Do you really need someone else to explain holistic nutrition to you? Most of us seem to have a kind of love-hate relationship with our government and most authorities in general. On the one hand, we like to complain about how government “gets into everything,” while on the other hand we expect the various agencies and departments to keep us on the straight and narrow and safe from harm of any kind. What we really need to do is take responsibility for our own actions and understand that we should not rely on others to advise us what we should or should not consume. Essentially, each and every one of us is solely responsible for our own personal health and well-being, and we should be able to make informed choices when it comes to buying groceries that will help us to live a long and fulfilling life.
In just about every aspect of society we can clearly see influential forces guiding decisions, often powered by financial interests, political groups and individuals who don’t necessarily have the interests of the citizens at heart. It usually seems that the more cash is up for grabs, the more influential forces are pushing to strive for and impose a decision, standard, product or service, when basic common sense would often dictate something else entirely. This is accurate in the food industry – just as much as anywhere else, and if you were well-aware that your sugar addiction was being fed by such political groups, you’d in all likelihood be less than pleased.
Wherever an addiction can readily occur, the more unfortunate side of consumerism shows itself for all to see. If there’s a lot of money to be made because people “must have” a particular item, then it will eventually be supplied. Manufacturers have found an array of different avenues to supply us with sugar, sometimes because it’s necessary, but most of the time it’s in great excess. In some instances – many in fact, sugar is specifically added to processed foods to help preserve them, as without this addition, the shelf life would be much shorter and impractical from an economic point of view.
If you do not see evidence of the word sugar on one of those labels you are checking out, remember that the product can come in many different forms and anything ending with the letters “ose,” (like glucose, fructose) should give you a clue. Also be aware that certain sugar substitutes such as high fructose corn syrup can have the same addictive effect, and as these ingredients may carry fewer restrictions, they can be even more apparent.
The politics of power and the influence of the major manufacturers and importers should never be underestimated. Even though the administration does quite a good job of steering us in the right direction, understand that you need to be responsible for your own holistic health solutions and not rely on others to tell you what to do. Remember all that you have read about the dangers of sugar addiction and focus all the time on holistic nutrition.
