Define Healthy

What is the deffiniton of healthy now a days? If we are talking in literal terms, "in good health" as google would say. But defining that term in 2017 is a whole different question. After reading a few chapters in "The Omnivore's Dilemma" I have been left with a unsettling feeling in my stomach, no pun intended. As a country we are taught so much about what is good and bad for you, but it seems like recently people are beginning to question that. With so many diet trends on the market, you never really know what is true. With options ranging from vegan, vegetarian, paleo, gluten free, to more specific things like no carbs or fats, it can be extremely overwhelming.  

Just from those few chapters you are exposed to so much sickening information. The first reason how poorly we treat our animals when we ourselves are consuming everything they are. As a teenager, I am not in charge of what my parents buy at the grocery store, so technically I have no idea what I am putting in my body. That is a scary thing to think about. Especially now that I am eating at a college campus, that is known for not having the best food. How do I know where my meats coming? It is overwhelming to think about. Also, the fact that McDonalds chicken nuggets have over 30 ingredients in them. McDonalds is so highly advertised to the point where you cannot turn on the tv without hearing "ba da da da I'm loving it!" In America, unhealthy foods are more advertised and cheaper and more convenient and that is something that needs to be talked about.

I think the main message we need to take away from things like this and Silent Springs is we need to go back to our old simple ways. The cheapest, fastest, most efficient way when it comes to doing things is usually not the path to take. We often find ourselves on this path because it looks easier, but in the end it is making everything more difficult. We need to go back to feeding animals what they need, not using chemicals to speed up nature or to alter it. Karma has a funny way of working things out and in the end it is just going to have a negative effect on us, as nature has tried to warn us many times. If we do not open our eyes to these warnings, sooner or later we are going to be faced with a harsh reality.