Your Body is Your Temple

Years ago, I was attending a nutrition seminar at a conference. The speaker was explaining some of the harmful effects of sugar and fats. I was taking notes when he said something stunning: “hydrogenated fats have a molecular structure closer to plastic than to food.” My pen froze and I looked up at him. He was studying the collective shock in the room as his words hung in the air.

It’s always alarming to discover how some industries lobby to block regulation, or fight to obscure damning research in a never-ending quest to slake their greed. But it is truly disheartening that corporations, who are run by human beings, would promote products that would harm their customers, who are also human beings.

My father was a chemist. He was adamant about avoiding pharmaceuticals as much as possible. When genetically modified produce made its debut in the 1990’s, he warned us to steer clear. I never saw him take any regular medication. Certainly, there are life-saving and life-improving prescriptions, but I am sometimes aghast at the prolific daily prescriptions I discover when conducting a thorough health history.

There are many things that are beyond our control in life, but we can make informed choices about what we elect to put inside our precious bodies.