Faster, fatter, bigger, cheaper

Do you know where your food comes from? Do you know how and by what means it is produced? If you don't, do you even want to? This past week we watched the film Food Inc. and I STRONGLY encourage everyone to watch it. Yes, some of it will shock you and probably make you not want to eat (it would probably be wise not to eat during the film), but when finished, it does provoke some amazing conversation between all ages.
47,000 products are in your local supermarket on average.
The human diet has changed more in the last 50 years than the previous 10,000.
The American supermarket has nearly no seasons.
We don't know where our meat is coming from as now there are only 13 meat producing factories in the entire United States. The majority of chickens in America are genetically modified and corn fed so they can become fatter faster, but at the same time, have a larger breast, as that is the part people want to eat.
Cows are corn fed and restricted movement so they too can follow in the chicken's footsteps. Fatter faster = more money in the producer's wallets. These cows being so close together are usually 6 inches deep in there own fecal matter, the perfect breeding ground for Ecoli. You think that this isn't a big deal because of course YOUR hamburger has only 1 cow's meat in it. WRONG. Think again. Try up to 1,000 cows are in the one hamburger. So the chance of 1 in 1000 having Ecoli is now significantly greater. If a human gets Ecoli poisoning it is most usually fatal. Unfortunately, Ecoli outbreaks are common in America. Something that is so easily solved if the care for these cows was improved and sanitation was taken a little more into account and things were fresh, pesticide free, and organic. Ecoli now breaks out in tomatoes, spinach, leafy greens and meats. Ecoli O157H7. A killer of lives. This Ecoli fatally kills your small and large intestine, and sweeps through the nation when Ecoli outbreaks occur. Something so preventable, but so difficult at the same time. Because companies do try to make reforms, prices go up and people don't want to spend $6.99/lb on ground beef when they can buy a BigMac on the dollar menu. Instead of making the healthy option the one people want, society and supply and demand drive them toward the bad calorie rich option. We are doing this to each other, practically killing each other through obesity rates that are sky rocketing and heart attacks, myocardial infarctions being the #1 killer of people in the United States, a common consequence of obesity. So what are you going to do? Not only for yourself, but for those around you, your family, and children. Think, how can you make a difference, because, there is no such thing as small change.

Goats

Goats, you've all heard of them, think they are pretty cute? Think again! They are pretty normal, except when it comes to finding a mate. Let me just warn you, this is beyond odd. In order to find a mate, their is a 3 step process. To begin, the male goat leans over in such a position that when he urinates, the urine runs under his belly, along his chest and wets his chinny chin chin. The smell of three fatty acids in the odor of the urine begin to attract the females. As they get closer, some are attracted to the male goat's body odor. Yes, that is right, some females do enjoy the natural perfume of a man, but let's face it, the majority do not! After the select few have approved the BO and the smell of the Urine the REAL test is to actually lick the male's chin and get a taste of this bodily fluid. I feel myself regurgitating as I think of this action, as there is no way that this would probably work in the human society, but seeing a man try would most definitely be enjoyable. After the taste test, one will chose her man, and the deal will be sealed. Gross, disgusting, awful, blech are the only words I can currently think of, but it does show you some variety in the mating rituals of animals.

To finish off, some fun facts about goats, they actually make more milk for their size than compared to a regular dairy cow AND their milk has a lot more calcium naturally in it than a cow's. Goats meat is also better for you as the percentage of fat is thoroughly decreased than that of a cow. Moral of the story, why isn't MacDonalds serving Goat Burgers with goat milk as their number one supersized meal? Beats me!

Figure Flattering or maybe not so!?

We, as natural human beings of the female population, idealize the perfect body type. To us, that means that you have to be thin, skinny, small, petit, no extra 'padding' anywhere. Naturally, we think that if anyone is that size, they must be really fit, meaning they are really healthy. Those 'perfect' people always say "Oh, I just have a great metabolism! That's all it is, really!" LIES, I tell you. Let me explain. Everyday, we take in energy from the food we consume. Our body needs this energy to keep all our cells alive, keep our body functioning and make sure we head on our merry way. Now comes the interesting part. Due to a level of hormones, which regulate cell work and how fast it is working, determines the energy needed. No matter what the origin of chunk of energy that is left over, it will almost always be converted to fat. Why? Fat can store 9Cal/g, the most out of all the others, simply put. The body will use some amount of the energy and the rest will be converted to fat. So, you assume, you need an overactive metabolism. Think again my friend. The metabolism that is best is actually going to be the metabolism that can use the least amount of energy to get all the cell jobs done, meaning that there will always be some of the energy you take in left over. But some may say that then you will have that extra energy converted into fat! Wouldn't you rather though have the most efficient metabolism than a less efficient metabolism just so you can be skinnier? Maybe society should reconsider the fact that having the smallest amount of body fat doesn't always make you the healthiest person, and that extra pound or two, puts you above a smaller person on the health chart. As they always say, it's not how it looks on the outside, but what is on the inside that matters!