Another food item to avoid, besides the above, is sugar. Time was when sugar was promoted for its energy-giving qualities; now it's said to be the cause of obesity and diabetes. Fats, the demon of the past, now, just possibly, may not be that bad for us. We've also been told that eggs don't increase the risk of higher cholesterol levels as was previously thought. Opinions from experts vary and that isn't good when offering health advice as gospel. The truth is that some foods may be bad for us if consumed with the regularity that laboratory rats are fed, but eating the same foods in moderation is unlikely to be noticeably detrimental. It's like saying that crossing the road is dangerous, so we should never cross a road. Let common sense prevail.
Certainly, some people eat an unhealthy diet and suffer from it, so a reasonable amount of advice may be sensible. This may be aimed at those who can't recognise that a litre of Coke a day, or a regime of fast food, could be damaging. Reasonable exercise is, however, known to be of benefit to the body, so a healthy diet on its own is not enough. Equally, eating junk food and taking minimum exercise is asking to be ill.
Could it be, though, that the farming methods, and not the foods, are to blame? Livestock are fed hormones to make them grow more quickly, while reducing their fat content, and crops are sprayed with insecticides to make them disease resistant. Then, a concoction of chemicals is added during production. These additions could easily be affecting our bodies and causing the cancers which are blamed on the types of food we eat. Food producers may have a responsibility to keep us safe, but when profits are included in the equation, not all are honest. Modern-day farming and production methods could be a sinister problem waiting to explode onto the tolerant public.
With health scares frequently hitting the headlines, it's no wonder that most are ignored. People who eat a varied diet are likely to dismiss any advice as unnecessary and continue with their normal way of eating. Those who stupidly fill themselves with junk food are usually blind to common sense. It's an individual choice that we make. If we listened to our bodies more, rather than the so-called experts, we would know what's good for us and enjoy our next meal without thinking that it could be making us ill. That's why I'll confidently relish my next bacon sandwich!