America is sick and fat and sadly, this includes our children.
As advocates of Traditional Diet and movement, most readers of this blog are doing everything in their power to avoid this by eating right and exercising correctly.
One would think our government and healthcare system would encourage the same. Well wake up Cinderella, that is just another fairytale.
Let’s take a look at the real world.
You won’t believe what I recently received in the mail from Blue Cross and Blue Shield, a large provider of sickcare healthcare in the United States.
No doubt, Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) is a well-respected insurance company. I am grateful to be able to afford the necessary coverage and it has come in handy in recent years. However, they, like other companies providing medical coverage, are contributing to sickness and obesity rather than encouraging the eating and movement habits that will improve the health of America.
Take a look at the coupons which accompanied the letter above.
“In the pursuit of health”. . . really? Let’s look at these coupons one by one:
Sugar Free Cookies: zero cholesterol! Ingredients: Enriched wheat flour (flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), maltitol, vegetable oil (canola, soybean, palm and palm kernel, sunflower), sugar-free chocolate chips (maltitol, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanillin), natural and artificial flavor, salt, sodium bicarbonate, eggs, acesulfame potassium, whey, artificial color (FD&C yellow #5, FD&C yellow #6). (5501206).
Well I’ll spare you great detail and cover this one with the artificial sweetener clause [These are not food! Creepy laboratory products with sketchy safety record. Artificial sweeteners have been shown to produce an insulin response.] Not to mention the inclusion of refined grains and vegetable oils—known contributors to Metabolic Syndrome along with a cocktail of chemicals.
Suggestion: Eat some fruit w/ raw cream or raw cheese. The natural cholesterol is beneficial to health. It is the processed cholesterol in factory foods that is to be avoided.
Hellmann’s Mayo w/ Olive Oil: sounds great and there is olive oil in it. However—Ingredients: water, soybean oil, olive oil, modified potato starch, vinegar, salt, sugar, lemon juice, sorbic acid and calcium disodium edta (used to protect quality), natural flavor, paprika, oleoresin. Man-made fake fats and vegetable oils—need I say more?
Suggestion: Make your own healthy mayo from quality ingredients such as olive or coconut oils.
Kellogg’s Cereals “Take care of your heart”: Extruded, processed grains + sugars. That’ll take care of your heart all right—make the heart surgeons a little richer.
Suggestion: Nitrate/nitrite free bacon and eggs w/ some veggies or fruit on the side. If you eat grains, make your own properly prepared, cold breakfast cereal.
Eggland’s Best Eggs: Really, excuse me I thought the free range hen that ate some bugs produced the best egg? Although this is probably the least bad out of the bunch. Watch this eye opening video.
Suggestions: Farm fresh eggs are ideal if you are able to procure; not that bad of a substitute but opt for the cage free organic if going with Egglands.
Hormel Natural Choice: Ingredients: Turkey Breast Meat, Water, Salt, Potato Starch, Turbinado Sugar, Rice Starch, Carrageenan (from seaweed), Baking Soda, Celery Juice Powder, Lactic Acid Starter Culture (not from Milk). Not the worst I’ve seen but we can definitely do better. Not a big fan of potato starch and sugar on my meat but it’s probably better than McDonalds.
Suggestions: Roast a whole chicken, grass fed beef or turkey breast instead, can slice up for leftovers.
Blue Bunny Sweet Freedom: Certainly not freedom from disease! This is from their Vanilla ice cream:
INGREDIENTS: Skim Milk, Cream, Maltodextrin, Polydextrose, Sorbitol, Contains less than 1% of Glycerine, Propylene Glycol Monoesters, Mono And Diglycerides, Guar Gum, Carob Bean Gum, Vanilla Extract and Artificial Vanilla Flavor, Cellulose Gel, Cellulose Gum, Annatto for Color, Carrageenan, Acesulfame Potassium, Sucralose, Vitamin A Palmitate.
