I apologize for the ranting nature of this post but I’ve been kind of holding this in my head and I kind of need to just spit it out now, so here’s a bunch of stuff I’ve learned recently that I’m really kind of... very pissed about. Ready? Here we go:
--
This really all started due to a documentary called ‘Fed Up’ on Netflix (and then one called 'Hungry for Change', both of which are good and you may want to watch them if you're at all interested in this type of thing).
'Fed Up' sort of walks you through how all the sugar in our 'food-products' - like, not even food anymore honestly - is the main cause of obesity and the diseases you typically associate with it in the U.S. and around the world today, due to the standard American diet being exported around the world.
This is basically because sugar, when ingested in large quantities, overloads the liver. When the liver is overloaded, it triggers the pancreas to produce insulin, which causes fat storage. It’s sugar, not fat or calories (though those are still important), that contributes the most to America’s struggling with weight and health.
Let's take a simple example: When you eat 160 calories of, say, almonds, everything in them is absorbed slowly, so your blood sugar rises slower and for longer, meaning you don’t need nearly as much insulin to bring it back down. You’re also getting dietary fiber and healthy fats and a bunch of other things. On the flip side, 160 calories of soda is pure sugar, and so it’s absorbed through the portal system to the liver - which means it hits the liver all at once, which causes blood sugar spikes, which causes rapid insulin production, which is essentially why we have almost 60 thousand cases of type 2 diabetes in children in this country.
For a little more context, type 2 diabetes used to be called ‘adult onset diabetes’, because there were no cases in children. Not anymore. We have medically obese six-month-olds, mostly because of this crap. Even the people who look skinny and ‘healthy’ usually have fat collected around their internal organs because of all this overdosing on sugar, which of course can cause the exact same health issues as someone who is visibly overweight.
So, how did this happen?
Well, essentially, back in 1977, there was this thing called ‘The McGovern Report’, which was a nutrition report that basically said that Americans should limit their intake of beef, sugar, and dairy products for optimal health. Of course, the beef, sugar, and dairy industries went nuts and pushed them to change the report. They did. And the recommendations to ‘reduce intake’ of anything were scratched from the final version in favor of encouraging Americans to buy more 'lean' products. When the skim milk (milk without the fat) idea really took hold in the 80s, all that milk fat had to go somewhere. Well, the easiest thing for them to do was to make it into cheese. The problem was that soon enough, they had more cheese than they really knew what to do with, but instead of pushing the dairy industry to cut back, they just said ‘Hey, why don’t we help them sell more cheese?’
So they did. Now the cheese section in almost any grocery story is overstuffed with all manner of cheese and cheese-food product.
A similar thing happened between the World Health Organization and the Bush Administration where they recommenced that no more than 10% of daily calories should come from sugar. And what basically happened was that the administration threatened to pull all of their funding from the WHO if the report was not revised. They extorted the WHO. And now the report states that no more than 25% of daily calories should come from sugar - 2.5x the WHO’s recommendation. That’s why you never see a percentage listed beside sugar on the label of any food in the U.S. You’d be seeing 150% or 225% of your daily value.
And what gets me the most is that this is in everything.
80% of all foods in almost any grocery store have added sugar in them and why? Because when we as a nation realized that we were, to put it simply, ‘getting fat’, we decided that fat was the enemy. So we had it reduced or removed. Everything is ‘fat-free’ or ‘reduced fat’. But here’s the problem: when you remove fat from food, it tastes awful. It tastes like cardboard. So what to we do? We pour in some sugar to cover the taste. Kid’s cereals, soft drinks, candy, vitamin water, salad dressing - damn near everything that didn’t come directly or almost directly from a plant.
And these overabundances of sugar are, most obviously, also found in candies. Candy which is marketed directly to children primarily because of the addictive qualities of the sugar it contains. A child who is well and truly addicted to sugar is likely to be a customer for life.
What people need to understand is that sugar is a concentrated substance, like high fructose corn syrup - and cocaine. When you concentrate a substance like this, you remove all the nutritional buffers that the plant naturally has to help you digest things and not get sick. Cocaine comes from the leaves of the Coca plant which is widely used in tea, as an herbal remedy. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with drinking that tea - there’s no ‘high’ or adverse affects associated with it. And there is a safe threshold for sugar, under 25 grams a day, just like it’s safe to drink the tea. Am I worried about fruit sugar, which you naturally get from eating an apple? No. Am I worried about apple juice? Yes.
Studies involving lab mice have shown that sugar is around 8 times more addictive than cocaine. One study consisted of 43 cocaine-addicted lab mice. These 43 mice were given the choice between cocaine and sugar-water over a period of fifteen days. 40 out of the 43 chose the sugar-water.
