Going to Walmart is a surefire way to upset myself.

I seldom look at nutrition labels, because I avoid processed foods with the exception of grains, dried fruits, etc.; and I wish I could tell everyone in America, 

Stop looking at the nutrition facts. That tells you nothing. Look at the ingredients. 

because you can eat something that appears to have a good nutrient profile, for example, has low fat and low calories but has a lot of fiber or protein-- that has very little in terms of long-term sustainability. And I'm not talking Going Green, I'm talking about sustaining your body with nutrient rich, close-to-whole foods.

Case in point: Quaker has a type of instant oatmeal called Weight Control oatmeal. 

 

The label I looked at in Wally World told me that the Maple and Brown Sugar Weight Control Packet of Instant Oatmeal, which has a fine nutrient profile-- 2 grams of fat and 150 calories for a solid 6 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein-- has NINETEEN INGREDIENTS. Nine. Teen. It did not, like this fancy French Canadian one, differentiate between the ingredients and the vitamins and minerals --which I'm assuming are added or they wouldn't be in the ingredient list-- and it would be twenty ingredients if we counted "Natural and Artificial Flavorings" as two separate ingredients (what the hell is up with that, anyway? Why don't they tell us what they are?!). So there you go. This is why I say, get up a little earlier and microwave your own plain oats, add your flaxseed, and whatever the hell else you want. Eat food as minimally processed as you can. IT WILL NOURISH YOU THIS WAY.

I don't know why I needed to save $1.40 so badly but I had bought the La Choy brand of soy sauce without checking the label. I guess since it has a Chinese character on the bottle I figured it was REAL FUCKING SOY SAUCE. Do you know what it is, ladies and gentlemen? Do you know what is in La Choy All Purpose Soy Sauce? 


Here is what is in La Choy All Purpose Soy Sauce:

Water
Salt
Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
Corn Syrup
Caramel Color
Potassium Sorbate (preservative)




Hmm. Do you see "fermented soybeans" or even the word "soybean"? The worst part is, some of us are so far removed from food that isn't from McDonald's to know that soy sauce is made with SOYBEANS. But that's what I get for buying something without looking at the label.


Now, I want to elaborate a little on my first statement.

1. I seldom look at labels, because I avoid processed foods with the exception of grains, dried fruits, etc., and also because I have the knowledge that whole foods and minimally processed foods are the foods that my body needs. One of the things that is important to learn when you're losing weight, when you're aiming to maintain a healthy diet, is to understand what your body needs when it needs it. That's why cabbage soup is surprisingly satisfying after a plateful of cookies, or why after eating like crap for a few days we start to crave fresh green salads with loads of veggies.


2. I wish I could tell everyone in America, 

Stop looking at the nutrition facts. That tells you nothing. Look at the ingredients.


We're so utterly, unfairly deceived by the food industry, and the sooner we wake up and realize that they are poisoning not just our bodies, but our minds, the better. I've been noticing that when I eat foods made with flour, I feel sluggish, sometimes constipated, and definitely bloated. Doesn't matter if it's whole grain, organic, all-natural, homemade, it makes me feel shitty. So! With the exception of a (few) bite(s) of the mini rhubarb pie (a homemade rhubarb pie filling in a ramekin with a crunchy crumbly oat/flour topping MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM), I'm currently about 4 or 5 days of gluten-free. I feel really good. Every time I go off gluten, I feel really good. I don't know if it's the fact that I'm actively avoiding something but I do feel better. 

SIDE NOTE: honestly, I think a really good tactic for dieting and maintaining a healthy diet to pick one or two things to avoid at all costs.  This was one of the reasons, in fact, I decided to give up all meat and eat dairy very occasionally. When you're constantly aware of not consuming something, you're aware of yourself (especially in terms of how you feel), and if you're constantly congratulating yourself on your success, it will promote a positive attitude and make it easier to make even more better choices.

And then it all cycles back. And when I do eat breads, pastas, etc., I feel crappy (PUN INTENDED!) both physically and mentally. I know it's not good for me but it's so delicious. Not to mention: it's everywhere.


