I think we are into our 8th week of UK lockdown 2020 ?? ... and I've experienced and witnessed changes in habits, in how we dress, what we eat .. actually, to be blunt .... what we now justify as our daily food and drink options, how also, how we behave, our ever-changing interpretations of what we can, should, can't, might be able to do ... and say ... eeeek
After a fellow coach sent out an article to read re: fat shaming, I started to think about food - I'm always thinking of food ... and one point which I found myself nodding vehemently at how 'some food types and their associated tastes' are universally labelled as treats, goodies, a prize, a gift, a consolation.
Our psychology, from the day we are born, is shaped by the society in which we live. I remember when potty training my kids, I would say they could have one 'smartie' for a number 1 successfully deposited without any wet undergarments, or - wait for it - TWO smarties for a successful number 2 .... I remember saying that old adage 'if you finish your dinner, you can have pudding' ... I remember consoling a grazed knee with a lollipop, or having a spread of every sugary kind of kids' food for their birthday parties .... like we needed more glucose awakening their already woke systems - yikes ... and so it continued ... into adulthood.
In an article on the BBC website, I found the information to what I knew would be readily available ... medical students stating that they are taught between about 10 to 24 hours, over five to six years, about nutrition - thats it! With the utmost respect for general doctors, it doesn't seem like they should be the first person to discuss what to eat and what not to eat - right! ... and even then, what are dieticians and nutritionists taught about 'what humans should eat'? Have their curriculums changed much since the middle of the last century? My mind boggles as to how certain food groups are accepted, how they are encouraged as to 'elixirs of life' ... we general public should question everything.
My mother is almost 90 and has historically suffered from bouts of asthma ... until she reduced her dairy intake and started pranayama breathing. Recently, her nutritionist argued that 'she needs more full fat cows milk as she needs the calcium' .. WOW! just wow ... and there, the nutritionist's recommendation taken as GOSPEL, as they 'operated from a reputable hospital too, in London!'
We don't question authority and we don't question the supermarkets, their products wrapped up in packaging depicting 'happy kids and happy cows' etc etc .... anyway, I digress - going back to the whole milk carnival ...
1) milk robs calcium from human bones - yep - you read that correctly ...in essence "animal proteins produce acid when they're broken down, and calcium is an excellent acid neutraliser, so ... you can see where this is going. In order to neutralise and flush out the acids, our bodies have to use the calcium that the milk contains, as well as some from our own stores" (peta.org)
2) Prostate cancer is encouraged by dairy intake
3) a single serve of cows milk can contain as much as 24mg of cholesterol (no plant food contains any cholesterol whatsoever)
4) cows are pumped full of antibiotics - making the milk drinker, less resistant to antibiotics if needed in the future
5) Milk has got a lot of saturated fat in it
6) Cows milk is ... for .... baby cows ... who often weigh 1000lbs (about 500kgs) by the age of two ... if you want to fatten something or someone up ... feed them milk!
and the other thing is .... its not nice for the cows now really is it! thats more rhetoric .. a raped cow (did it give its consent?), a calf taken away at birth, and either shot for consumption (termed a bobby calf) or grown up to follow in her mum's footsteps. The mother cow is drained of milk for a couple of months, then artificially inseminated again .. and culled about the age of 6 years, when in their natural unharmed environs can live for around 20 years.
Anyway .. that's milk ... if humans want 'milk', there are highly tasty nut-milks available, fortified and gorgeous ... just watch that healthy waist appear, and that inflamed skin smooth out
In a nutshell, we all need to 'relearn' about what we often absentmindedly choose to cook and unwrap and bake ... and ultimately eat and drink. Get wise - you deserve it
I'll be back soon with more tasty tidbits of my thought processes and pondering ...
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