My plate, my choice—right?

By CHELSEA HILL
Posted 3/16/22

One of the absolute certainties in life is change. Nothing stays the same for very long, especially in a world that is so digitally connected. But that’s not the only change that I’m …

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My plate, my choice—right?

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One of the absolute certainties in life is change. Nothing stays the same for very long, especially in a world that is so digitally connected. But that’s not the only change that I’m referring to; I’m also referring to the change that happens in each person, or if you prefer, the growth of oneself as we age and mature. The way we can believe something for a very long time to be a standing “truth” and—hopefully after proper research—can change our minds and standing.

Where am I going with this, you ask? Well, I was reading an article the other day about some very interesting research being conducted by a global team of diverse researchers on the correlation between eating meat and human health. The interesting position of this research is that the focus group of the study was not held in just one region of the world but encompassed data from over 170 countries. The findings that this team observed were conclusive that the consumption of meat leads to a greater life expectancy, especially when compared to consumption of carbohydrate crops, such as grains and tubers.

Growing up on a farm as I did, this came as no surprise, since most of the food we consumed included a hearty portion of meat at each meal.

But this brought a thought to my mind: most consumers may not realize the actual nutritional value of the foods they are eating, because most of those food decisions are based on what they ate as children with their parents or in schools, or—going back to my original point about living in a digital world—being drawn into food ads while roaming the internet or TV. This in and of itself is not a bad thing; however, things have changed since many of our parents raised us.

For example, we no longer follow the “Food Pyramid,” but now it’s “My Plate,” and trans fats are now the enemy whereas it used to be exclusively saturated fats. This research brings to life that it may be time for us all to take a few minutes to do some personal research about the food we eat.

Why do you drink 1- or 2% milk? Is it because you yourself did research and decided that it was the best option for you, or is it because that’s just how Mom did it? What about that energy drink you can’t live without because the ads specifically promises long-lasting energy with no crash, or is it because you read a peer-reviewed research-based article determining that the ingredients of said product benefited you?

I think we take for granted the food we eat each and every day, because we’ve always had so much of it available so easily, but that may not always be the case. It may be time to focus on foods that will truly fuel your body for better health, but that’s just this Farmer’s Take. Remember, if you find yourself lost in all the data, whole foods and not processed foods will always be more beneficial.

Click here to read more from Chelsea Hill.

food decisions, my plate, fats, milk, choices, health

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