THE REAL SKINNY... ON HEALTH & NUTRITION IN AMERICA

Welcome to The Real Skinny... where I will dissect some of the myths surrounding the health, nutrition, food & fitness industries in the United States. I started this blog because I am exasperated by all of the misinformation and propaganda we are fed (pun intended) by the government and the mainstream media about our food supply and the fitness industry here in the U.S.

Like many of you, I have long considered myself to be a healthy person. I regularly followed the advice of so-called experts in the nutrition fitness industries about the latest diets and exercise regimens. I exercised almost every day - sometimes for several hours at a time – and I ate what most people consider to be a very healthy diet. I always ate whole grains, low fat dairy, veggies, fruit and lean meats. I counted “calories in” vs. “calories out” religiously. Despite all of my efforts, I was still plagued with a host of issues including excess body fat. My frustration with this predicament – some might call it my obsession – led me to dig a little deeper into the nutrition/health advice I was getting.

My research began with a few magazine articles and websites. Gradually, as I did more independent research, I started to believe strongly that much of what passes for mainstream thinking on nutrition and fitness is complete nonsense. I now spend a big chunk of my free time reading everything I can on this topic – and the more research I do, the more convinced I am.

I am not big on conspiracy theories. I don’t think the CIA introduced crack cocaine into the inner city, and I don’t think George Bush had a heads-up about 9-11. But I have come to believe that the federal government and the agribusiness community have so dominated the debate on this issue that the American people are not exposed to any other line of thinking. And where has this gotten us? Americans are unhealthier and more overweight than ever.

I would like to share some of these concerns with a wider audience outside of family and friends - the poor souls who have already been subjected to my rants these past few years. For their sake and yours, I decided to take my rants to the masses. I look forward to sharing some of what I learn along the way as I attempt to educate myself and anyone who will listen about what it truly means to be healthy in America.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Hungry For Change

I don't know about you but I have had a hard time "eating right" lately. I keep finding excuses to eat things that I know are not good for me... but for some reason I do it anyway! Does that ever happen to you? Fortunately, I received a little bit of inspiration today in the form of this 90 minute film called "Hungry for Change." This film is really great and explains exactly why we do things that we know can harm us, among other things. I knew immediately upon watching it that I had to share!
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Sunday, March 25, 2012

Heart & Wheat

Since I started this blog last year, many friends have been sending me articles they know I might be interested in. Two of the best that I have read in recent weeks were sent to me by followers of this blog (thanks and keep them coming). Since they were so informative and I am such a “giving” person, I thought I would share them with you!
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Sunday, March 18, 2012

Death By Beef?


I know that after a weekend of St. Patty’s Day, March Madness and Girl Scout cookies, I am probably the last person you want to hear from this early on Monday morning. You think that I am going to rant about the evils of beer, corned beef, green food coloring, and generally just rain on your fun. You would be correct about this most days – but not today.

I am here to deliver some good news for all of you omnivores out there -- red meat is actually really good for you.
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Sunday, March 11, 2012

The Real (Bad) Thing

I would like to dedicate the following post to my father.  My dad is one of my favorite people. Of course I love the old guy, but I also really like him and enjoy his company.  I have many traits that I am proud to say “I get from my dad” including my love of music, my enthusiasm/obsession for exercise, my obnoxious laugh and the fact that I always have to be right!

There are a couple of my dad’s traits, however, that I am happy to report I did not retain for the long haul. They include mysteriously “disappearing” from family functions when there is work to be done, and a love of donuts and soda.  But I am not writing today to lecture you about loving donuts
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Sunday, March 4, 2012

Reality TV Proves Sugar is the Devil!

This week’s blog post is for all of my friends that roll their eyes when they see “The Real Skinny” hit their inbox each week. To be fair, these friends that I am referring to were probably just trying to be nice in signing up to follow my blog in the first place. They don’t actually care to get lectured each week about what I consider the evils of America’s food supply and they probably hit delete before they finish the first paragraph -- “Uh-oh, here she goes again."

But, PLEASE, I beg you… don’t hit delete this week. Whether you are a reality TV show junkie or just looking for a good laugh, you won’t want to miss this one! I saw this clip on another blog I follow – Rubies & Radishes. This blog is written by a woman who follows the Paleo lifestyle and blogs about it. If you want to read more about her you can check her out  here (she seems pretty cool).
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