CHANGING THE WAY WE EAT: TED MANHATTAN 2/12/11

 Last weekend I spent my free-time - rather than being outside and sucking up some much needed sun-rays in anticipation of spring - inside a dark, old building in midtown Manhattan with approx. 200 other people attending the TEDx event "Changing The Way We Eat", bringing together some of the brightest minds and first-movers in various health related disciplines.

The topic was sustainability and how what we choose to put on our plate has a direct impact on environment, human and animal rights, politics - not to mention our waistline.
Things that go beyond skin depth and vanity issues. Yes, cellulite sucks, but get over yourself already, there are more important things going on than what is happening to your thighs. Yet, most of us choose to live in denial of how we can make an impact by making a conscious choice every day with regard to what is on our plate.

Consider this...

When choosing meat from factory-farm raised animals you are supporting animal cruelty, ingesting endocrine disruptors and carcinogens. Yummy. We all know that we are what we eat, and the same goes for animals - toxins are accumulated in their tissue and you are forking it down and accumulating all that garbage they have been fed up with by the mouthful! These animals are so poorly treated and their nutrient profile so lacking in key nutrients that it is basically like eating a plate of neurotoxins. That, and it's fattening - because ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS wreck havoc on your appetite-control system and fat-burning hormones! Messing up your brain and biochemistry is what really is adding inches to our waistline, and as long as we keep sticking to counting calories in vain in the aim for a super model waistline, we are completely missing the boat. Look at all that fat-free, low-cal diet food on the supermarket aisles... if this was really the solution to your chubby hubby, then we wouldn't be growing fatter faster than you can say Haagen Dazs. Eating factory-farm raised meat that is loaded with antibiotics and toxins is making you fatter, sicker.. and probably also "stupider".

So in your quest to save dollars on food by choosing factory-farm raised meat instead of the seemingly in the moment pricier humanly raised meat products, you actually end up having to spend MORE money on those diseases you will end up with - later!

Now wait a minute! Did you really get this? 

SUFFERING. Is this what YOU are supporting? 

YOU SAVE MONEY in the end by spending a few dollars more and choosing humanly raised meat products! Think about it like an insurance - you pay a small premium to avoid going bankrupt when disaster hits. Except this is different - because unlike regular insurance, you WILL be spending an obscene amount of money on your health, if continuing to ingest those pesticide and antiobiotic-filled factory farm meats! This is not a question of if, but WHEN your immune system breaks down!

Not to mention that you have to live with this on your conscience, because this is what you have chosen to support when you buy factory-farm raised meat from animals that are:

• Kept in small cages or jam-packed sheds or on filthy feedlots, often with so little space that they can't even turn around or lie down comfortably
• Deprived of exercise so that all their bodies' energy goes toward producing flesh, eggs, or milk for human consumption
• Fed drugs to fatten them faster and keep them alive in conditions that could otherwise kill them
• Genetically altered to grow faster or to produce much more milk or eggs than they naturally would (many animals become crippled under their own weight and die just inches away from water and food)

You, as a consumer, have the power to change - not only your own brain, body and life - but SOCIETY!

You are not a victim of society. Society is screwed, yes. Our values are sick and most people have a severely distorted body image and value set. But stop blaming society, because YOU are part of society - meaning, you have the power to take control of your health and your choices reflect your value set.

Stop talking about change - it's a waste of time and energy. Talk is cheap and it leads to nowhere. You need to step up to the plate and take ACTION! Yes, it's only one small step, yes, you are not going to change your own life or society over night.. but taking that first step leads to the next... and every great journey starts with one small step... you have the power to change. You have the power to influence other people with your behaviors.

So stop for a second and think about this: How are you contributing to society? 
Are you tearing it down and indulging in the all too easy cheap way out of talking and complaining about everything that is seemingly beyond your control and thus spreading negativity in a world that is already overflowing with pessimism and a mindset of victimization and helplessness?

Feelings. You are not the only one who has them!

And yet, you look at your offspring and have the audacity to complain that they are not leading healthy lives but already at an early age seem to be turning into small fast-food addicts with ADD like behaviors and little empathy for their peers and animals.

Well, look in the mirror - you molded them... they are simply copying your behaviors! Start by changing your own ways, and you will see that the power of change penetrates every aspect of your life and influences your surroundings far beyond what comes out of your mouth.

Actions speak louder than words 
After all, when everything is said and done, we are only mammals... driven by senses and basic instincts; regardless of whether we try to disguise this fact by hiding behind oversize Chanel shades and Calvin Klein power-suits. Trust is based on instincts and actions - not empty words and half-hearted promises.

So, what's on your plate tonight? 
Are you supporting animal torture and inhuman work conditions?
The choice is yours - and not making a choice is also a choice.

You have the power! 


Start by taking back control of your health!