When Health Experts by Any Other Name are Not Experts at All!
There’s an article on Yahoo! today that attempts to convince you that “health or fitness experts” really eat some crappy foods, so you don’t feel so guilty or bewildered when you indulge in things that are definitely not that healthy. I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong impression, so I am doing my duty to inform you that the people who eat some of these foods are not “health experts” at all.
If anyone who dares to tell you that eating Twizzlers is healthy and suitable for feeling good about your choices for fitness; then you need to redefine the term, “expert”. They may have some expertise at disinformation and misdirection, but they are not experts in the health field by any stretch of the imagination. If you follow their guidance and engage in the same behaviors, you will not be physically fit; but you will be disappointed and discouraged in the long run.
Let’s take a little peak at the less-than-healthy ingredients in Twizzlers: Corn syrup, flour, sugar, cornstarch, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, artificial flavorings, and artificial coloring Red 40! They used to include gelatin from animal sources, but PETA must have approached them to have it removed to label it as a “vegan-edible confection” of all things. This is a good example of the bastardization of your food supply by using terms in the industry like “vegan” to give the appearance of “healthy” when that is far from the case. This list of unhealthy ingredients is not what true experts in health and wellness are going to consider as “vegan” or “edible”. I would agree that Twizzlers are a confection.
Here’s the Yahoo! article to help you understand this quandary:
“The Healthy-Diet Foods That Health Experts Really Eat”
The article differentiates between staples and snacks. The first food item is almond butter right out of the jar after a work-out by a fitness expert who apparently doesn’t have enough time to prepare a real meal with nut butter as one of a number of healthy ingredients. Does she not understand how digestion works? You don’t get a “boost” by eating a spoonful of nut butter that takes some time to digest for the body to utilize the protein, healthy lipids, and other nutrients. She would do much better to sip a nutritious liquid like a whole fresh fruit smoothie or real almond milk instead to give her a more rapid burst of energy from liquid sustenance. A power nap would do more for her than a spoonful of almond butter! Even a packet of Emergen-C with electrolytes would suffice following a workout. The real expert would take the time to prepare a real meal with nuts – whole nuts – or a nut butter that compliments other ingredients that balances amino acids with a combination of sources of protein for a complete grouping.
Another dietician eats sardines right out of the can. Again, this is an example of laziness and the inability to understand the innate value of preparing a complete meal, rather than treating healthy eating as a quick grab of something alone on the go. Why not make a rich sauce for a quinoa dish or use the sardines in a Caesar salad dressing? The frozen grapes in place of late night ice cream are not such a bad idea, but spikes in blood sugar do not make for healthy choices. Greek yogurt is still all the rage as if it is something new, but you have to be careful not to get back in the habit of making it sweet or adding acidic fruit to any yogurt. Yogurt is meant to be tart, not sweet. The healthy choice is to enjoy cultured coconut milk made by So Delicious!
Salmon is a great healthy choice as long as it is sustainably-harvested from the ocean, not farmed and artificially-colored to appear pink. But NEVER, and I mean never, ruin salmon or any other healthy food by using a microwave oven to cook your fish or food of any sort. Use a bamboo steamer in place of a microwave oven or poach your fish on a low temperature in a healthy oil. Shredded wheat or wheat in any way, shape, or form is ‘off the table’ now that we have learned that gluten is simply a problem for all human beings. Shredded wheat or any other cereal with skim milk is also a disaster in the making, so take the time to prepare whole grains that are gluten-free varieties and use coconut milk instead of a dairy product.
When will these “experts” learn that Cheerios and steel-cuts oats are not whole grains after processing? This is bordering on ignorance and foolishness! Cheerios are not whole-grains, but they are unhealthy cereal grains that have no place in a healthy diet. Steel-cut oats are fine on occasion, but they are no longer a ‘whole grain’. Have you never eaten whole oat groats? They are fabulous and sustaining for a long period of time. They take longer to prepare, but it is well worth it for the nutrient-density of B vitamins, fiber, and other nutrients that get lost in any degree of processing of whole grains. Soak your whole grains before cooking them and give yourself the time that you need to cook them properly, but keep your whole grains gluten-free if you decide to keep eating them at all.
Seltzer is not exactly a horrific choice, but it is not healthy. All carbonated beverages pose a little molecular problem in the human body. Purified water that is sipped throughout the day, not guzzled, can be flavored with freshly-squeezed fruit juice or slices of fresh fruit. There’s nothing wrong with pure water of the sipping-sort to hydrate the body, but don’t drink excessively or you will dilute the nutrient-base of foods that won’t have the time to be circulated throughout the body in the blood once absorbed and useful for health. When people drink copious amounts of water, they put stress on the bladder and kidneys as well as the circulatory system that must eliminate the excess fluids to maintain homeostasis.
Energy bars do make healthy snacks as long as they are a combination of healthy ingredients from the start, so you’ll have to read the label. Luna bars are decent, but do not use any energy bar to replace a real meal. You do need to chew these bars well to gain the benefits from the ingredients. If you desire chocolate milk, then make your own with organic cacao powder and coconut milk or a nut milk that is fresh. Dairy products are unreliable and you would have to do a lot of research before settling on a responsible supplier of organic milk from free-range cows on a small sustainable farm. Eggs are in the same category and you have to be sure to ascertain the origin of your dozen.
I am genuinely concerned with these trainer and fitness experts who feel the need to take food ‘on the go’ with them, instead of making lifestyle choices to be in a position to prepare healthy meals from home in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. Their mothers forgot to train them to know how to pack a sack lunch with whole foods and healthy beverages. While unsalted raw nuts and dried fruit are healthy food choices, they are not ideal for a mid-day serving of food that will keep you truly healthy and strong. They are not substitutes for real meals. I suggest that you train your daily regimen to include real meals, instead of relying upon snacks and small bits of food during the course of the day and the evening. You can forget yogurt-covered pretzels and peanut M&Ms! I can tell you that coconut milk vegan caramels from Desiderio are fabulous as a treat after a solid meal, but I have no experience with those ice cream cones. A nice fruit sorbet is preferable to ice cream from any dairy source and those cones are not healthy at any rate. One of these days, I will give you my recommendations for healthy staples and snacks, but do not buy into the lazy crazy suggestions from these so-called “health experts” who have no earthly idea what constitutes a healthy staple or snack by their descriptions of their poor and unhealthy choices portrayed in this article. Steer clear of anyone who would eat these things and think that they are actually experts in health and fitness!
