It's Good For You...Or Not

It seems that the American Medical Association and whoever else that makes decisions about what products/foods/medications are healthy for you (or not) change their minds a lot. One day, something is the greatest thing since sliced bread; the next, it’s gonna kill you. I get so confused.

Did you know that in the 1940’s and 50’s, cigarettes were physician tested and approved? That doctors were used in magazine ads boasting about the best brands of cigarettes? If you went to the doctor as a smoker with a sore throat, they suggested you switch to a “smoother” brand. (I actually had a physician who was a smoker when I was a child. He eventually died of lung cancer.) Now cigarettes are known to cause lung and heart disease, stroke, innumerable types of cancer and other things they have not yet discovered, I’m sure. This goes from one end of the spectrum clear to the other.

Vegetarian diets, once touted as the healthiest of all eating habits, can make you seriously ill. Unless done correctly, that is. When I was growing up, eating vegetarian (as the name implies) meant you only ate vegetables. No meats. No animal by-products such as eggs, milk, cheese and the like. No one knew that you had to replace the protein in these products by eating nuts and protein-containing foods. Well, we know now.

I read recently (yesterday, in fact) that you should not take vitamin supplements. Definitely not. They do you more harm than good, say the good physicians who have taken their precious time to research this matter. Lab rats must be going crazy over this one. Billions of dollars are spent each year at GNC and other fine retail stores on supplements each year and now, yes now, they are telling us, “Stop! These will kill you!” I have to admit I am a supplement junkie. Well, not really a junkie. But I do take garlic, calcium and a daily multi, among other things. I have done so for many years and will continue until they take those bad boys off the shelf. I am very careful not to exceed my daily recommended doses of anything. Of course, they may be changing all those RDA’s to zero if those who must be obeyed get their way.

The latest in germ warfare? Antibacterial soaps have chemicals that can make you seriously ill. I never bought into the theory that you needed more than regular soap and water to make remove germs so I’m in no danger (in case you were worried). But again, this is another big industry about to hit the skids if the secret gets out…and it has gotten out. So much so that we have taken to calling hand sanitizer “hand poison” at my house.

Some of the other “discoveries” (AKA, ways our tax dollars are being spent) that have made headlines and heads scratched are so totally out there. For instance…

Sodas cause obesity? They sure do. And not just sugary drinks. Diet drinks as well.  If you asked me, I’d say that heredity and parents who don’t teach their children healthy eating/drinking habits have more to do with obesity than anything else but I’m no expert. Oh, and by the way, the fake sugar they are putting in those diet sodas has been known to cause cancer in lab rats.

Do NOT cook your steaks (or anything else) on a charcoal grill. Charcoal causes carcinogens to attach to your food. I think this goes for gas grills too but don’t quote me on that. Personally, I’ve burned anything that had the misfortune to make it on to my grill to the point that it was inedible, so my family is safe.

Microwave popcorn can be toxic. Apparently the chemical that makes it smell so good, diacetyl produces a lethal gas. Right now, it’s only harmful to those who make the stuff (called popcorn lung) but if it’s dangerous to them from just smelling it, what’s the chance it’s a hazard to eat it? That will be the next thing on the list.

Sunflower oil, peanut oil, olive oil, canola, corn or vegetable? I can’t keep up with which ones are supposed to be good for you. Or, as they put it, less harmful. I’ve made the decision to go with what I have a coupon for or is on sale. With the exception of olive oil. But even with that, do I go with regular, virgin or extra virgin? I don't know WHAT to buy anymore. It used to be easier.

And then there is alcohol. How much is too much? A glass of wine a day is good for you. No, wait, no it isn’t. Beer has ingredients that can protect against kidney stones. Or does it? We are now being told that alcohol can cause mental illness, sleep deprivation, aggression, dependence, dehydration, certain types of cancer and the list goes on and on.

Stress? Well, that is a real killer. It can cause headaches, chest pain, fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety, depression, drug or alcohol abuse, social withdrawal, lack of motivation, overeating, stomach upset…shall I continue? I don’t think so. Who knew, way back when, that just the simple act of going to work or balancing your check book could affect your life in detrimental ways? I think we were better off not knowing. Of course, to combat stress, you can do yoga or tai chi, practice meditation or relaxation techniques…until they tell us that those things may cause a myriad of other problems.

Basically, I think that scientists and those in the medical profession are telling us that the human race is doomed. We need to go back to Little House on the Prairie days, when you ate what you had and there was no one telling you things that only made you worry about what was going in or on your body. We would all be a little more relaxed and a lot happier. That’s where I’ll be if anyone is wondering. I’m breaking out of my plastic bubble (the one that probably causes uterine cancer) and heading there now.