And there will industry-funded study after industry-funded study claiming that there’s no link or that the science isn’t there when we’ve all had this knowledge since at least 1977 and no one in power has done anything about it. Which is exactly what the tobacco industries did when cigarettes were linked to cancer.
And honestly, I’m just somewhere between pissed off and a bit scared about the whole thing. This was a little like taking the red pill, I think. I’m sorry to potentially drag you along like that, I just really needed to get this all down and out of my head...
Regardless of any of this, I have been about two or three days without getting over 25 grams of added sugar a day. I'm actually tying to limit added sugar as much as reasonably possible and honestly? I'm feeling very good right now. I feel lighter and much more focused and just... better.
So here's hoping that life continues this recent trend.
3.6.15
9.5.15
Lord, Lord, that greed, it'll kill ya!
And that title, while very true, has precious little to do with the rest of this post.
So... it's been a while.
A lot's been going on, honestly. Plus I just haven't had a lot to say.
I've made some life decisions, both in terms of writing and in terms of... well, general life, and I'm currently sitting here at about 12:30 thinking over these changes and whether or not I have a deep, gut-feeling kind of problem with any of them.
And honestly? No.
And that seems a little odd to me, but I also don't want to over-think and talk myself out of doing something that could be really fun and freeing, and maybe even do some good in some way? I mean, stranger things have happened.
For those wondering, I'm talking about officially including erotica in my writing rotation. I sort of feel like I 'should' have a problem with it from a religious standpoint, but I don't have that deep down, gut-reaction 'don't get on the plane' feeling about writing stuff like that, and I would expect that I would. Or at least a hint of it.
I don't know. I mean, I'll take some time here soon and think it through just to be sure. You know, like actually pray about it and about my life direction in general, like I do with ... Well, I was going to say like I do with all major life decisions but I'm having a hard time remembering when I've made any proper major life decisions in past. Like, ones that I actually intended to do something about. I'm not sure there have really been any. I've always kind of just... done things because they were there to do. That's why I went to college, at least. Seemed like the thing to do.
Huh.
Maybe the depression is finally lifting a bit? *knocks on anything even resembling wood*
Either way, I really do need to jump in on my own writing. I'm finding it more and more difficult to believe that I still don't have a book out there. Like, at least one. Not the right time, I guess.
For the immediate future, I think I'm going to go try to finish writing a chapter of this ghost-writing project I've got, and then maybe read 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'.
Thing's will work out, just the way they're supposed to. I don't doubt that I'm a writer - now it's just a matter of pinning down what I'm writing. It's all under control ^w^
(I actually... want to go to church again. And that's odd because being around my father kind of soured me on the whole 'church-goer' thing for a while. I mean, I want to find one where I don't feel like I'm being looked down on for being honest about myself, but if I can find one like that, it'd be nice to go again.)
Until next time, then~
Love,
Rabbit
So... it's been a while.
A lot's been going on, honestly. Plus I just haven't had a lot to say.
I've made some life decisions, both in terms of writing and in terms of... well, general life, and I'm currently sitting here at about 12:30 thinking over these changes and whether or not I have a deep, gut-feeling kind of problem with any of them.
And honestly? No.
And that seems a little odd to me, but I also don't want to over-think and talk myself out of doing something that could be really fun and freeing, and maybe even do some good in some way? I mean, stranger things have happened.
For those wondering, I'm talking about officially including erotica in my writing rotation. I sort of feel like I 'should' have a problem with it from a religious standpoint, but I don't have that deep down, gut-reaction 'don't get on the plane' feeling about writing stuff like that, and I would expect that I would. Or at least a hint of it.
I don't know. I mean, I'll take some time here soon and think it through just to be sure. You know, like actually pray about it and about my life direction in general, like I do with ... Well, I was going to say like I do with all major life decisions but I'm having a hard time remembering when I've made any proper major life decisions in past. Like, ones that I actually intended to do something about. I'm not sure there have really been any. I've always kind of just... done things because they were there to do. That's why I went to college, at least. Seemed like the thing to do.
Huh.
Maybe the depression is finally lifting a bit? *knocks on anything even resembling wood*
Either way, I really do need to jump in on my own writing. I'm finding it more and more difficult to believe that I still don't have a book out there. Like, at least one. Not the right time, I guess.
For the immediate future, I think I'm going to go try to finish writing a chapter of this ghost-writing project I've got, and then maybe read 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'.
Thing's will work out, just the way they're supposed to. I don't doubt that I'm a writer - now it's just a matter of pinning down what I'm writing. It's all under control ^w^
(I actually... want to go to church again. And that's odd because being around my father kind of soured me on the whole 'church-goer' thing for a while. I mean, I want to find one where I don't feel like I'm being looked down on for being honest about myself, but if I can find one like that, it'd be nice to go again.)
