A couple weekends ago, I headed down to Canada Place for the 19th Annual Health and Wellness Show here in Vancouver for an afternoon of fun and frolic.
It was a trade show for the wellbeing crowd, full of food samples, alternative therapies, workshops, and demonstrations.
Not knowing what to expect, I was excited to have a look around, catch a couple of presentations and just enjoy a Saturday afternoon out of the house. I caught a lecture on raw foods, and a second one that I really enjoyed on the subject of Pranic (or energy) healing.
My friend and I also spent a good chunk of time wandering around to all the stalls, admittedly pigging out on the free food samples with reckless abandon. I was trying my best not to feel guilty about it and just enjoy my big day out.
Well why would I feel guilty about it anyway? Isn’t it health food?
You’d think so, but no. Not most of it anyway.
For example, when my friend and I showed up, we were immediately handed a “goody” bag full of complimentary, well… goodies. Do you think any of it was truly healthy? NO!
Amongst others, it contained a bag of Old Dutch potato chips, some “heart healthy” chocolate cookies, organic (but still pasteurized) milk, Caesar salad mix full of disgusting vegetable oils and other ingredients, and a ‘natural’ can of cola.
Come on. Really? You expect me to believe this stuff is healthy?
The stalls weren’t much better, with all sorts of breads, cheeses, sugary juice drinks, microwave breakfasts, and chocolate power bars. The items may have had some added vitamins, or perhaps they lacked gluten, or maybe they were organic and whole grain and baked with love. But that didn’t stop most of them from being full of sugar and other additives.
This is the story with most packaged ‘health food’ items. They know people are either gullible or are looking for a way to eat junk and not feel guilty about it.
So don’t just look at the label that says ‘Made with real fruit!’ or ‘25% less sodium’ and assume that an item is healthy and that you have a lease to chow down.
Always remember that the healthiest foods are real, whole foods that look like they did when they came from nature.
Most things that come in a box don’t.
If you want to indulge in some packaged ‘health’ foods, or basically anything in a can or jar, that’s okay every once in a while. Just don’t go expecting that chocolate power bar with 10X the antioxidants but 30 grams of sugar to clear your acne if you eat it for breakfast every day. Make sure you read labels. You want the shortest amount of ingredients possible, and you want to be able to pronounce them all. And if sugar is the second ingredient on the list, place it back on the shelf and walk away.
Use your common sense and that big ol brain of yours. That’s all I ask. The end 🙂
Sampson says
March 2, 2011 at 10:06 pmI don’t even know why some of these food manufacturers place all that **** into the food, it’s been my experience that when I used to make natural peanut butter chocolate bars or any sort of mock-junk food, it tastes pretty much exactly the same with or without sugar/salt/sweeteners/etc. If they really wanna cut back on spending and make more profit, they should just use less ingredients. 😛
thelovevitamin says
March 5, 2011 at 9:15 amProbably because they know it’s so addicting! 😛
Maja says
March 3, 2011 at 10:13 ami have a problem with this healthy diet, it’s good and i like it but sometimes cravings hit me real hard, and then i stare at my fridge wondering why there is nothing sweet or crunchy (something that reminds me of junk food)…
thelovevitamin says
March 3, 2011 at 1:40 pmHmm yeah I know, I get those too sometimes. Try to arm yourself with some healthier snack foods, like nuts, or try making kale chips!…. they’re so delicious. Google it for now, I’ll probably do a video or something about them in the future.
Alee says
December 2, 2011 at 11:29 amSo I googled kale chips and the recipe calls for olive oil and seasoned salt. What recipe would you recommend?
Tracy says
December 2, 2011 at 5:09 pmHi Alee! Yes, I just use kale chips and sea salt… throw kale chips into my search bar up there, I made a video about it!
Sacha says
March 5, 2011 at 1:15 amI was at the Wellness Show as well (coincidentally, on Saturday also!) and I found myself thinking quite similar thoughts. While I caught one great presentation and enjoyed wandering around searching for new and inspiring health products, I ended up feeling a little dirty after the experience. I really wonder how many of the booths can genuinely call themselves “health” products and in what way they actually facilitate wellness. There were a few great companies there with some lovely products, but you really had to search for them amidst the “energy” bars bursting with sugar and chemical preservatives, and the women presistently trying to convince people to pay $300 to allow them to tattoo makeup on their faces. What I found most frustrating was the many people I was witnessed who were falling for the gimmicks. I felt like people went, with the best intentions to better their health, and were being misguided by a bunch of sales reps whose companies paid to have a booth there.
It’s good there are people like you though spreading this message to others in search of a little direction! Thanks for your post!
thelovevitamin says
March 5, 2011 at 9:19 amInteresting that you had the same experience Sacha! I’m glad to hear you were also there with a skeptical eye!
Kads says
September 1, 2011 at 10:20 amHey Tracy quick question! Are dates healthy for you to eat because i absolutely love them and i know theyre naturally sweet so i usually have a few dates whenever im craving something bad, so is this a good choice? or is the sugar content not good for my holistic approach to healing? thanks! x
Tracy says
September 1, 2011 at 10:54 amGod, I love dates too. They are okay…. I’d definitely keep them in moderation. Even though they’re natural sugar (and better than refined sugar), they are still highly glycemic and will spike your blood sugar if you eat lots of them all at once. They’re dang hard to resist though :/
Martha says
September 7, 2011 at 9:21 pmTracy,
I was wondering if you could touch on how to go out to eat at a restaurant, which is so common in our everyday lives, and be able to find or eat foods that we can feel good about eating. Most people recommend salads, but I know that involves some restrictions that leave me wondering what really is healthy. Could you touch on this topic please?
Thanks.
Tracy says
September 8, 2011 at 4:33 pmUsually I would recommend 1) cutting down on the amount of times per week you eat at restaurants, if you are someone who eats at restaurants a LOT 2) For the one or two times you go out food per week, order something that you think sounds somewhat healthy and tasty and just enjoy it. The fact is that there’s rarely anything at restaurants that is perfectly healthy, but I know that eating at restaurants is a part of our lives. Try to choose restaurants that have real food too…. I mean if you have a choice of restaurants, don’t pick McDonalds. Sushi is a food I like to go for when eating out because it’s relatively healthy. Do what you can and don’t stress the rest, because what else can we do?