Yes you are reading the title of this post correctly. Every day America is ravaged repetitively by a barbaric and ferocious predator commonly known as junk food; they warned us the Devil would be attractive. In all seriousness though, we are being screwed every day. If you ever stop to think about what is in a Twinkie before you eat it, you better damn well be shaking for fear of your life.
To put it bluntly, America is in a war. This war doesn't have guns, missiles, or soldiers. This war consists of the citizens and products of America. We are in a civil war with ourselves, and we are losing. The forks and knives of our brothers are stabbing the sacrificial cakes, donuts, pies, and meats of the enemy; and we are losing because of it. It's kind of sad when you're losing a war to food isn't it? I'd also label it as pathetic but that's just me. Doctors are saying that obesity is the largest health risk in the country. If you let your own weight get out of hand, it can kill you, but not before giving you a plethora of health issues and diseases. So not only does it kill you, it kills you slowly and painfully. Truth is, if you really wanted to lose weight, you would have lost it by now. Sure genetics play a large role in how you look and what you weigh, but dedication and determination will always overcome genetics. Why should you settle for being overweight because something you have no control over pre-programmed you to be? Life isn't fair, but that doesn't mean you can't make it fair.
One of the goals of this blog is to help anyone who wants to get into shape, get into shape. Whether your goals are weight loss, strength, building muscle, muscular endurance, etc. there will be an article for you and I will do my very best to help you along the path to fulfillment. This is a good time to mention that any personal questions can be left as comments so everyone can see the question and answer. I will answer each and every question and personally help anyone who wants to be helped one-on-one.
To start let's talk about nutrition. Nutrition is really very simple. The secret to nutrition is that if you think something isn't good for you, it isn't good for you; so don't eat it. If you think something is good for you, it is most likely good for you; so you can eat it in moderation. The secret I was getting at is common sense. We all know what is good for us and what isn't. Junk food is obviously the leading cause of obesity, but other foods play a large role. I'd classify soda as junk food personally, but I know a lot of people who'd argue against that. Soda is a large piece of the obesity problem. Out of experience, I'd estimate that 1 in 3 people drink soda regularly. Just cutting soda out alone could significantly improve your chances to lose weight or cause you to lose weight. Of course there are healthier alternatives to soda such as IZZE, which is basically just carbonated fruit juice. Reed’s Ginger Ale and Virgil’s Root Beer (made by the same company) are also much healthier choices. Again, drink them in moderation as the fruit juices in them do have a fair amount of sugar in them. Anything with high fructose corn syrup in the ingredients is something you need to steer clear of. Anything with partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils in it is something you need to incinerate. You know those bags/boxes that say no trans-fat on them? Read the ingredients. More likely than not these products have partially hydrogenated oils in them; if you took biology or chemistry you would know this meant they actually do have trans-fat in them. Always read the ingredients on any food product you buy. If it has high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated (or hydrogenated) oils in it, put it back on the shelf and slowly walk away.
To make safer decisions without having to know too much about what is good and bad for you, shop at health food stores such as Whole Foods or Trader Joes. Then again shop there anyways as they have more variety of healthy foods. Some of the products may be pricier, but are you really that frugal that you would put a price on your health? If you're thinking yes, think of how you'd answer the question if you were having chest pain, joint pain, or even a heart attack caused by obesity. We all love money, it's true, and call me crazy but I love life far more than I love a green piece of paper with a president's face on it. So what is the first step in losing weight?Actually doing it!
So now that you know you have to violently murder any unhealthy food people place in front of you, let’s get into what you should not eat or drink. For brevity’s sake I’ll make a list. I’ll add some of my favorite brands at the very end of this post.
Do Not Eat/Drink:
Meat (Little to no nutritional value at the expense of too many calories and the life of an animal)
Junk Food such as store bought cupcakes, candy bars, brownies, etc.
Soda
Fruit Juice with added sugar
Alcohol (In addition to soda, cutting this out if often enough to make people start losing weight)
Sugary drinks such as lemonade, iced tea, fruit punch, etc.
