Jan 17 2008
Food, Fillers and Foolishness
I read an article today in Reader’s Digest entitled Rethink What You Drink and it reminded me of something I read or watched a few years back essentially mentioning the same thing. There have been several articles from various sources each discussing the lack of moderation over the bottled water industry, the potential for contamination and the notion that we could be drinking glorified tap water. But somehow even with the media coverage, according to RD there was a 10% increase in bottled water use from 2005 to 2006.
Should this increase surprise anyone? In an environment where few pay attention to what they ingest, why on earth would we care if we are drinking tap water as long as it tastes good. We eat burgers like they were going out of style, topped with cheese products where only the color truly mimics cheese.
Our society is riddled with fillers, processed foods, more sugar than is necessary or of course the alternative: sugar derivatives with no calories like Splenda or Nutra-sweet. We eat all of it up without hesitation, and then come back for seconds.
I see ingredients on packages that only would make sense to a scientist. I think the one that always throws me is the “Natural” and “Artificial” flavorings. Is that the fancy way of saying “we have no idea WHAT is in there” or is it a clever name for an actual ingredient? Can I buy a bottle of “Natural Flavor” off of a store shelf somewhere? Doesn’t “natural” imply it occurs already within an ingredient, therefore not needing to be listed?
Alco-pops such as Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Smirnoff Ice, or even your standard premium alcohol have no listed ingredients and we suck it back like there is no tomorrow and without question. All advertisers seem to dote on the “premium” ingredients, yet for all we know it could be created using water leftover from dirty socks, but the socks of course are “premium”. Of course alcohol itself is a “poison” but combined with other ingredients it could take that happy fuzzy poison to a higher level. Hmmm.. maybe that is what gives tequila its unique flavor…
I am sure there are regulations on top of regulations for most consumable goods designed to “protect” us from harm, and yet I believe you would be hard pressed to find an individual who believes that these products aren’t harmful in one way or another. I would be saddened to know that there are people out there that believe a Big Mac™ or Whopper™ are healthy. But of course, I know I am probably being overly optimistic there. The levels that humans can reach never ceases to amaze me.
Every other day there is a new “expert” study about all of the things that are going to kill us and the new diet we should be on, the new wonder drug, or new “danger” in the world. That same statement changes two weeks later and is trumped by a bigger, better, faster plan. The old one being dubbed dangerous. The stress and confusion trying to figure it all out might cause more trouble than the products themselves would have.
In an era where everything will kill me, understanding the effects and potentials some of the things I ingest will have, I choose to do it anyway. Is it because I have a death wish? Do I just not care about my health? In the end, how much does it really matter? We are all on an ultimate path of destruction, some of us choosing the fast lane. We might as well enjoy the journey. I myself will continue enjoying my dirty bottled tap water, my 100% beef Big Macs™, and my pesticide-laced fresh fruits.