Food: The Most Popular Pharmaceutical Introduction I just read an article on 'retiring the phrase 'real women'' which reminded me of a thought I have had for the last several weeks with regards to food.
Every time I watch television (which is not all that often) I see grocery store commercials referring to food and natural food.
Driving through cities I often see similar references letting the public know they actually have natural foods in addition to the artificial products on the shelf.
My goodness, when did food become a synthesized habit rather than a natural requirement for sustaining our existence? When I was a child, we blessed our food; acknowledging the love that brought it to our table and the purpose it fueled.
And for all I know, many people still do offer grace before eating; however, I cannot help but wonder if that has become just as much of a synthesized habit as the food being consumed because we are actually hoping and praying for 'real food'.
McChemicals Most of what we buy today is riddled with chemicals; additives, preservatives, artificial colors and flavorings, fillers, and the incremental secret ingredients NOT listed on the label because the FDA says it is okay.
Oddly enough, there is a war on drugs; yet, we eat the most unnatural foods ever known to man.
It used to be that food was simple; combining various ingredients to create different flavor experiences as well as compliment other dishes.
Sadly due to difficult times, food needed to be 'stretched' so we developed ways to do just that in order to feed our hungry families.
It did not take long for 'man' to discover the money making benefits to this thought process; hence, the birth of processed foods.
While the intention was to be able to assure we did not go hungry, the result was the exact opposite.
Today, we are a society of malnourished addicts fighting the wrong drug war.
Drugs I believe it is time we start telling it like it is.
We crave a lot of the junk foods because we are hooked on the chemicals used to fabricate them.
I learned this first hand with diet drinks.
Many people claim to be addicted to sugar and / or caffeine.
In fact, some have gone so far as to say this is why I 'have to have a diet soda'; I need my caffeine fix.
I beg to differ.
My diet consists of some of the cleanest foods around with the exception of the occasional soft drink; so, why do I drink it? Because I am no different than any other human; I enjoy life and will intermittently partake in some things that taste good but are not exactly healthy.
That being said, I am aware that when I go without my favorite drink for a certain amount of time, I begin to feel 'off'.
I believe this has a lot to do with having such a healthy diet.
So not soon after I enjoy a sip or two, I begin to sense a relief.
I know for a fact when I drink a cup of coffee or caffeinated tea, I do NOT have the same result which is why I say I am hooked on the chemicals in the diet soft drinks and not the caffeine.
And what is even stranger is the aspartame in these drinks depletes my body of the mineral magnesium which would make a person question why the body would desire more of something that is essentially causing it harm...
hmmmm? My best educated guess is drugs! Defeating the Fog Drinks are not the only consumables laden with chemicals.
However, until we have an appropriately equipped lab for identifying ALL of the harmful ingredients in the items we eat and drink, we will never truly know what we are ingesting that continues to 'call our name' when we are without it for any great length of time.
In spite of this, there are things we can do to break the compulsions and 'cleanup'; the first thing being to eliminate the phrases 'organic, natural and / or real food' and demand that junk food no longer be called food at all.
Take a look at the following definitions: Food [ food ] Source of nutrients: material that provides living things with the nutrients they need for energy and growth Solid nourishment: substances, or a particular substance, providing nourishment for people or animals, especially in solid as opposed to liquid form mental stimulus: something that sustains or stimulates the mind or soul With this in mind, food is NOT what we typically purchase unless it is from the meat or produce departments.
Now here is the word pharmakeia: Pharmakeia is the Greek word for pharmacy which literally means 'to drug or poison'.
Ancient Greeks used this word for their sorcerers who used drugs to produce altered states.
When food is watered down with additives and chemicals, it is no longer nourishing the body; causing it to go into altered states which then craves more of the same stimulants and / or depressants.
The more we allow this to go on, the hungrier we become.
The best way to overcome what is happening to our food supply is to revert back to the ways of our ancestors and eat simply.
It is time to delight in the cleansing and healing benefits of food and choose to occasionally consume foodstuff because it is fun or the 'thing to do'; not the other way around.
Natural, organic and real food is not a luxury; FOOD is a necessity.
Junk is junk and I dream of the day when companies will have the courage to debunk the junk and restore spiritual wellness to our society by telling the truth.
Conclusion We have reached the time in our society to rethink what we consume.
Sadly this is challenging due to the poisons filling our bodies; however it is possible.
Awareness of what is, is the first step; the second one is to make conscious choices that encourage our bodies and minds to heal.
In doing so, we will rediscover our voices and continue making wiser choices.
Life is our right and we have plenty of all that we need.
By eating whole food we are sustaining the body, reducing the need to consume large amounts.
Foodstuff manufacturers are no different than street drug dealers.
They are cutting our food sources with additives which cause harmful addictions that perpetuate the hunger and buying cycle.
We must not only wake up to what we want, we must wake up and call crap what it is.
We are junkies with a narrow focus.
It is time to start a drug war on the foodstuff companies and demand our lives back!