Old Fashioned Advice
Controversy reigns everywhere, take your pick of TV channels, you will find a wide range of news and opinions on many issues. We live in a nation that believes in freedom of speech and the press. The major point that many people don’t understand is that you can say, or write, whatever you wish, but you are responsible for your statements, written or vocal. The internet has created a plethora of opinions and inaccurate information. Many of us in the communication business have to stand behind what we write or say. There is some credibility left in local news, especially weekly newspapers in local communities. The nations population is badly divided over some major issues. There doesn’t seem to be much compromise among folks with strong opinions. As we enter a mid-term election year with many state and federal contests, fasten your seat belts. Make your vote count!
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While there are many controversial news items this week, I found MAHA, standing for “Make America Healthy Again” new agenda announced by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins very interesting. They have issued a new 2025-30 U.S. Dietary Guide. Kennedy has been quoted by the Associated Press stating, “My message is clear, eat real food.” He has been stressing for months to clean up our food chain with removing sugars, dyes, and preservatives from a long list of highly processed foods that Americans love to eat. He is a big advocate for exercise and making Americans healthy by more physical activities. I applaud his efforts and I think that improving the food pyramid is essential to better health. I’ve heard for years the advice… “You are what you eat.” I love those cokes, french fries, and potato chips, along with a fresh donut, so do many Americans.
The new program takes a new stand against “highly processed” foods and refined carbohydrates. The new guidelines back away from revoking long standing advice to limit saturated fats and eat moderate animal fats. My view, and I tell this to my family members, “If God didn’t want us to eat fat, he wouldn’t have put into meat.” Another view that I’ve supported is that a certain amount of fat will grease your lengthy intestinal track, helping move the digestive process to a happy conclusion. When I told this to my sister-in-law, she explained, “That’s exactly what my doctor told me.”
The new food chain is simple; the new document is only 10 pages, reduced from a 164-page document issued in 2020. It appears to push whole grains, fruits, vegetables, meat and stays away from highly processed foods. In recent years I have paid more attention to food labels printed in small type somewhere on the product. If you read these labels, take a look at what you’re eating; corn syrup along with high sodium content.
I can relate two stories impacting my interest in oats. During my youthful ranch days, we would ride our horses hard during the month of June, moving cattle to summer pastures. My wise cowboy father had us feed a panful of oats to our horses every day and the energy in the oats was simply amazing. With the younger horses, the oats would make them frisky and almost buck. The oats, rattled in the pan would bring the horses running from the pasture to get this delicacy.
The other story is taken from “Naked and Afraid,” a TV program where naked people are put in wild environments with no food or water for at least 21 days or longer. After just a few days of eating berries, and greenery, they all crave protein badly. That experience impresses upon me that we need to keep a strong diet of high protein foods in our meals. Meat is expensive these days, but beans are cheap.
I grew up eating hot lunch in Craig schools and we had a steady diet of carbohydrates, day old sweet rolls, and lots of Spanish rice. Over 30 million kids eat hot lunch in schools today and hopefully their meals will feature some of the new guidelines. However, in most school lunch programs, depending upon management, they serve wholesome, balanced meals; of course limited by what foods are available from the Secretary of Agriculture and food banks. Food banks are also essential, and they should have more economical sources of protein for food bank patrons when available.
Americans need to eat smarter, feel better, exercise more, and be healthier so we can all argue and stay alive to support our beliefs.
Yes, I’ll still drink a coke and have a few chips, but not many.