Once again, news articles are popping up to warn us about the foods that are bad for us. Like we don’t know. Anyone who pays attention to what they buy and what they eat knows what the Bad Food is. But they often eat it anyway.
Kicking the Diet Soda Habit
The Wall Street Journal published an article on “When the Government Wants You to Kick Your Diet Soda Habit” by Laura Cooper and Andrea Petersen. It reminds us that sweet things are not good for you. Well, duh. If you haven’t gotten this message by now, you’ve been hibernating with Punxsutawney Phil. But have you stopped eating sugary things?
I wager not. The article does, however, focus on the bad things that artificial sweeteners do to the human body. This appears to be news to many Americans who rely on “diet” sodas, yogurts, and other foods that push artificial sweeteners.
“The Trump administration’s overhaul of federal dietary guidelines this month called for Americans to curb their consumption of sugar substitutes, which include aspartame, acesulfame potassium and sucralose. A government report released in conjunction with the guidelines cited research linking the sweeteners to conditions such as cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes.”
Those sweeteners are connected to man other conditions as well. The long list of conditions should raise the hair on your neck.
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I Just Have to Have It
I have met many people like the woman in the article who are addicted to Diet Coke and will not stop drinking it. On several Viking River Cruises, I have heard other passengers mention that they “need” their Diet Coke. Nothing else would do. The same people who would never dream of announcing they “need” a hit of cocaine every morning, make sure the longship’s kitchen stocks Diet Coke in advance of their cruise.
A few times they have mentioned that they know it’s bad for them but they “just have to have it.” Clearly, they consider that glass of soda to be a socially acceptable rush. They enjoy indulging in it several times a day, regardless of the known effects on their body. Either they are unclear on the concept of addiction, or they have a selective attitude toward a being addicted.
Socially acceptable means that the business people who produce what Steve Jobs called “sugared fizzy water” are not viewed as poisoning the American public for profit. That makes the product okay. Also, those ads reassure them that their diet soda won’t hurt them.
Perhaps a commercial that explains “This is your body on artificial sweeteners” would help. Of course, the diet soda lovers could just say no. But no.
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Chronic Inflammation and the Human Body
Inflammation is bad for you. Real Simple just published an article by Betty Gold on “The 12 Most Inflammatory Foods According to Nutrition Experts.” It warns that,
“…chronic inflammation is a long-term condition that can lead to serious health issues such as heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and stroke.”
We recognize that all those things are bad for us. Logically, we would want to avoid foods that cause chronic inflammation and, thus, reduce the risk of suffering from any of those issues. Logic, however, cannot match the combined power of the food industry’s marketing efforts to make us crave their inflammation-causing offerings.
Plus, most people pay no attention to what passes their lips as long as (1) it tastes good and (2) they can afford it. When a potato-chip manufacturer has to change its label to say “made from real potatoes,” because consumers didn’t know that, it gives you a sense of the bubble in which they live.
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The 12 Most Inflammatory Foods
The article is worth reading in its entirety, but I’ll list here those 12 foods so you can judge for yourself which ones likely cause inflammation in your body
- Processed snacks with added sugar
- High-fructose corn syrup
- Ultra-processed foods
- Soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages
- Trans fats
- Red meat
- Processed meats
- Refined carbohydrates
- Fried foods
- Alcohol
- Synthetic sweeteners
- Cereals
If you consume large quantities of all or any of these foods you may want to reconsider those choices. (I only eat #6 and #8 and try to minimize those.) If you love your diet soda, pay attention to #2, #4, and #11 because the artificial sweeteners make your drink, well, sweet. And they are all bad for you.
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The Super Bowl and Bad Food
These warnings appear a week and a half before the Super Bowl, which is the country’s biggest driver of snacks, sweets, and other foods that will do you in if you’re not careful. The Super Bowl is to snack foods what Halloween is to candy.
And speaking of candy, it’s no surprise that M&Ms has released three new flavors just in time for the Super Bowl. The three flavors are Peanut Butter Cinnamon Roll, Cherry Chocolate Cupcake, and Lemon Meringue Pie. If you think those don’t sound ultra-processed and ultra-sweetened, let’s talk about investing in land on Mars.
Overwhelmed with Bad Food
The barrage of commercials leading up to the Big Game can overwhelm anyone with their demands that you Eat This, Eat More of This, Eat Sweet Things, Eat Fried Things, Drink Diet Things, and Snack Foods Are Fun! Basically: consume more Bad Food.
Before you succumb, please (1) Think about what you’re buying. (2) Read the labels on what you’re buying. (3) Limit your portions. (4) On Monday, throw out the unfinished snacks.
In fact, those are good suggestions year-round. Be careful out there, people. Don’t let the Bad Food get you down.
