A PURPLE FOG

There is so much stuff out there on the information highway, we don't know what to believe.  We have become an anally retentive, perfectionist society all the while I wonder if the added stress will negate the positives achieved by being so careful, so focused, so tight-assed when it goes for what we eat, how we exercise, what we touch and all the things we are told not to do today. 

The last few blogs were focused on debunking myths on sugar, chocolate and coffee.  But there are a ton of other ones as well.  What about the new and improved Weight Watchers program where the focus is on the "Superfoods".  That is supposed to help you keep down to the lowly 26 points they instituted after figuring out that last years 29 points just didn't work for a lot of people.  Well guess what?  No food has superpowers to keep you healthy.  We need a variety of foods and they aren't all the super ones.  Let's talk about goji berries, newly christened as a superfood.  They may not be any more nutritious than your everyday apple, which is less expensive and easier to find at the grocery store.  It is just the bunk of the day.

What about bacteria?  We have become phobic on it.  There is a fine line between just being prudent and just plain paranoid. We are told bacteria lurks on every surface, disease around every corner.  At least that's how it seems in today's hypervigilant world of pandemics and virus alerts.  Although some of it is true, when we have to worry about it the minute we roll out of bed you have to wonder... what are the chances?  It is no wonder that mental health is on the increase and 1 out of 3 suffer from some sort of mental illness especially depression and panic attacks.

Well, I am not going to talk about your chances of catching something from a toilet seat or sexually transmitted diseases.  My focus is on food.  So let's talk about what are the chances of getting sick from a bowl of dip at a party?  Apparently, high enough to make you drop that chip.  Double-dippers beware.  You may not just be sharing some hilarious story at a party.  I don't want to give you the facts and figures on how much bacteria you get from the communal bowl.  ... and I wonder if my daughter-in-law, Melinn got sick from dipping the veggies at the last party.  I usually include a spoon and a plate when I set out veggies and dip so people can serve themselves on a plate and hopefully they will have enough sense not to stick their half-eaten carrot in it.  I do the same with unwrapped candies in bowls and berries too. 

The next thing I want to talk about is milk.  Wow! Has that ever been given a bad wrap from people being told that animals don't drink milk once they are weaned and neither should we....   to milk is fattening.  I did write a blog about the benefits of chocolate milk in schools after Ontario was considering a ban on it, following Alberta's suit.  I have been a milk drinker all my life. I love my lattes which not only include coffee but the largest ingredient is milk.  The fact is that milk products may help prevent weight gain and even help you lose weight.  Calcium aids weight management and the protein composition of milk helps reduce hunger.  The rest is easy to figure out.

All my life I was told that if you have milk during a cold it increases mucus.  That wasn't only my mother or husband speaking, that is what doctors told us.  Now they say that there is no scientific evidence that milk increases mucus.  It is thought to be a perception that stems from milk's texture and how it coats the throat.  The new theory is not to deprive yourself of milk when you have a cold.  For sure milk is a source of 16 essential nutrients including protein that helps build antibodies that fight infections but I am not sure what to do on that one.  It is anybody's call.  I will just have to wait and see what I do the next time I have a cold.  I don't know if it is truth or fiction.

Last but not least, let's talk about organic foods.  I know from my friend Shane Baghai who owns Paradise Farms says that organic meats may not be all that they are cracked up to be.  He raises naturally raised cattle and not organic.  You can have organic meats that are not free-range and can be fed a variety of foods not usual to the species.  Cattle should be grass-fed and not grain-fed and especially not corn-fed.  As well, Shane's cows receive vaccinations at birth to prevent disease whereas organic cattle are not allowed to have such protection. 

Now for all you organic food phobes, as I have mentioned before it doesn't make a hill of beans of difference in Canada whether the food is organic or not.  It may mean something if you are buying your grapes imported from Chile or your berries from Mexico but it doesn't matter much here.  In Canada, food is produced following strict standards, whether it is organic or not, and milk is no exception.  Whichever milk you choose to buy, you can trust it is wholesome, safe and nutritious.  It is also good to know that, organic or not, the use of hormones to increase milk production is not allowed in Canada.  I guess you can check that out somewhere if you don't believe me.  March is nutrition month.  There are probably a few websites you can check this out on such as www.dairygoodness.ca or www.nutrition2012.ca   although I haven't checked out these sites myself.

Now are you as confused as your were before?  Are you in a purple fog about nutrition, organics, germs and the like?  Well, in the long-run a little indiscretion won't matter a tinker's hoot.  I am more worried about you worrying to a state of panic whether or not you are doing things right.  I was raised with the concept that you have to eat a pound of dirt before you die anyway.  So be vigilant, read all there is to read out there, but let's take it all in stride.  After all, stress is the biggest killer.