Is it Spring Break Yet?

I am back...

I think. 

Maybe. 

We will see. 

I've gone back to school which has made my already crazy world even more crazy. I actually feel guilty for writing this post because I should be reading my text because I have a test next week but eh...I'm sure I'll get to it. At least I keep saying that. I'm pretty sure the only reason I'm writing is to actually avoid reading that book. 

At the beginning of the year I was so excited to be going back to school! My degree is in business right now which is appropriate considering I own a little shop but I have gotten some wild crazy hair and decided I want my PH.D in nutritional sciences. HA!!!! Seriously, reading that just made me realize how overwhelming this is. Let me explain...a business degree does not run parallel to a science degree in ANY WAY. It is almost like starting over from scratch or at least my junior year. NOT COOL. I have so many prereqs it is ridiculous. But in January somehow all of that seemed minor, like the world was just bursting with possibilities and I could accomplish anything I put my mind to!

You should have seen me all stupid and excited going up to the college to talk to an advisor and to make my schedule. It was like I was 15 again, laying out my clothes the night before, waking up an hour earlier than needed from sheer excitement, showing up ridiculously early, being overly prepared with every form of ID I could possible think of and needing to pee because I drank at least 3 cups of coffee and 2 cups of tea. But I get there looking all cute and collegey (let's face it I looked like a mom in her 30s going back to school) and I get sent all over that stinkin campus because nobody has any clue just how exactly to make my business degree work in a science masters program. At the end of my journey I was the proud new student of one single tiny class...Nutrition 101. 

Like the little dork that I am I couldn't wait to sit in a desk and have some brilliant professor feed me loads of incredible knowledge about our bodies and how they react to what we put into them. I do quite a bit of reading and researching on my own but this was different. This was the beginning of my journey of earning letters behind my name...proof that I am well educated and full of knowledge. But then the first day of class happened and it wasn't long before I realized that this journey was going to be less about actual science and more about government suggested health recommendations...which by the way, are very contrary to what I believe to be healthy based on loads of reading and my own family's experience with diet and nutrition.

Every day I go to class and I sit there looking like a little tomato about to explode because I get so stinkin frustrated at the nonsense that is being taught. The very first day of class my professor made it very clear that the paleo diet was not good because "you will definitely lose weight by doing it but the second you stop and start back to eating regular food you will gain it back." WELL DUH!!!! To me that means that it is those "regular foods" that are the problem...not the effective diet. And she LOVES grains. Grains are going to somehow save the world in her eyes. Those of us that don't eat grains are fat...seriously. She thinks grains make you skinny. I guess if by skinny she means bloated, inflamed, and calcium deficient then yeah, grains make you "skinny."  And we need to drink more milk...but only skim, 1% if you are feeling naughty and want to live it up. And she hates fats! She is a bacon hater. I can't believe such a person exists and no less one that is educating me on food! And to be honest that just has me all in a tizzy. She is constantly condemning saturated fats which we know by now are actually really important for HEALTH. But I think that is the real issue here. Everything is attributed to calories and weight loss not lack of disease or pain.

According to my professor, text, and our government recommendations, acceptable weight ranges and health are the same thing. Don't get me wrong, I completely agree that the two are connected but they aren't the same thing. I was that person that was within my normal weight range yet I was not HEALTHY. I guess to look at me someone would think I was healthy because of my size but in the inside of my body I was full of inflammation and candida leading to tummy issues and terrible migraines. So no...health and weight are not the same thing. 

I have to continue to restrain myself from speaking up in class, from saying, "hey, look here. I eat like 3 times the recommended calorie intake, gobs and gobs of grass-fed butter, red meat regularly, I don't eat any grains, or milk and yet I am the oldest person in the class room with the healthiest body." Which is actually very true. I am SHOCKED at these kids in this class. First of all, they wear pajamas in class! No kidding. Just because you put some Ugg boots on does not make your pjs an outfit people. But aside from that, most of them, like 80% or more, are very overweight and through listening to their report presentations they are also very unhealthy. 

AND GET THIS...She actually recommended using sugar substitutes. She said there is a lot of "hype" about aspartame but all the health scares are unfounded. But if you still don't want to take the gamble then she RECOMMENDS SUCRALOSE. In her mind, the less calories, the more healthy something is. Forget any other health related issues...as long as you are eating less than 2000 calories a day you are golden. Except there is this little issue of cancer. You've heard of it right? I think we have all suffered heartbreak over this not so little issue. In a study conducted at the Ramazzini Institute in Bologna, Italy  the director of this study, Dr. Morando Soffritti made this conclusion: 

"Our early studies in rats showed increases in several types of cancer, and, in our most recent aspartame studies, we observed a statistically significant increase of liver and lung tumors in male mice. This shows aspartame causes cancer in various places of the body in two different species. Health concerns over aspartame are leading consumers to switch to the widely promoted alternative: sucralose.

Now that we have found evidence of a link between sucralose and cancer in mice, similar research should be urgently repeated on rats, and large scale observational studies should be set up to monitor any potential cancer risk to human health."


I'm pretty sure all you have to have is a Facebook page to know that sugar substitutes are not good for you. But maybe I'm "liking" the wrong pages. Who knows? But seriously, how do you ignore the increased cancer rates? Or the fact that despite our country's sugar  replacements we are still a really unhealthy, obese nation? Am I the only one asking these questions?

When I politely raised my hand and sweetly asked, "If our government has had these recommendations of eating more grains, more dairy and less fat for over 20 years how come our obesity and chronic disease rates continue to rise," she just responded with, "It is because no one sticks to the guidelines." But I kinda have a problem with that. That just seems like faulty reasoning if you ask me. I understand that Americans love processed foods, McDonald's fries (dipped in a chocolate shake...that's right, I can do unhealthy too), quick easy pop in the microwave meals, boxes of cookies and crackers. But I see customers and talk to clients who are eating "healthy" according to the USDA's guidelines and its pretty little plate graphic and they are still struggling with weight and health. So apparently something isn't working. Eating sugar-filled yogurts (because Jamie Lee Curtis said to), packaged frozen meals that you just dump into a crockpot and at the end of the day you have a "home-cooked" meal, high fiber breads, and runny thin watery milk just isn't cutting it in my opinion. But she has those 3 pretty letters behind her name and I don't yet so I just have to suck it up, bite my already very swollen tongue and regurgitate (that's a gross word but fitting) inaccurate information.

How fortunate I am that I can release my frustration out on my sweet little blog. I just hope she doesn't come across it. 
If you do, Dr. FakenamebecauseIamactuallynowthinkingyoucouldreallyseethis, just understand that I will someday get those three letters. I will be part of the change. I will educate based on truth and science and I will never stop questioning, digging, and finding answers.