Until next time, then~
Love,
Rabbit
29.3.15
Things I Want + A Thought or Two
First order of business: Things I want and will probably buy at some point. Because I am a geek. And we all know it.
-- This phone case
Why? Because it's Dead Space and I forgot how much I loved that game/series. Yeah, it's kinda run-and-gun and all that, but the world it's set in is just so interesting~
-- This dog-tag
Why? See above reason ^
-- And... all of the tie-in Dead Space novels
Pretty much just because I forget how much the whole story kinda rocked my world.
But that isn't the main point here. The main point of this post is not a short list of stuff I might buy once I have the funds for it (and after I buy my cosplay stuff), nor is it the next part, which will be a short segment on the goodness that it Chris Baty's updated and revised version of No Plot? No Problem! No, the point is what comes ofter that, which I think is an important thing to consider. For right now though, I give you a minor creative revelation:
I wasn't too sure about No Plot? No Problem! going in, but honestly, I'm 105 pages in right now and I am feeling a lot better about the creative process as a whole. Like, I'm not even sure why but it seems more accessible now, like ti used to. I used to just jump in all the time and have fun figuring things out as I went. More often than not, I would wind up with something at least half-way decent at the end of it. But then I kind of fell into the same trap that most people do when they start to get older (he says from his comfortable 22-year-old spot on the chronological map) - I started to worry about competence.
Now, don't get me wrong, I get that competence is a very good thing and that there are places where flinging five feet, three inches of screaming hot Stop It at any issue that may decide to raise its horned and feathered head would be a great way to go. The thing is, what about all those other times? There are some places where wanting to appear professional and like you're always in control (or even like you have any clue at all about what you're doing) can really drag you down.
It turns out that for me - and probably for most people in some way or another - 'anything creative' is one of those situations. In fact, for creative types, it's usually 'Situation One'.
So, that's the mindset: Just write. Worry later. (I was going to say 'No Rules, Just Write', but that's also kind of an Outback Steakhouse slogan and I'm a vegetarian so... yeah.)
But that's also not my point.
My point is this: God does not make mistakes.
Now, anyone who knows me well knows that I am a Christian but that I am a liberal Christian (which basically means that I'm very likely to defend God and gay rights in the same breath) and I have some trouble with lot of people out there in the big, bad world because of this little phrase.
But here's my take on it, and I like to think it's a simple take: God does not make mistakes, and that means that I am as I am intentionally.
Just to walk you through the current list (I say 'current' because I'm still sort of figuring a few things out), I am: asexual (does not experience sexual attraction to any gender), polyromantic (experiences romantic attraction to multiple, but not all, genders), genderqueer (umbrella term: used for someone who identifies as a neither, both, or a combination of male and female genders), likely transmasculine (someone who was assigned female at birth but identifies as more male than female), and possibly polyamorous (the state of having (or the ability to have) multiple committed relationships with many people at the same time, with full knowledge and consent of all involved) .
And all this weirdness (at least weirdness from a societal standpoint) is okay. Why? Because it's honest and it's not hurting anyone. And part of the reason I feel the way I do about this whole thing is that I am also a writer and more than that, I am a writer who enjoys writing about people like them, especially Christian people like them (though I'm generally not someone who enjoys very heavy religions themes in books, so it may not come up explicitly). And I find this level of deep support for who a person is at their deepest level to be severely lacking on many levels. The idea that queer Christians (to use a blanket term for a very diverse community) exist and are happy and supported should not be a revolutionary thing ever. A God who loves his children just as they are, with all of our shortcomings and weaknesses and general strangeness - none of which is a surprise to Him, mind - is not some kind of revolutionary idea. From Sunday School up, you are taught that God is love. I wish more people would set their signs down and believe that. This whole message would not carry nearly the same weight if I was a straight, cisgender female. So... here I am.
But that is just my opinion. And so I'm going to move on, move forward, and try to live honestly, even though it's difficult, especially when you take the larger society into account with any sort of frequency. Just pay attention to that little voice - the one that tends to let you know if you're screwing something up, like a gut reaction to a bad decision. And, basically, unless it's illegal, immoral, or fattening, I'm just going to worry about much. Worrying makes me doubt things and doubting things makes me unhappy and why would I do anything that made me unhappy? I'll do enough actual work to pay my bills and whatnot but aside from actual 'survival costs' like that, I'm just gonna be me and see what happens.
Because, damn it, I'm interesting. And I've got a lot to say.
Okay. So that was odd, what just happened, and probably a bit too personal but hey, it's my blog. As for the immediate future, I think I'm going to go get something to eat, watch an episode of Sherlock with Mom, and then maybe attempt my old method of jumping into the creative ocean face first again. It's been way too long since I've gotten a sinus cavity full of freezing cold creativity.
