to school for their lunch and that there is no crime in not knowing what a Little Debbie Zebra Cake is.



I hate this seeming acceptance of fatness as being "just how it is." This is such bs. Skinny isn't what it's all about, but a healthy weight for your body is what people should strive for. I also know that people can eat correctly and not overcome genetic predispositions. I have more than a couple friends in triathlon that have lost a ton of weight and will never be skinny. They are however, healthy and fit.



I walked the aisles of a local grocery store the other day and a thought struck me. It was simple and like a shot in the neck. "What % of items in this store are good for me?" Non processed, no high fructose corn syrup, all natural, lacking preservatives. While I didn't go package to package and look at all the labels, it was clear that likely 70-80% of the store violated this. In fact, if you step back and look down an aisle, you see the dazzling array of colors beckoning you to buy. If I am being honest with myself, I should ask, "Why are they dressing this up so much if it's good for me?" Super sized bags and boxes of empty calories lining aisle after aisle.



Let's talk a little more. If I asked you what killed more people heroin or obesity, it should not shock you to know that in 2009 there were approximately 35000 deaths from drug overdoses of all kinds and 400,000 from obesity related illness.



So I'd ask you to forgive me, but I am not apologizing for speaking out nor will I apologize as I keep speaking out. Someone has to.



Most recent Live Through This blog posts

comments powered by Disqus

RESTAURANT DIRECTORY

Multimedia

Baton Rouge Business Report How to master the fish fillet 130x130-1
How to master the fish fillet

Step-by-step instructions for filleting fresh fish, which is a particularly useful culinary skill for those of us fortunate enough to live in southeast Louisiana.

See full Slide Show

Baton Rouge Business Report Social media style 130x130-1
Social media style

With our cover story featuring 25 must-follow Twitter accounts in Baton Rouge, and examining the growing social media site's impact on the local community, we wondered what Twitter might look like in the flesh—living, breathing, fashionable flesh. Prices are approximate, and price and availability are subject to change. (Styling: Erin Mehta)

See full Slide Show

Baton Rouge Business Report Bad Guys, Good Eats! Pop-Up Dinner at Restaurant IPO  130x130-1
Bad Guys, Good Eats! Pop-Up Dinner at Restaurant IPO

Chef and 225 contributor Jay D. Ducote and Chef Chris Wadsworth hosted the Bad Guys, Good Eats! dinner at Restaurant IPO Wednesday night. The dinner was themed around famous movie villains, pairing cocktails and ales with plates of food resembling famous baddies like The Joker, Lord Voldemort, Hannibal Lector, and many others. The highlights of the night were the three middle courses—a black bean soup laced with blood sausage to signify Lord Voldemort, a brace of coneys on black eyed peas resembling Sauron, and lamb medallions atop a fava bean puree to pay homage to the famous favorite of Hannibal Lector.

See full Slide Show

Baton Rouge Business Report Summer Crush 130x130-1
Summer Crush

Elizabeth Arkley Hammett, a local nursing student and Fur Ball co-coordinator, and her husband Grey Hammett III, who works in commercial real estate, will take you through our summer guide. And they'll look good while doing it, too. Where noted, their clothes and accessories are available from local retailers.

See full Slide Show

  • Baton Rouge Business Report 60x60-1
  • Baton Rouge Business Report 60x60-1
  • Baton Rouge Business Report 60x60-1
  • Baton Rouge Business Report 60x60-1