I need to do more research on gluten and flour. Gluten is actually the protein in flour, and when it is cooked, the gluten is released. According to wikipedia, the amount of gluten that is considered harmless is "uncertain and controversial". Wow, sounds like a documentary in the works here, folks! 

I was telling one of my employees about how I'm going without flour and she said, God bless her, "Flour isn't bad for you........ right?" and God bless me, I didn't have an answer.

 

(not the best video ever, but she goes through a lot)

(also this picture is hilarious and I died laughing when it finally came onscreen)

Flour is not only in so many things, it's a product that (in almost all cases) has been completely stripped of nutrients. We all know this, or we should all know this. In fact it's so stripped and devoid of nutrients that in order to use it in foods or sell it, the government mandates that wheat flour be enriched with vitamins and minerals.... Just to make it REAL FOOD. 

I know I talk a lot about processed foods, but I think it's the most important thing to be aware of, hence my fuck-the-nutrition-label attitude. The ingredients are the things that are actually, and quite literally, poisoning us, not, per se, how much fat is in it. Look at my soy sauce that I have to use dead dinosaurs just to return to Hell's Handbasket, Wally World. This soy sauce not only does not contain soy, but it contains corn syrup. Why is corn syrup in something salty? You want to know why? In order for us to remain addicted to something, we must keep consuming it! (Take a look at this good versus evil..) UGGH.

I must say, though, that I'm thankful for people suffering from Celiac's. I'm not happy that they are, but I'm sure that not only most of the people who have Celiac's or a gluten sensitivity are making positive changes and learning about why their ass is exploding because of something so innocent and delicious-- flour-- and that is a powerful, powerful thing. Sometimes it's hard to tell whether a company is looking out for Celiac sufferers by labeling things as "gluten free" or simply trying to attain more customers because they know that so many consumers think that a gluten free lifestyle is healthy (and if you're making your own foods and watching how many fatty nut flours you're consuming, they're probably right). Take the brown sugar in my cupboard, labeled as "gluten free". Many products may come in contact with flour, dancing down conveyor belts, for example, while being processed. Now, a layperson might not know that, but still. 

Something that makes me feel better: we've already begun learning the language of health, we just need to learn how to use it to our advantage and keep peeling the layers off of the deceptions the food industry and the USDA (just looking at the homepage of SweetSurprise.com makes me want to DESTROY SOMETHING, SOMETHING THAT WILL SHATTER). We know about vitamins and antioxidants, but we need to learn that we shouldn't get them from crystal light packets (or the thing that made me tremble with anger--- the huge display of mini bottled energy shots that are clearly far from anything real that touted "antioxidants, vitamins, natural" on the label). 

Guess what, America? Our government, the faction that thinks we should all have guns, the one that thinks it's okay for us to take awful pharmaceuticals and doesn't force its doctors to learn about nutrition, IS MAKING US FAT. It isn't that we don't exercise (almost everyone is shocked to learn that my weight loss was mostly because of my eating habits, and I'm sure that how hardcore healthy I went --whole foods, clean foods-- helped it go even faster.) It's that the food we eat strips our bodies of nutrients, so that we're addicted to foods that don't give us the right kind of energy, and they tell us it's our fault because we don't exercise. Don't give in. Read the ingredients, know what you're buying. Make an effort to stop eating processed foods. I promise you, eating clean becomes a passion once you start feeling its effects. It will make you start to think of the world around you, and that, my friends, is a truly powerful thing.

So start cleaning out your pantry of high fructose corn syrup, yeast extracts (MSG), anything hydrolyzed, refined sugars, white flours, packages with unrecognizable ingredients. Yes, these are technically food ingredients that occur in nature to some degree. (I can hear people saying, "They exist, after all- it's in my hand!") But the sooner we all stop consuming these ingredients, the sooner we'll all feel better, and the sooner the food industry and the USDA and the FDA will see that they can't keep us in the dark about why we need so many medications, why we're dying young. Let's start saving ourselves-- we seem to forget we're the only ones who can.