Spoiled Rotten

Once upon a time, we ate real food. This is NOT that story. This is a story of how we are all spoiled rotten!

Let me tell you about a little experiment I did years back. Okay, it didn’t start out as an experiment. It started out as a doggie bag from a barbecue I attended in early Spring. Or should I call it a feast of processed meats? Every now and again, I have to admit, I do like the taste of a slightly charred hot dog right off the grill. Surrounded by a lightly grilled bun, slathered with dijon mustard and sweet relish. I guess it brings back memories of childhood. (Minus the Grey Poupon) Or maybe it’s the chemicals and preservatives and sugar that they put in those things so that we become addicted to them that was the issue.

Anyway, I brought home a care package or maybe I should call it an I-don’t-care-about-my-health-package of sausages, hot dogs, and a few burgers. In a separate bag, the hostess was kind enough to pack up some buns for me.

I picked off the leftovers for a few days. I was down to one hot dog and one burger when I think I just tossed them. The one bun left in the Ziploc bag sat lonely in the breadbasket that lived on the counter. It rarely had bread in it. I didn’t eat much bread, so I never brought it. It would be moldy by the time I was ready to have a fourth slice.

Eventually, that bun was buried with fruit and snacks, as that basket had basically become the catch-all basket. In preparation to put the house on the market, you start getting rid of things. In preparation for showings, you clean up and declutter. It was time to tackle the counter.

It was Fall now. As part of the big kitchen clean-out, that basket was first on the list. As I started pitching half-open bags of snacks and trail mixes, that one lonely hot dog bun in the Ziploc resurfaced. It was months after that barbecue. And yes, I cleaned my kitchen weekly. I’m a bit of a neat freak and was extremely particular about my kitchen! I just never really took the time to empty that basket!

What did I discover? That almost six months after that barbecue unlike my organic, multigrain bread I would toss regularly or feed to the animals, that hot dog bun, not only had ZERO mold on it, it was only slightly hard! WTH is this made out of? Real food rots! As an experiment, I decided I had to hold on to that bun to see how long it would take to grow mold!

I wish I were kidding! A year later when the house actually sold and it was time to go, that hot dog bun was still not moldy. It was hard. But ZERO mold.

What is the moral of the story other than I had no business eating the hot dogs or the fake buns? That the food industry, as a rule, cares about profits and shelf life, not “our life!” The nutrients in these so-called foods are directly related to how quickly they spoil, if at all. These refined, highly processed THINGS (I DON’T EVEN WANT TO CALL THEM FOOD!) have had most of the nutrients removed. The fiber was removed. The Iron and the B Vitamins were all removed. And why? To extend the shelf life! This is not real food!

The food industry just like the health care system’s (or should I say “sick care” system) concerns and goals are not related to our health. Their goal is profit at our expense. They feed off of fear and misinformation. And the government subsidizes these BS food-like substances.

They told us fat was bad, so they removed the fat and replaced it with sugar which has led to a worldwide obesity epidemic and has contributed to other serious health issues. The dairy industry tells us our kids have to drink milk so that they get enough calcium when the truth is there are so many other healthier, calcium-rich options like greens, beans, and nuts which provide other benefits as well.

Now, no one is suggesting you need to turn into Mrs. Stroehmann or become Betty the Baker. What I am suggesting is that we make better choices when cruising the supermarket aisles. These so-called convenience foods are chock full of preservatives and sugar so that hot dog buns can sit in a basket for a year and never grow mold!

And they hide sugar in EVERYTHING. Why? I’m guessing because it’s a tad addictive. (To make this fake food taste sweet!) Never mind that it is killing us. You think you are doing a good thing eating a cup of yogurt and granola for breakfast until you find out that between the yogurt and the granola you have exceeded your entire day’s daily recommended sugar consumption! Don’t even think about adding sugar to that coffee! You already had about 4-5 teaspoons, and it’s only breakfast!

All Bad!

We need to take control of what we eat and one way to do that is to make better choices and to take control of our own food preparation. I understand that convenience foods are “convenient” and save time. But are you really trying to spend time in the doctor’s office? You know what is not convenient? Diabetes. Heart disease.

Let’s spend more time in the market reading labels, and more time preparing our own foods which with planning, creativity, and some basic skills can be easier than you think. And let us spend less time in the doctor’s office. Which might possibly give us more time on the planet!

We are spoiled by the ease of just picking something up, but we have been spoiled ROTTEN. Sorry. The best things in life, sometimes just do not come easy.