I just need to vent for a moment.
I love nutrition. I love learning about the things that will help my body feel good. The things that will keep me healthy.
But I am so sick of controversy. I am tired of people telling me I am wrong. I am tired of people with preconceived notions getting on their high horses, and very stubbornly telling me that what I am doing, and what I believe is wrong, and will be damaging to my health.
I believe that cow's milk is bad. It has far too many hormones in it. It does have calcium in it, but not calcium that your body can use. I believe that it actually leeches calcium from your bones in order to digest it. It is a leading cause in osteoporosis, and cancer. It is just not good for you. I began this belief by noticing that my body doesn't digest dairy very well. I noticed that I don't feel at my best when I eat dairy. I then began researching it. One of the biggest sources that gave me much of my information was from the China Study. Today I was told that everything (studies) that comes out of China is generally skewed and made to fit an idea. The milk there is different from ours because there are no regulations, and the diets are so different from ours, that it should have no relevance to us. But the thing that I think is interesting is Breast Cancer is the leading cause of death in women. If Breast Cancer is virtually nonexistent in China, shouldn't we be paying attention? Shouldn't we be trying to figure out what is different about the diets that is keeping those people cancer free? Instead of booing down the little bit of evidence, saying it is irrelevant? Also, I get plenty of calcium from eating calcium rich veggies. Isn't that a better source since it doesn't require my bones to lose some of their mass? No wonder women over the age of thirty have problems with their bone mass. They keep drinking milk! And I just can't get away from cheese. I want to desperately, but many family members think they cannot live without cheese, and that my children and I cannot live without it either, so cheese is a constant evil around us that just wont go away.
I don't eat meat. I have never been a big meat eater. I just don't particularly like it. After months of studying both in my scriptures (Old Testament, New Testament, and Docterine and Covenants) and personal prayer, I have come to the decision to not eat meat or feed it to my family. It is not a decision I push upon anyone else. I do it quietly. But people notice and comment. They think it is bad. I have had many people tell me that they think my family does not get enough protein, or enough of the necessary vitamins and minerals. I eat more veggies than many people I know, so I don't understand where my loss of vitamins and minerals would come from. And why people are so concerned with my health choices. We get plenty of protein from other sources. Beans, nuts, legumes, and even some fruits and vegetables have protein in them!
I have made a decision to stay away from refined sugar. And truth be told, it is hard. I have a sweet tooth. Big time. I have been fighting it a lot more, recently. I want to squash the hold it has over me. But in the meantime, I try to use natural sugars like agave nectar, or sucanat, or even stevia. I completely stay away from HFCS and artificial sweeteners as they are so very very bad for you. Yet people still harass me about this decision. Why on earth would it matter to someone if I am trying to fight this personal demon? Especially since I am trying to at least substitute healthier alternatives until I can rid myself of this sweet tooth, or at least gain control over it.
I don't feed my family anything with hydrogenated oils in it. I try to stay away from all things soy except for edemame and tofu. I try not to use vegetable (soy) oil, and in cooking mainly only use coconut and olive oil. And still, I get a lot of flack. People are so down on coconut oil. They say that vegetable oil is so good for you. They don't realize that vegetable oil is made of soy, and that processed soy messes with the thyroid. I listen to so many people go on and on and on about the evils of coconut oil, but they don't realize that coconut oil was demonized by the soy growers and companies. They wanted a monopoly, and so they made it look bad, where in actuality it is quite good for you.
I am doing my best for my family. The funniest thing to me, is I am judged and criticized for trying to feed my family healthy. I am judged and criticized by people who feed their families soda and chips, and junk. All the time. I don't understand why it is deemed acceptable in our society to feed young growing bodies such junk, but when someone decides they want to be healthy and feed their families healthy food, they are demonized. How does that make sense? I just don't get it.
I am very frustrated right now. I feel like I am blocked at every turn. I want to be healthy, but with their being so many outside influences in our lives, it makes it extremely difficult. I wish I could just move far away, and be able to raise my family without being under a microscope. To be able to make decisions for my family without risking the wrath of someone who thinks they know better than me.
And the worst part is, what if they are right? What if I am being just as stubborn and hard headed thinking what I have learned is right? There is so much conflicting information out there right now. I was talking to a woman today who has completely given up on coconut oil. She said every few years they flip flop. Coconut oil has been said to be good. Then bad. Then good. Then bad again, she just wants to stay away from it in general, just in case. What if? I mean, I am not really doubting my knowledge, because I don't just take things at face value. I have to thoroughly research them before I will decide whether or not to believe something. I have done a lot of research with my beliefs, and I feel in my heart that I am doing what is best. I just don't want to come off as being stubborn and not wanting to change because I am proud, or willful. I want to be able to listen to people's thoughts and views on nutrition and not feel contentious. And not feel like I am being disregarded. I need to not care. Because everyone is going to make their own choice, and I can't make it for them, and there is nothing I am going to say that will change their minds. Sigh. I guess I am just tired of it all. I need a break from nutrition controversy. That is not to say nutrition learning and growth. I am going to continue with that. I just need a break from people telling me what to do, and telling me that what I am doing is wrong. Maybe I just need a thicker skin.
Whew! What a rant! Still, it does feel a little better to get it all out there. I know very few people actually read this blog, so I don't worry about the accusing fingers haunting me after they read this. They most likely wont. And even if they do, I feel I am doing what is right, so they wont change me.