White bread (no nutritional value)
Coffee (too much caffeine increases heart rate)
Vitamin Water
Can Eat Or Drink:
Fruits and Vegetables
Dairy (in moderation)
Ice Cream (opt for frozen yogurt, but if you really want ice cream, get the all natural kind by Ben and Jerry’s or Haagen Dazs)
Iced Tea (only if you make it yourself and don’t put sugar in it)
Hot Tea
IZZE, Reed’s Ginger Ale, Virgil’s Root Beer (in moderation)
Fruit Juices not from concentrate i.e. Tropicana Orange Juice (in moderation)
WATER
Whole Grains
Snacks such as Pirate’s Booty, whole grain nachos, baked potato chips, etc.
Energy bars or protein bars such as Clif bars or Odwalla bars
Olive Oil
Chocolate – only if it doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup or (partially) hydrogenated oils. Opt for organic chocolate.
I may be missing a few but you get the general idea. The first step in weight loss is removing bad habits from your life. The main habit you must get rid of before you even consider working out is unhealthy eating. I’ll post an exercise article in a few days or a week, but for now there is one exercise you can do that is free, readily available, and relaxing. Are you ready? Walking. Yes that’s right. The thing most of us take for granted every day and don’t look at as an exercise is actually a fantastic exercise. This is not the best thing you can do to lose weight, but it is the best starting place.
Sincerely,
The Guy Blogging
P.S. – Is there any healthy foods I didn’t mention in this article that you think deserve to be in here? Drop me a comment and I’ll try it. If it’s good I’ll place it in the article giving credit to you.
Ben,
ReplyDeleteAwesome post. Well written and great tone. This is something everyone should take the time to read and understand.
My mom thinks I obsess over being healthy and she thinks I’m absolutely crazy because I don’t purchase any foods without first looking at the nutrition facts/ingredients. To me, I find it crazy that the vast majority of people (at least it seems that way to me) don’t take a minute or two to see what it is exactly that they are putting in their body. Most people will take the time to make sure their outer body is clean by showering, washing their hands, etc. but they won’t take care of the more important inner body.
Excellent point about the trans fats and the hydrogenated oils. Personally, I try limiting my intake of saturated fats, but if a food has trans fat there is no chance in hell I’m eating it. Soda is also a biggie like you say. Also, I don’t mess with diet sodas anymore. I’ve read enough articles saying diet beverages can be just as bad as regular…not to mention you are consuming all that artificial sweetener trash. Water, reduced fat milk, and soy milk is pretty much all I drink.
I think the single biggest thing many people who are struggling to lose weight need to understand is that they should NOT be counting calories and calories alone. Too often you hear something like “I can eat this food because it only has ---- calories”. Instead of counting calories, one needs to count fat, saturated fat, trans fat, carbohydrates, and protein. One person can have a daily 3000 calorie intake and be obese while another person (with similar physical characteristics) can have a 3000 calorie intake and be losing weight by the day. It is all about the aforementioned content of those calories and whether or not you will be burning them through various physical activities.
Thanks for sharing that list of recommended foods. There are a few things on there I’m gonna have to check out now. Great post and I hope more people see it and appreciate it.
Peace out, dogga dogga roo (that’s a word I made up with respect to your “Humble Origins” post).
Mark
Great post,very interesting the comparison to the devil. People often think that they are missing out if they don't eat that junk, but in reality that's because it's super addictive from all the additives and sugar in it. Some other products I think should be on the list are;
ReplyDelete- Amy's Kitchen brand
- Tofutti brand(more for vegans, but obviously anyone can eat them. Basically the only non-dairy brand that actually tastes good)
- Soy/Rice milk
- veggie/soy "meat"
- beans
- legumes
- french fries...hahah just kidding=)
Thanks for the support guys. I didn't get a chance to start my new health blog today but I should have time tomorrow. be sure to check it out as all these kinds of articles will be on there. My sister, who is a vegan, is going to be a guest author on there occasionally as well. French fries! I love how I go to family events and my family says I'm unhealthy because I don't eat meat and french fries yet I am in incredible shape. Kind of funny to me!
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