Introduction

150 Years Rule Reminder

Last time, we talked about Dr. Wright's 150 Year Rule. "If it wasn't around 150 years ago, you shouldn't eat it." We talked about real foods, and touched on processed foods, but what, realistically, should you eat every day? The food you consume should be something you could get from a bush or tree or field, not from a factory.

Food used to be food. Now it's an industry. There are food engineers who work hard to make their food more tasty, more desirable, more, more, more. How can a simple whole food compete? Fresh foods may not be as glamorous as these processed foods, but the health benefits far outweigh anything a processed food could offer.

How Did We Get Here? A Processed Food History?

Many foods have been taken from their whole state and made into convenience foods. After the industrial revolution, farming practices changed and cooking practices changed. Here's a sampling of foods that were invented:

• 1898 - "In a fortunately failed attempt at making granola, our company's founder, W.K. Kellogg, and his brother, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, changed breakfast forever when they accidentally flaked wheat berry. W.K. kept experimenting until he flaked corn, and created the delicious recipe for Kellogg's Corn Flakes." ¹
• 1908- MSG "The product that emerged from Ikeda's laboratory, monosodium glutamate, was quickly patented in Japan, the United States, England, and France." This taste enhancer is known to cause neurology symptoms including headaches. It is still found in baby food and formula today in the USA. ²
• 1937- SPAM was created, short for "shoulder of pork and ham". The United States Army bought 150 million pounds of SPAM to feed the Allied troops. ³
• 1950's- Robert C. Baker, "a food scientist at Cornell University, ground up chicken parts and coated them with breading as a way to increase demand for chickens in upstate New York," calling it Chicken Nuggets. ⁴
• 1967- High Fructose Corn Syrup: "American scientists discovered a way to use enzymes to convert glucose in cornstarch to fructose; in 1967 Japanese scientist Yoshiyuki Takasaki created a cost-effective industrial process. Food companies loved the low cost and the ease with which liquid corn syrup could be dissolved into sodas." ⁵

Baby Steps, Removing Processed Foods

It can seem daunting to consider changing the entire way you eat, the entire way you socialize, and the entire way you live. So why should you? There are many reasons that changing foods can benefit your life, but the bottom line is, better food can lead to better health.

We like to encourage people to make baby steps and not try to change everything at once. There are not many people who can make huge changes last. Most people can, however, make small manageable changes over time that will stick!

Start With Diet Change You Can Believe In

The best way I have found to change, is to think about the thing you know affects your health. Maybe you know you get a migraine whenever you drink a soda. Maybe you know that when you eat too much sugar at lunch you get tired at 2:00 in the afternoon. Whatever you've noticed as a trigger, start there!

I will use soda as an example. I loved, loved, loved, my Coke. I drank it most every day, and felt like I needed it to make it through the day. It kept me going when I had four very small children. It also gave me headaches, fatigue, and a tummy. I knew it had to go, but I knew when I had tried to quit before it lead to blinding headaches and grouchiness.

I decided to not go "cold turkey" but to wean myself off of the caffeine and sugar loaded drink. Instead, I poured my can into a glass each day. I started out leaving a tablespoon or two in the can, and over time, I left more and more. Eventually, I was only drinking a small amount and I didn't have any headaches. Within a short time, I was able to kick it for good. You can use this method with any kind of food or drink you would like.

I would encourage you to try this method. Pick something you know is not good for you, something you believe hurts your health. Then take a month and kick the habit.