Why do we like all the ‘wrong’ foods?

It is a common theory that all tasty foods are inevitably ‘bad’ for us. We tend to gravitate towards food that has high sugar, high salt and high fat contents. We agonize over our diet and the ill-effects it has on our health. Thousands upon thousands of articles have been written about the ‘perfect’ diet.

As recent as fifty years ago, nobody bothered or even cared about diets. Cholesterol and its effects on health were known only to a few. Yet the longevity and quality of life were much better than today. In those days, red meat was considered to be good for health. People tucked into steaks and potatoes as if there was no tomorrow. The average weekly consumption of red meat, salt and fat in those times would have horrified a modern-day dietician. Even then, heart disease was a rare occurrence. The question to be asked is: What has changed in the last 50 years?

Except for trans fats, which are principally found in processed food and LDL (low density lipoprotein), also referred to as ‘bad cholesterol‘, there is no real unhealthy food. On reading this, ‘wise words‘ from several health and fitness gurus may flash through your mind and you may be inclined to go no further. You may say when the whole world says that most of the food we eat is bad for health, who is Patrick to say that they are wrong? Remember, there was a time when the whole world said that the earth was flat, but only one man said that it was spherical; and he was right! So read on, and you will see the method in my madness.

The real culprits of ill-health are stress and a sedentary lifestyle, both of which can be combated through physical exercise. Secondly, processed foods can easily be replaced with fresh foods. And finally, the mother of all our troubles (health and otherwise) is EXCESS! Do everything in moderation and you will be able to eat the foods you like, free of fear, diet charts and most of all, guilt.

Happy eating!