CONFUSED??????

Is it just me or are some of you as tired of contradictory & confusing information coming from experts on how to achieve ultimate health & fitness?  This confusion is nothing new:  I wrote about it in September, 1997.  

Recently, I came across an OLD article entitled “Health cops should hang by their toes” that made me laugh & reminded me of how frustrating this can be.  It was from “The Mining Journal” (Upper Peninsula of Michigan newspaper), May, 1993.  In this article, the author, Joseph Spear, addresses several issues which are still being debated over 25 years later.  Some examples include:  Should we eat nuts? Processed cheese products?  Alcohol?  For the longest time, each of these products was bad-mouthed and we were figuratively whipped by our health care teams for indulging in them.  Then, a new study would reveal that this product wasn’t as bad for us as we were initially led to believe.  Not only that, but many of the initially “bad” products were determined to be potentially beneficial for us and the replacement “good” products were determined to be potentially worse than the original “bad” product.

Huh?  Are you familiar with this feeling?  Anyone ever say:  “You’re telling me that I changed my eating habits and sacrificed in the name of health and now I’m being told to throw out all that “good” for me food and bring back everything that was bad for me?”  

A prime example of this is margarine.  For years, we’ve been scared away from butter and heard the praises of margarine.  Now that we’ve adjusted our taste buds, we’re told of the devastating effects of trans fatty acids.  Of course, we now need to stop eating this product and return to that “terrible” fatty product , butter, that we’ve been convinced will kill us, because it’s healthier for us.  Huh?  Are we all confused?

Two other great examples which Mr. Spear addressed, which still aren’t completely settled, include the eating of nuts and the use of alcohol.  He cites research about the beneficial effects of nuts on cholesterol.   Recently, another study was released which supported this research, saying that the use of nuts, although high in fat, is not as bad as initially believed.  As for alcohol, first we’re told it’s bad for us, and then research says it’s good for us, and then countless studies on both sides.  I think presently we’ve settled on it being OK to have 1 or 2 drinks a day.  This is just a small listing of some of the confusing issues presenting themselves in the field of nutrition.  The confusion will continue for a long time, maybe forever.  Please don’t get stressed or frustrated.  Instead, work with your health care team, experiment briefly until you find what works for you and then maintain balance in your diet, use variety, eat everything in moderation, and don’t follow fad diets. 

Have fun – keep at it and together we’ll make it!!!

Contact me at: info@FitnessProsBattleCreek.com to ask questions, get answers, let me know what you’d like to discuss! A lot of amazing things are happening as we learn more daily and it’s my goal to bring it to you in a no nonsense approach that makes you think and gives you the info to make the best decisions for you health!!!