There has been frequent news recently regarding how we take care of our bodies. Several interesting points come to mind. One recent revelation regards "super processed foods," which include many of the things that we all enjoy. These are faulted because of their salt, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and more.
We are told that consumption of these can readily predispose us to anxiety or depression and a raft of other challenges. However, there are questions in this evidence as regards causation and coincidence. Essentially, the study concludes that these medical complaints are more prevalent in people who consume these foods.
But is there evidence that potato chips cause anxiety as opposed to anxiety causing potato chip consumption? This may be a chicken/egg debate that is difficult to differentiate. They do not call it "comfort food" for nothing. That Webster definition is fairly innocuous, but the Cambridge definition suggests we mean food that is sweet or otherwise attractive for its nutritional deficits.
So, the question here is whether there is a link between some consumption and health concerns or merely questions about the relationship?
Another recent revelation regards the artificial sweetener aspartame and a conclusion from the Houston Medical Center suggesting a link between aspartame and autism. Many have struggled mightily over the last 30 years to grasp and comprehend the vast expansion of autism and other “spectrum“ diagnoses in this country.
No sooner had I read that report than I came across the discussion of whether artificial sweeteners may be related to memory issues we suffer in the aging process. That is, indeed, intriguing, as we witness the prevalence of dementia, Alzheimer’s, and a variety of more specific subcategories.
A portion of the impacts may be due to recognition rather than diagnostics. As a kid, I knew a great many seasoned citizens who exhibited forgetfulness and worse. There was less inclination to seek diagnosis or labeling in those days, or at least, I perceived it less. Those folks instead talked merely about "getting old." Are we merely labeling better today?
How does all of this fit within the parameters of our lives and our inclinations towards self-care? We are, eventually, individually responsible for the things that we put in our bodies, and the impact that those carry. Certainly, there is also potential for environmental exposure.
But the research and discussion of ingestion is certainly a topic in the ongoing opioid crisis. See A Vaccine Against Being High (January 2023). Those who intentionally take fentanyl may correctly have perceptions of invincibility or may be sadly misinformed. They nonetheless make a choice of ingestion. Is that different from consuming comfort foods filled with ingredients we don't recognize and often cannot pronounce?
For me, it is the decision to consume ridiculous quantities of pepperoni. In doing so, am I taking unmitigated chances? The same might be asked about my affinity for a particular Zero beverage—am I taking unintended and untoward chances with my health?
We all know the preferred path. Every doctor we have ever seen has suggested and supported the “periphery“ grocery recommendation. Others refer to this as "shopping the perimeter."
If you’ve missed it, it’s quite simple. Selecting foods from the outer perimeter of the grocery store tends toward better choices (fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, raw meats, and fresh dairy). Some are more forceful in recommending this than others, but they all say "stay of the aisles of cookies, chips, and candy." Spoilsports.
I raised this in a conversation at a conference, only to be confronted by a gentleman who asked if I realized that the pharmacy was likewise usually on the periphery, which brought laughter. Another jumped in and suggested that the bakery and its chocolate chip cookies are likewise often located there. Touché, I say, touché. There are some flaws, perhaps, in the "periphery" theory.
Thus, there are maybe a few absolutes. Nonetheless, we are likely impacting our well-being with what we put into ourselves. While we may view our decisions in this regard as free-will choices, it is likely that we are influenced by society, finances, marketing, and more. Few of the good choices are likely to be marketed as enthusiastically—when did you last see an advertisement for apples?
I don't see many advertisements for fresh fruit, and even the old "got milk" ads have disappeared. But I see many ads for convenient, packaged, and prepared foods with those ingredient lists I cannot pronounce.
The end result is reasonably simple. We each decide what to ingest, and we live with the effects. The periphery is a good guide, but it is no absolute sanctuary. We face choices and owe it to ourselves to make sound ones.