Until later, then. I hope you all have a great day.
-- This phone case
Why? Because it's Dead Space and I forgot how much I loved that game/series. Yeah, it's kinda run-and-gun and all that, but the world it's set in is just so interesting~
-- This dog-tag
Why? See above reason ^
-- And... all of the tie-in Dead Space novels
Pretty much just because I forget how much the whole story kinda rocked my world.
But that isn't the main point here. The main point of this post is not a short list of stuff I might buy once I have the funds for it (and after I buy my cosplay stuff), nor is it the next part, which will be a short segment on the goodness that it Chris Baty's updated and revised version of No Plot? No Problem! No, the point is what comes ofter that, which I think is an important thing to consider. For right now though, I give you a minor creative revelation:
I wasn't too sure about No Plot? No Problem! going in, but honestly, I'm 105 pages in right now and I am feeling a lot better about the creative process as a whole. Like, I'm not even sure why but it seems more accessible now, like ti used to. I used to just jump in all the time and have fun figuring things out as I went. More often than not, I would wind up with something at least half-way decent at the end of it. But then I kind of fell into the same trap that most people do when they start to get older (he says from his comfortable 22-year-old spot on the chronological map) - I started to worry about competence.
Now, don't get me wrong, I get that competence is a very good thing and that there are places where flinging five feet, three inches of screaming hot Stop It at any issue that may decide to raise its horned and feathered head would be a great way to go. The thing is, what about all those other times? There are some places where wanting to appear professional and like you're always in control (or even like you have any clue at all about what you're doing) can really drag you down.
It turns out that for me - and probably for most people in some way or another - 'anything creative' is one of those situations. In fact, for creative types, it's usually 'Situation One'.
So, that's the mindset: Just write. Worry later. (I was going to say 'No Rules, Just Write', but that's also kind of an Outback Steakhouse slogan and I'm a vegetarian so... yeah.)
But that's also not my point.
My point is this: God does not make mistakes.
Now, anyone who knows me well knows that I am a Christian but that I am a liberal Christian (which basically means that I'm very likely to defend God and gay rights in the same breath) and I have some trouble with lot of people out there in the big, bad world because of this little phrase.
But here's my take on it, and I like to think it's a simple take: God does not make mistakes, and that means that I am as I am intentionally.
Just to walk you through the current list (I say 'current' because I'm still sort of figuring a few things out), I am: asexual (does not experience sexual attraction to any gender), polyromantic (experiences romantic attraction to multiple, but not all, genders), genderqueer (umbrella term: used for someone who identifies as a neither, both, or a combination of male and female genders), likely transmasculine (someone who was assigned female at birth but identifies as more male than female), and possibly polyamorous (the state of having (or the ability to have) multiple committed relationships with many people at the same time, with full knowledge and consent of all involved) .
And all this weirdness (at least weirdness from a societal standpoint) is okay. Why? Because it's honest and it's not hurting anyone. And part of the reason I feel the way I do about this whole thing is that I am also a writer and more than that, I am a writer who enjoys writing about people like them, especially Christian people like them (though I'm generally not someone who enjoys very heavy religions themes in books, so it may not come up explicitly). And I find this level of deep support for who a person is at their deepest level to be severely lacking on many levels. The idea that queer Christians (to use a blanket term for a very diverse community) exist and are happy and supported should not be a revolutionary thing ever. A God who loves his children just as they are, with all of our shortcomings and weaknesses and general strangeness - none of which is a surprise to Him, mind - is not some kind of revolutionary idea. From Sunday School up, you are taught that God is love. I wish more people would set their signs down and believe that. This whole message would not carry nearly the same weight if I was a straight, cisgender female. So... here I am.
But that is just my opinion. And so I'm going to move on, move forward, and try to live honestly, even though it's difficult, especially when you take the larger society into account with any sort of frequency. Just pay attention to that little voice - the one that tends to let you know if you're screwing something up, like a gut reaction to a bad decision. And, basically, unless it's illegal, immoral, or fattening, I'm just going to worry about much. Worrying makes me doubt things and doubting things makes me unhappy and why would I do anything that made me unhappy? I'll do enough actual work to pay my bills and whatnot but aside from actual 'survival costs' like that, I'm just gonna be me and see what happens.
Because, damn it, I'm interesting. And I've got a lot to say.
Okay. So that was odd, what just happened, and probably a bit too personal but hey, it's my blog. As for the immediate future, I think I'm going to go get something to eat, watch an episode of Sherlock with Mom, and then maybe attempt my old method of jumping into the creative ocean face first again. It's been way too long since I've gotten a sinus cavity full of freezing cold creativity.
Until later, then. I hope you all have a great day.
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