#humor – Emy Minzel

My beloved and best friend Gus likes to eat poop. Every winter my Bulldog looks forward to fresh turdcicles from the backyard. It is disgusting! We make light of the situation by joking that he goes to the backyard to get $hitfaced and comes in smelling like a sewer. So, every time I let him out to go potty, I look him square in the eye and say “Gus, don’t eat poop. Look at me buddy. I mean it. Don’t do it.”

You may wonder why I am telling you this icky yet funny story. It is because I find it not so different then what humans do to themselves. We drink alcohol, diet pop, eat fast food, some smoke cigarettes, and other habits that are full of nothing good for you at all! Then especially during the holidays and we top it off with cookies, bars or sugary deliciousness that goes straight to our waistlines.

Now I am aware that not everyone eats like this all the time. But we do have our moments, habits and weaknesses that remind me of my dog Gus. He knows he is not supposed to eat poop, he will even sneak around the side of the house or go where he doesn’t think I can see him. However, when he comes in the house the secret cannot be masked.

Just like when humans eat or drink too much crap, we know we should not! The weight, and health issues it causes us cannot be hidden for long! You may not know this about me but the originating event that got me into politics was food! About ten years ago I was getting sick and could not figure out why. The doctors could not figure out the reasoning behind my debilitating tummy troubles, inflammation, skin rashes, and breakouts. I was frustrated but refused to take “I don’t know.” For an answer.

So, I started doing my own research, several articles and books I read said to focus on digestive health. I watched an abundance of documentaries that exposed how our food is grown and processed. Learning how governmental regulations were written by and for large corporations that did not care about your health, they cared only about making money. Light bulbs were going off in my head left and right! I had more knowledge now I needed to do something about it! (Besides complain!)

I started by eliminating foods from my diet in hopes of healing myself. I had no idea just how horribly bad the processed and fast foods were for my body! I learned so much that I did not know before and slowly stopped eating processed foods. I cooked more whole foods and removed wheat and dairy from my diet. It took many years and a lot of intentional healing of my digestive system before I felt better and get back my energy. Oh man, the tiredness and lack of energy were the worst! I kept me from enjoying life and kept me homebound when I could have been out having fun.

The point is, I discovered when I ate like poop, I felt like poop! Crops grown with insecticides that are meant to explode insect’s stomachs are in processed foods that humans eat. It does not wash off, and it doesn’t go away just because they put cheese on it! The modernized monoculture food system has been modified for convenience and cost not for health. The taxpayers are basically subsidizing processed foods like Doritos, sugary cereals, and ice cream instead of whole foods that are healthy.

Corn, wheat, soy, and dairy are the ‘big agriculture’ crops that tax dollars subsidize. We now have so much of it, we need to do something with it! Have you ever read the back of a tuna can?! There is now Soy in a can of tuna…. Why is there soy in our tuna? We must buy a $4.00 can of tuna if we do not want to eat the processed tuna with soy in it for a lot less money. Not to mention the pesticides liberally used on the grain crops that feed our families.

I believe the more information we have, the better choices you make. Which is why I wanted to remind you and myself, that even though processed and fast food is easy and quick it is not good for you! It is a habit that is easy to get into and it really is easy to be broken. I am proof!

I have fallen off the healthy train many times, and I can always tell when it is time to get back on. When you know better you do better. When you eat better, you feel better! A new healthier, happier body, mind and spirit is waiting… My body tells me when it’s time to get back on track and I bet yours does too. Here is the friendly and caring advice I give my best friend Gus this winter. Don’t eat poop!

Here is a list of documentaries you may find as interesting as I did! Most of them you can find on Netflix.

*Fed UP *Food Inc. *What the health *Food Matters *Cowspiracy * Supersize Me *Fat, Sick and nearly Dead *Food Choices * Sustainable *Forks over Knives *In defense of food.