Artificial Un-intelligence

My first advice sounds simple. Avoid artificial sweeteners, artificial butter,and artificial flour (white flour might as well be artificial in my book). But wait til you start reading ingredient labels--it gets a bit hard. But hang in there and do the best you can...one step at a time.

SUGAR: We weren't meant to have the sweet without the vitamins they grow with. Everyone knows white sugar is "bad" for you, but we try to cheat the system and find a magic substitute. But give Splenda enough time and they'll prove it causes cancer, just like the rest of the substitutes. And a healthy body will be at it's natural weight AND won't have all the cravings that make you cheat! So, use honey, maple syrup (NOT Corn syrup with artificial maple flavoring), stevia, or agave. But save the artificial sweeteners for ant killers. They work great! If don't believe it check out where Splenda came from at: http://http://www.mercola.com/2006/oct/12/finally-a-great-new-important-use-for-splenda.htm

By artificial butter I mean margarine, also known as 100 % trans fats in a tub. Read a bit on trans fat. Better yet, read about how margarine has to be bleached b/c noone would want it while it was gray; and how it has to be deodorized before the artificial flavors are added, because it stinks. Makes you lose your appetite for it real fast!

Now for today's rant.... White flour. Most wheat breads have white flour as the first ingredient. White flour is not only empty, but your body has to pull from it's stores of vitamins to metabolize it, so it takes vitamins. And don't forget, tortillas, pizza, pasta, muffins, etc are all bread. One day the public will start asking for wheat at restaurants and we can finally go out and get some healthy food. Today it made me so mad to find on a major Pizza restaurant's website how they are trying to help you have a healthy diet! And not a single menu item without white flour (not to mention the hydrogenated vegetable oil, soy, sugar, high fructose corn syrup and several additives!)

When I go to a restaurant and skip the bread (b/c there is no wheat option most times) I find I leave satisfied. When I eat bread, I tend to overeat b/c I'm not "full". At home I can eat bread b/c it's whole grained (and usually sprouted or soaked, but I'll explain that another day.)

Weston A. Price found in his extensive research that when white flour and sugar are introduced to a culture, their health goes down hill quickly. I believe these 2 things are the biggest single problem in our modern health.

Start today watching out for these basic no-no's. Find replacements for the things you love. This week, you might want to buy real butter. Next week, you might look into healthier soft drinks or even make fresh lemonade or limeade. Maybe try a meal out without the bread and see if you can tell the difference. Next month, you might find some Stevia packets in the health food store and carry with you to use for sweetener. Take your time and make permanent changes. It's the lifestyle that matters.