He said, "If I had known I would end up with so many problems I would have taken better care of myself when I was younger."
The other couple didn't say anything but he continued anyway saying, "I never smoked, I didn't have casual relationships with various women. I never did drugs, I didn't even know what the word dope meant until I was fifty. I didn't start taking prescription drugs until ten years ago. I guess God just didn't intend for me to have it easy when I got old."
I had glanced at him once or twice while he was talking and when he finished I wanted to turn to him and shout, "You're fat. You're not just fat, you're obese. You can't blame God for your choices and what you've chosen to eat for the last fifty years." I wondered if he really, truly, didn't understand why he was having medical problems. Not that that would be very surprising. We've grown up knowing people get diabetes and cancer and heart disease but the association between those things and our weight has been a fairly recent wake up call. I never used to think about what I ate and whether or not it was good for me until I got older and it seemed I couldn't lose weight no matter how hard I ran or how often I went to the gym. It all came down to diet and I've spent the last few years trying to really understand how diet affects my weight, my energy levels, and my overall health.
I almost lost it when I saw the commercial for Manwich that now advertises a variety of vegetables hidden inside so your kids won't know it's there. What's wrong with kids knowing they are eating vegetables? Shouldn't they know what they are eating and whether or not it's good for them so they can make good choices when they get older so they don't end up wondering like that poor man in the doctor's office what happened to make them so sick?
The same day a friend put a post on Facebook where she said she was trying to give up caffeine and it was making her irritable. I offered words of encouragement but was surprised and disgusted later to see these comments, "Don't get too healthy, it's not good for you" and "No caffeine? No tea, chocolate, or soda? Or chocolate? Or SODA?"
Why is it that when someone tries to make healthy changes to their diet or lifestyle they are discouraged by their peers instead of supported? Especially when we have so many sources practically hitting us over the head trying to tell us we're unhealthy and we desperately need to make changes or we're all going to suffer long horrible deaths. Has anyone else watched Biggest Loser or Food Inc. or Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, or the news?
Are we really all still in denial?
I just discovered the blog wordofwisdomliving.com. If you still aren't convinced take a look. This guy is doing his research and I found it very enlightening.
What I believe is that our bodies are amazing, miraculous instruments that the medical field is still lightyears from fully understanding. But God, who created us all, provided everything we need to take perfect care of this wonderful instrument. And man, in his limited wisdom, has found a myriad of ways to cut corners and save time and starve ourselves of many of the vitamins and nutrients that God provided for us. So what I want to do is teach my children, to the best of my knowledge, how to take the best care of their amazing bodies as they can. I want my kids to taste fresh fruits and vegetables every day. I want them to love foods that are rich in vitamins and nutrients. I want them to know how to make good choices about what they eat whether it's at home, at school, or at a restaurant. But can I succeed? You may wonder why I even ask that question but here's an example.
I went to a church activity the other night where they were spotlighting the young women in our ward and sharing interesting facts about them. In highlighting the interests of one young woman they mentioned that her favorite snack or treat after school was a bowl of fresh vegetables. At first everyone gasped and then they laughed. But the young woman stood in front of us and nodded that it was true. Despite the obvious teasing she was unafraid to admit that she loved her vegetables. The evening went on and spotlighted the various candies and desserts that were the favorite treats of the other girls.
One more example, a personal confession. I remember when I was a teenager my Dad went on a "health kick" and made cookies one night that had no sugar in them, no chocolate, no peanut butter, nothing tasty (in my mind). We all frowned and told him they were disgusting and that we refused to eat that kind of stuff. I don't remember him ever trying to make them again.
My fear is that society has us so trained about what qualifies as a treat and what is "hippie" food that we automatically reject those wonderful natural things God intended for us to eat. And when we try to change our habits to embrace the things our bodies are starving for we are mocked, taunted, and tempted to "just have a treat tonight, you deserve it."
I have hope, though. My oldest came home from one of his first campouts and proudly told me he was one of the only boys who had salad with his dinner. And on a vacation, my daughter asked if she could choose a dinner from the adult menu because she was tired of all the fried foods on the kid menu. She said she just couldn't eat it anymore. I'm going to keep trying. I'm going to give my kids as much healthy foods as I can and hope they continue to love them. I'm going to keep supporting friends who are trying to make healthy lifestyle changes and family members who are experimenting with green smoothies. Maybe if we all start supporting each other with healthier lifestyles we could actually pay less taxes towards medicare and medicade but that's another topic for another day.
Here's what I want to do today. I want to issue a challenge. This post may have been too long and maybe no one will read it long enough to see this challenge but I want to challenge you to open your fridge, right now, and take a picture and post it. Put it on your blog or on facebook or somewhere and admit to yourself what kind of lifestyle you are living. What do you eat?
Here's my picture.
I didn't take anything out or put anything in. I had this sudden idea and went and took a picture. Honestly, it feels a little revealing but I thought that could only be because there could be things in there I don't want to admit to anyone, especially myself, that I really eat. And maybe I should start admitting to myself what I really eat and make some appropriate changes.
SO, will you do it. Let me know if you do and if you want to make changes and if you need support and I will support you! You can do it!
4 comments:
Thanks for the motivation! I checked out the wordofwisdomliving blog and am loving it.
It bothers me that when I try to eat healthier and I get mostly negative comments from people, and they try to tempt me with bad foods like it's a joke. Or they treat me like I am an idiot with things like, "we'll see how long that'll last," or "You...really?"
I have friends that have quit smoking and felt the same pressure from those who were still smoking. I think it is a psychological thing that when you are doing something you want others to do it, too.
We also have these opinions we build up about who our friends and family are and what weaknesses they have, and when they muster the strength to act differently, we can tend to be really negative about their ability to change.
The reasons someone may be unhealthy may not necessarily be because they are fat, or because of their diet, and may not always be controllable, but we need to get away from the attitude of "oh well, there is nothing I can do about it" like the old man. There usually is something you can do about it.
I really appreciate when I try to lose weight and people ask me the hard questions like, "did you exercise today?" or "why are you eating that cookie?."
Hey Lauren, I am totally with ya! Just about a week ago, I cleared out all our junk food and replaced it with fruit and veggies and my kids have been loving it. I love being able to teach my kids healthy living (because my parents totally didn't). I have been surprised at how much my kids have loved the healthy food better.
My problem isn't really with my fridge--but with how many times I rely on fast food when I'm just too tired or it's too late to cook. But, I did have one success this week. I made a chicken and rice dinner with regular white rice. I've been using brown rice a lot for the last three months--to a lot of complaints from the family. But as Matti was eating dinner she looked up at me and said, "I think the brown rice tastes better! This stuff just tastes like fluff. I miss the nuttiness and chewiness of the brown rice." Wow, I couldn't believe it. We can grow to like healthier better (although crap is always tempting.) And, I've gotten much better at cooking the brown rice over the months (I think getting it palatable is a big part, too.) I concur, I think it's important we just all try our best and get supported for our efforts from those around us.
I like your post! I totally agree that we can help our kids make healthier choices now and learn to like fruits and vegetables. They will be healthier adults for all our efforts (I hope)! Kyra gets teased when she tells people salad is her favorite food. It is unfortunate that there are not better options for kids at school. A salad bar would be so nice!
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