It’s time to take a break from reading and listening to books, and watch some documentaries. I must confess, I have not watched a lot of documentaries up until this point, but I think I am hooked. Have you ever looked at a family and made a comment like ‘you can tell they are related’? I know I have, and I must also assume that others have said the same about my family……… Many family traits come through our genes, including hair colour, skin tone, size, shape and height. We have no choice or control over some, but others are affected by what we learn from our parents. There are just so many documentaries on the recommended watch list for the assignment in my Culinary Nutrition course that starts next month. Fed Up: It’s time to get real about food directed by Stephanie Soechtig and narrated by Katie Couric, was one I thought would be interesting. As I talked about in a previous blog, sugar is more addictive than cocaine. I have never seen anyone addicted to a whole food, like a peach, but have definitely seen people craving certain processed foods and drinks. What about you? For this film, the documentary makers interviewed teenagers about 14 years of age that were very obese, looking at what they ate, drank and what they did. Some of the teens were physically active, where others experienced limited physical activity literally limited due to their size. Active or not, it really seemed to make no difference. To note here is that all calories are created equal when it comes to the energy required for your body to process that food into useable energy. When calories taken-in are in excess of what is immediately required for energy, the body stores those excess calories in the form of fat for future use. Some calories require energy just to change them into a form that is usable by the body, like whole foods. Others come in the form of easily available sugars that do not require digesting. Those easily available sugars, such as many of the hidden sugars in processed foods, if not required for immediate energy, are converted directly into fat for later use. It is easy to see in those terms why a diet with excess processed sugars puts weight on us. BUT, is that the whole picture! Next, the filmmakers began to interview the teens’ families, and I had a startling revelation. Almost all the parents were obese as well, and the teens were eating the way their parents were teaching them to eat! The filmmakers then started to adding up the amount of sugar consumed and amount of processed sugars consumed was astounding! Families were then taught how to choose and make, whole foods meals and snacks. They were encouraged to buy less processed food, to be aware of nutrition labels and product ingredients to make better food choices. Easy right? The best laid plans…….… Convenience is one of the reasons that processed foods were developed and we all have enjoyed that convenience. For all of us, when we think we are busy and don’t have time, those processed foods creep back into our diets. Does that happen to you? Or do you just up your planning game to make sure the right foods are available? In addition to thinking about the sugars in processed foods, since watching this documentary, I have thought a lot about how I have taught my children to eat! Positive or negative we have all tried to provide nourishing foods for our families to the best of our abilities at the time. I know for myself, when my children were young, I never knew how easy and quick it was to provide more whole food choices for my family and I didn’t understand the differences between whole food sugars and processed sugars. Over the past few years I have began to make many different food choices regarding the processed foods I purchase, so I thought I was making good choices. After watching this documentary, I jumped up and ran to my cupboard to look at ingredient labels, and the hidden sugars. However imagine my horror at what I found! Let’s just say, there were definitely products that I will never purchase again, but this is a journey of learning. You cannot change your choices of the past, only your choices in the future. There are so few things we can control in today’s world, but the food we make, purchase, consume and feed our families is something we can control. There is a whole world of food out there to explore. We have so much more whole food available to us today, then we did 75 years ago. Explore your world of food. What new whole food will you try this week? Post a photo of it in the blog comments to inspire it others with a new food choice. Food Sensitivity Coach and Food Lover exploring the world of food.
8/26/2020 12:03:50 pm
That was a really interesting blog. All I can say is if you, Diane Couse, have to go and check your cupboards and find some gremlins, I had better watch that documentary and check my cupboards. I also think I eat really healthy so I will check! I also realize I wasn’t as careful with my kids when we were in a hurry!! They certainly learned some bad habits from me! To know better is to do better!
Diane
8/26/2020 12:28:17 pm
I am so glad you enjoyed it. I feel validated that you feel the same way! Hope you will share a new whole food you try this week.... Comments are closed.
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The Food Sensitivity CoachI am passionate about exploring the world with a view to food allergies and sensitivities. I look forward to sharing with you what I find, from books, blogs and websites to recipes, hacks, inspirations and opinions, join me in a journey to live your best life. Archives
April 2023
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