Real Food Isn’t Advertised On TV

Real Food Isn’t Advertised On TV

Ok, maybe an occasional walnut or cranberry, but you have to admit there aren’t a lot of commercials for broccoli. It’s mostly fake food advertised on TV. The food I am referring to as fake is fast food, frozen dinners, microwavable meals, Lunchables, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, endless pasta bowls, chips, cakes, sweets, dairy products and just about anything advertised that the food companies want you to buy. You get the idea. So why are these considered fake foods and not real foods? Well, let’s look at a few definitions:

 

Food
Any nourishing substance that is eaten, drunk, or otherwise taken into the body to sustain life, provide energy, promote growth, etc.

 

Nourish
To sustain with food or nutriment; supply with what is necessary for life, health, and growth.

Notice there is no mention of creating disease in these definitions. Fast, processed and packaged foods do not sustain life, promote growth, or supply us with what is necessary for life and health. They can, on the other hand, create disease. Think about that the next time you are putting frozen or processed food in your grocery basket for yourself at Costco or buying your children the 500th pizza at CPK or Chuckie Cheese. These are fake foods, not real foods.

 

So we need real food to nourish ourselves and sustain life, but if we take our cues on what to eat from the TV, we’ll never get it!

 

Michael Pollan said it best when he started his book, In Defense of Food, with these 7 words: “Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly vegetables.”

 

He also said, “Don’t eat anything you see on T. V.”

 

Watch this video in which he explains real food vs. fake food:

 

Michael Pollan on Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual from Book Passage and Book Passage on FORA.tv
Here is a good example of why you should eat real food instead of the fake alternative advertised on TV. Take the product I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter. First of all it has trans fat in it. This is the exact type of fat that you should be avoiding! I don’t care that it says “zero trans fat,” it does contain trans fat. How would one know? The ingredients say that it contains hydrogenated oil and that is trans fat. They can get away without saying it has Zero trans fat because the FDA says that so long as it has only half a gram PER SERVING or less, you can say there is zero trans fat. Secondly, it’s not food per the definition. It is processed, fake food.

 

Butter on the other hand, is real food, and has great benefits such as:
1. Butter is the most easily absorbable source of vitamin A which supports the thyroid and adrenal glands, and in turn, the cardiovascular system.

 

2. Butter doesn’t lead to excess body fat since its short and medium chain fatty acids are burned for quick energy and not stored, and it also gives a feeling of satiety that may decrease cravings and over-eating.

 

3. It’s rich in anti-oxidants including vitamins A and E, as well as selenium protecting against heart disease as well as cancer.

 

4. Butter is a good source of dietary cholesterol which acts as an anti-oxidant, repairing damage from free radicals caused by rancid fats, vegetable oils and trans fats. Cholesterol is also important for the development of the brain and nervous system in children.

 

5. The saturated fat in butter consists of short and medium chain fatty acids which have anti-tumor properties and also strengthen the immune system.

 

6. Butter contains conjugated linoleic acids(CLA) which are cancer protective.

 

7. When in its raw state and not pasteurized, butter has an anti-stiffness property called the Wulzen factor, that protects against arthritis, cataracts and hardening of the arteries.

 

8. Butter is a good source of iodine in a highly absorbable form and necessary for proper thyroid function.

 

9. It promotes gastro-intestinal health and decreases rates of diarrhea in children.

 

10. Butter is a good source of vitamin K2which prevents tooth decay and builds strong teeth and bones.
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/10-healthy-reasons-enjoy-real-butter1

 

You just don’t get a list of benefits like that from fake, processed food.

 

It’s time we turn off our TVs or at least fast forward through the commercials and go to the Farmers’ Market or at least just shop the perimeter of the grocery store, because that’s where the real food is.

 

P. S. –

 

I recommend supplements made out of real food, NOT synthetics or chemicals. Think of synthetic supplements as the fake, processed food of the supplement world.

 

These recommendations are for the reduction of stress only. They are not intended as treatment or prescription for any disease, or as a substitute for regular medical care.

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