Musings from a Multiple Choice Question

I could have talked about misogyny and how it impacts my life, but I figure the entire class will be writing about that. So, to bring a little sprinkle of something new, I thought of something far more exciting. And with that I will begin with... 

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Boom Boom Boom-that is the sound of millions of obese Americans hitting the floor. Although that would be an amazing "attention getter," I just thought it was humorously accurate while taking the practice multiple choice test this week. 

In America, millions of food products are heavily processed and packaged. If one picked up something in their pantry, chances are that the grams of added sugar are a skyscraper above something that you would pick up in Europe. The amount of sugar an American consumes has been a topic repetitively brought up by consumers and producers. For producers to keep their business thriving, they have to think of smarter ways to advertise.

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Think of the milk industry. They have overcome lots of negative media attention. For example, in the mid-twentieth century, farmers were in danger of becoming structurally unemployed, therefore, they convinced many consumers that "milk makes your bones strong." In an article titled: Christopher Gardner busts myths about milk (click here to read it!), Gardner states that "Breast milk is incredibly important, but cow's milk isn't," (Gardner). It later talks about the massive amounts of added sugar in milk, specifically flavored milk. So why is the average American still consuming around 18 gallons of milk each year?

The answer? Addiction. 

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Now, one might think that I am referring to a drug addition, and that would be a correct comparison. From a young age children are consuming so much added sugar, anywhere from Gogurts to Halloween candy. And by building up a tolerance for high amounts of sugar daily, it is no surprise that they are consuming lots of pops and pastry treats into their teenage years.

As for me, I was that child, but now, I would consider myself vegan 92% of the time (the other 8% is if I am out to eat and the only options are a salad that will not give me any protein for the day, or even better has cheese on it... or on the very special tradition of splitting chicken tenders with my best friend at Red Robin).

So, during the multiple choice test, I was surprised to see that someone was comparing a Paleo diet to Veganism. To compare these two is similar to comparing someone who goes to the gym for their New Years Resolution-which typically ends within a month or two, to someone who actively goes to the gym-personal trainer, classes, and membership included. 

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Paleo is a diet that people go on to lose weight or to feel better about themselves; being Vegan is a lifestyle. How many Vegans does one see that go back to eating meat if they have committed to plant-based options for a long time. I would say your answer would be maybe 2% of people. For me, if I eat meat, I feel unpleasant and I regret eating it because the 'short-term reward' of eating a steak was not worth it. 

So, take notice of the next time you consume something that is advertised as "healthy," is it truly healthy for you? Or is the company trying to sell as many sugar filled desserts to you as they can, so you continue to buy and consume their product?