It’s not very often I take the time to write an opinion piece. I am rather focused at most times with sharing information that I feel will benefit the people who follow my teachings. I have been feeling perhaps I should share what it’s really like for me, teaching and promoting good nutrition as a mom of 4.
It’s funny and sad for me when I run into a client at the
grocery store; they get instantly anxious as they glance at what items they
have put in their cart. And to be honest
there are moments when I myself am purchasing less than nutritious food items
for a special treat for my family and it becomes a client practitioner reunion
at the checkout. At which point my own
anxiety and embarrassment becomes heightened and I feel the need to justify my
purchases as well. It’s funny now in
retrospect to think of how uncomfortable the grocery store can be for not just
my clients but for myself as well. The
root of these awkward moments for both of us is the junk called food that has
contaminated a majority of the items at our local grocery establishment.
I understand most families feel they need convenience when
it comes to their dietary habits. We have become a world obsessed with fast and
convenient foods. We have a market full
of food suppliers who know how to make us crave their fast, high fat, high
sugar, high sodium, and highly processed foods.
And to top it all off we have “grocery” stores that sell more “processed
food type items” than they do whole foods.
It’s actually such a challenge for families to shop “naturally”, that I
spend upwards of two hours with clients on a single grocery shopping tour. During these tours it’s not uncommon to have
followers who tag along onto a session, pretending to be doing their own
shopping but grabbing the items we stop to discuss. Plain and simple it is hard to eat healthy when you go to your local grocery store. Product marketing is designed to hypnotize you into purchasing. Loose regulations allow advertisers to convince you items are “healthy”, “natural”, or will promote “weight loss”, when in reality they do none of the above. Most of our food items, specifically in packaged foods are full of genetically altered food like products and high doses of pesticides. Not to mention they are chocked full or sugar, artificial ingredients and sodium. It’s honestly no wonder we see more and more cancers annually. Increased cases of heart attacks and strokes despite the nutritional claims on these products to be health promoting. Each year we see more depression, more obesity, and more children diagnosed with ADHD, more autism, more, more, more! It’s frustrating to say the least, and most of it I believe starts in our grocery stores!
As I mentioned above on occasion I do purchase the not so
nutritious items, and while in line at the grocery store, I feel terribly
guilty for it, but these food items can have a small place in any home. Having four children and being very family
focused we do watch movies and have the occasional treat, we let the kids eat
cake on their birthday’s and sometime we buy fresh baked cookies when they have
friends over. Most of you reading this
do the same thing. I believe all of us
with the right education over time can evolve into healthier dietary habits,
but shopping at your local grocers is sure not the place to start! I myself with 9 years into nutritional
research, feel the hypnotic powers of many food items at the grocery
store. It requires a strong will and
understanding of the damaging effects of these foods for me to pass them by.
I would like to encourage all of my readers to look for new grocery shopping experiences in places where you can easily make better choices. Making a point to hit your local farmers market every week will help you buy fresh local produce and meet your local farmers. The best part of a good farmers market is no labels are required and your information comes from honest to goodness people who put time and effort into offering you the best quality food they can grow. Here at your local farmers market you can find local, organic and homemade food. Plus neither you or I will have that moment of uncomfortable anxiety when running in to each other, as we will both be stepping back in time to a point when whole food, handmade and truly healthy actually meant something!
I share this picture from www.NaturalNews.com with my children and
children who take part in my educational workshops for families and
schools. Share it with your children and
ask them these questions.
1)
Why do you think the people are different?
2)
Do you think the people at the health food store
need medication? Why?
3)
What types of choices do the people at the
health food store make vs. the other side?
4)
What do medications do?
5)
What does a healthy diet do?
This is a great way to see how your children perceive the
value of nutrition and give them an image and conversation they wont forget!
Alisa Herriman RNCP ROHP
CPCC
For healthy living advice
join Alisa’s blog at: www.nutrinityhealth.com
Alisa Herriman is a Registered Nutritionist, Certified
Professional Cancer Coach and mom of 4 children. Alisa is a fully insured
practitioner who has spent the last 9 years working with individuals and
groups. She offers several courses through Georgian College including both
diabetes and cancer education programs for health care professionals. Alisa is also a professor at Edison Institute
of Nutrition. She provides corporate
wellness services for many local employers. You can learn more about Alisa at www.AlisaHerriman.com email: nutrinityhealth@hotmail.com
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