When asked, I had told someone the other day what I do as a profession (educating people on why it’s important to eat more veggies and fruits, how to read nutrition labels, sharing the concept of whole food nutrition, etc.) and he laughed. Like really loud, in my face laughed. And then he sneered, “People already know what’s healthy and what’s not, don’t we?? We just don’t do it!”
I must say this is true….generally speaking, we do know that a bacon double cheeseburger is less healthy than a spinach and kale salad with roasted beets and almonds. At least I hope so. But our biggest most disastrous problem is our little taste buds. Those unruly, sit-in-the-corner-because-you-were-misbehaving little things have what seems to be an unbreakable written-in-blood pact with our brain cells. It appears to be almost gang-like; so tightly connected that there is no separating them–even with threats of torture and death. We ARE smart creatures when there’s not a bacon double cheeseburger and fries sitting in front of us. But as soon as our trouble-making taste buds get a smidgen of grease and goodness on them, the fight is over. The human brain, arguably one of the smartest in the world, is somehow forced into making dumb decisions about what goes into the body to be used for fuel.
Several times each week…sometimes a few times each day…I have to repeat “This is FUELING my body. That is not.” Of course I don’t always want to choose the healthy stuff. But I’m an adult. And I’m halfway smart. And I know what is going to make me feel good and I know what is going to make me feel like laying my head down on my desk for 3 hours. I just have to force my decision-making brain cells into agreement sometimes.
It really is easy and it really isn’t rocket science. My friend, Dr. Brad Metzler, had this on his FB wall the other day. I love it. A good reminder for what we do, in fact, already know. 
