Today, I am building myself up mentally. I am praying often, seeking God on the change that I want to make and the actions that I want to take. The specific conviction that I have has only been around for about 12 hours or so, but the idea of the change has been one that has pulled at my heart for a while. I cannot let myself push away the conviction this time.
Last night, Nick and I watched Fed Up, a documentary that has been getting a lot of attention, and rightly so. I suggest watching it (you can find it on Netflix), but in a nutshell, it is about the epidemic of obesity, the unrealistic resolution that our culture shoves on people (calories in vs. calories out/ eat less, exercise more), and how, truly, the food industry is the problem. Sugar is the major culprit to the diseases that are so prevalent in our country, and sugar has been added to nearly everything we eat. Food industries target children, addicting them to sugar at such a young age. THIS is the reason that today's parents will have a longer average life span than their children's generation- a terrifying realization that just shouldn't be true.
I don't have children, but as I watched Fed Up, I realized that I grew up eating a lot of the foods that families often go to because they seem to be "healthy" choices. They are packaged and advertised this way, allowing anyone without a nutrition degree to believe that they are the best choices your family can make. However, these foods are filled with added sugars, and they are detrimental to our health. They are bound to keep a person in the vicious cycle of "eating healthy" while not seeing any actual results- a discouraging cycle that causes most people to give up on a lifestyle change.
So many people in our country have been led to believe that their problem, or their child's problem, is solely their fault: If you are obese, exercise more, eat less, that's all it takes...why can't you just get it right? NO. Of course I believe we can take action in our personal health, but the food industry makes this impossible for so many when the common foods seen on the grocery store shelves are killing us all slowly, even if they claim to be healthy choices.
This is not fair. Foods should not be packaged in a way to trick people into believing they are healthy, all the while jeopardizing their abilities to lose weight and become healthier. This is the biggest epidemic in our country, and I am so angry. I am so angry that the food industry has succeeded in making it seem impossible to make healthy choices. Or even worse, they have made us believe we are making healthy choices when the opposite is true.
Food should not have to be the focus of our lives. We should not have to jump through hoops to find foods that won't cause a future of heart disease and diabetes (among many other possible diseases) for us and our families. We should not have to be preoccupied with weight, an issue that often substantially affects quality of life. Something needs to be done about this serious public health issue.
I know there are many ways to take action, but the first step for me is in my own health and in my own kitchen. Nick and I already got rid of about half of the foods in our cupboards and refrigerator with added sugar (or other creepy ingredients), and now it boils down to keeping it up. It means cooking with more whole foods, flavoring things with spices instead of sauces, making an effort to cut up veggies at the beginning of the week so they are easier to grab as a snack. It means true treats are truly occasional, and finding ways to make health treats. It means realizing that making healthy choices and staying active is about so much more than my body image, but rather about my well being.
Taking action, for me, is all of those things, but I know there is more. I have to believe that my change can make a difference, in my own health, but also in the bigger picture. I also have to believe that, if this is something I care about, I can take action in an even bigger way. I can continue to educate myself, and eventually help educate friends and family. I can reach out to my community by recommending the documentary, talking about my personal health changes, and encouraging others to take action. I can help others take action, possibly through accountability groups or making up meal plans for others to use. These are just a few thoughts in my mind, but the fact that I'm even dreaming them up means that this is so important to me. Because I am convicted to take action, I must. I must believe that I am in the position make a change, and that my action will make a difference.
Within the past hours, my mind has been against me. In the same breath that I am thinking up how I can personally take action and make a difference, I am also discouraged. It is too hard to make radical health changes in this country, my small change won't make a difference, no one would want to follow a meal plan that I make up, I can't keep up with this type of lifestyle...
The voices in my head say, "push the conviction away, you won't make a difference, you're an English teacher, you're not even qualified to make this type of difference."
But I know they are wrong. I know these thoughts have no business cluttering my mind, so instead of pushing away conviction, I am pushing away the false thoughts that are only meant to discourage. I know this issue is important- it continues to tug at my heart, and it hurts me deeply to know that there are people close to me that struggle so much because of this very issue. I have to take action, and I have to believe that my small-scale action will contribute to the overall large action that needs to be taken against the food industry.