and this is from their Caramel and Vanilla Swirl Bars
INGREDIENTS: Light Ice Cream: Milk, Skim Milk, Maltitol, Inulin, Polydextrose, Cream, Citrus Fiber, Propylene Glycol Monoesters, Mono And Diglycerides, Guar Gum, Carob Bean Gum, Carrageenan, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Caramel Color and Annatto Extract for Color, Sucralose, Vitamin A Palmitate. Chocolate Flavored Coating: Vegetable Oil (Coconut, Soybean) , Lactitol, Cocoa Processed With Alkali, Whey, Chocolate Liquor, Soy Lecithin, Sucralose, Vanillin.
Hmmm, anyone know another name for Propylene Glycol? Try “edible” anti-freeze.
Suggestions: Make your own homemade ice cream from raw dairy. Next best is store bought organic with minimal ingredients but have in moderation occasionally.
Sensa Weight Loss Product: What exactly is in SENSA®?
SENSA® contains Maltodextrin (Derived from Corn from the USA), Tricalcium Phosphate, Silica, Natural and Artificial Flavors. SENSA® also contains Soy and Milk ingredients. SENSA® is sodium-free, sugar-free, calorie free, and there are no stimulants, drugs or MSG.
Suggestions: A Primal and/or Traditional Diet and proper exercise, it’s not rocket science.
Summary of our healthcare system? The blind leading the blind.
Smart folks these days are switching to health care sharing instead.
It is always fascinating how the medical profession and the health insurance companies constantly recommend artificial food that humans were never meant eat. Keeping America fat and unhealthy means more profit for them, and profit is all they seem to care about.
Right, and as long as you have a for-profit health care system, that is what it’s all about: PROFIT.
So disappointing yet, not surprising! What’s sad is that people without much knowledge of what is healthy will receive this letter and believe it! Did the author send this article to the insurance company?
That is a good idea!
Also, I actually know of a health insurance company ( in a different state) that gives it’s members coupons for a local farmers market to buy fruits and veggies. Not all are created equal.
This same (large) health insurer grows their own veggie garden and donates it to local food shelves. My point being that small changes can and do happen and instead of complaining about it all the time we should actually do something about it.
Real food, not eal food.
Eat less fat and eal food, add soy to your diet, here are some junk food coupons to get you started, if you don’t listen to us and submit to mandatory invasive testing, you can pay more. Ugh!
Don’t you get so frustrated though? My family thinks doctors are like God’s. I have a son and a granddaughter and a great grandson with Lymes. Do you think they will try to follow the GAPS diet or anything like that??? NO WAY! Granddaughter with migraines…. drinking Pepsi often…. Oh man i just get so frustrated with it. I had a guest here for two weeks , she ate what she wanted and I ate my usual … no grains , very limiited sucranat. She did not drink my precious raw milk! I just don’t know what it’s going to take to make people see .
I think this post is attacking ignorance. Some people just don’t know what they don’t know. Every company is based of individuals. It comes down to individuals educating themselves and others, like myself, educating the people around me that I know. It is possible that this will catch on on a corporate basis as individuals change their thinking. Only time will tell.
Wow Sarah, that’s unbelievable!
Just making sure they have steady customers! I wonder what kind of meetings produce these arrangements with the food companies. Do they genuinely believe these are healthy choices?
Unfortunately, yes they do.
I recently ate a pack of “Fuzzy Peach” candy (yea, I know, big deal), and the label clearly advertised: “This is a zero-fat product”. Too bad all the sugar becomes fat in the body anyways.
We receive these all the time from our insurance company as well. They even send those letters and coupons addressed to our daughter, who’s 10 y.o. Unbelievable!!! Coupons in the mail, commercials on TV, ads inserted on previews for kids (and adult) movies at the theater, billboards on freeways, we are bombarded everywhere with these kind of dis-information all the time. A lie told often enough becomes the truth.
^^Hey! What happened to the ” affordable health care act”?? (Of course im being sarcastic)