I hope you will watch Fed Up and learn so much more about this issue that I've only introduced! I also hope that you'll feel comfortable asking me about the changes Nick and I are making to our lifestyle..I'd love to talk to you about something that I feel so passionate about!
When you feel a call to action, whether it be about health or something totally different, I hope you'll push away the voices telling you that your voice and your change won't matter instead of pushing away the conviction. Please believe that you can make a difference; this world needs your unique passions and abilities to make take the action and make the change that has been pulling on your heart.
I don't have children, but as I watched Fed Up, I realized that I grew up eating a lot of the foods that families often go to because they seem to be "healthy" choices. They are packaged and advertised this way, allowing anyone without a nutrition degree to believe that they are the best choices your family can make. However, these foods are filled with added sugars, and they are detrimental to our health. They are bound to keep a person in the vicious cycle of "eating healthy" while not seeing any actual results- a discouraging cycle that causes most people to give up on a lifestyle change.
So many people in our country have been led to believe that their problem, or their child's problem, is solely their fault: If you are obese, exercise more, eat less, that's all it takes...why can't you just get it right? NO. Of course I believe we can take action in our personal health, but the food industry makes this impossible for so many when the common foods seen on the grocery store shelves are killing us all slowly, even if they claim to be healthy choices.
This is not fair. Foods should not be packaged in a way to trick people into believing they are healthy, all the while jeopardizing their abilities to lose weight and become healthier. This is the biggest epidemic in our country, and I am so angry. I am so angry that the food industry has succeeded in making it seem impossible to make healthy choices. Or even worse, they have made us believe we are making healthy choices when the opposite is true.
Food should not have to be the focus of our lives. We should not have to jump through hoops to find foods that won't cause a future of heart disease and diabetes (among many other possible diseases) for us and our families. We should not have to be preoccupied with weight, an issue that often substantially affects quality of life. Something needs to be done about this serious public health issue.
I know there are many ways to take action, but the first step for me is in my own health and in my own kitchen. Nick and I already got rid of about half of the foods in our cupboards and refrigerator with added sugar (or other creepy ingredients), and now it boils down to keeping it up. It means cooking with more whole foods, flavoring things with spices instead of sauces, making an effort to cut up veggies at the beginning of the week so they are easier to grab as a snack. It means true treats are truly occasional, and finding ways to make health treats. It means realizing that making healthy choices and staying active is about so much more than my body image, but rather about my well being.
Taking action, for me, is all of those things, but I know there is more. I have to believe that my change can make a difference, in my own health, but also in the bigger picture. I also have to believe that, if this is something I care about, I can take action in an even bigger way. I can continue to educate myself, and eventually help educate friends and family. I can reach out to my community by recommending the documentary, talking about my personal health changes, and encouraging others to take action. I can help others take action, possibly through accountability groups or making up meal plans for others to use. These are just a few thoughts in my mind, but the fact that I'm even dreaming them up means that this is so important to me. Because I am convicted to take action, I must. I must believe that I am in the position make a change, and that my action will make a difference.
Within the past hours, my mind has been against me. In the same breath that I am thinking up how I can personally take action and make a difference, I am also discouraged. It is too hard to make radical health changes in this country, my small change won't make a difference, no one would want to follow a meal plan that I make up, I can't keep up with this type of lifestyle...
The voices in my head say, "push the conviction away, you won't make a difference, you're an English teacher, you're not even qualified to make this type of difference."
But I know they are wrong. I know these thoughts have no business cluttering my mind, so instead of pushing away conviction, I am pushing away the false thoughts that are only meant to discourage. I know this issue is important- it continues to tug at my heart, and it hurts me deeply to know that there are people close to me that struggle so much because of this very issue. I have to take action, and I have to believe that my small-scale action will contribute to the overall large action that needs to be taken against the food industry.
I hope you will watch Fed Up and learn so much more about this issue that I've only introduced! I also hope that you'll feel comfortable asking me about the changes Nick and I are making to our lifestyle..I'd love to talk to you about something that I feel so passionate about!
