It was 19 Somethin'

It was 1980 somethin'
in the world that I grew up in
Skating rinks and black Trans-Ams, big hair and parachute pants
looking back now I can see me
oh man did I look cheesy
I wouldn't trade those days for nothing
Oh, it was 1980 something
- Mark Willis

I heard this great country song on the way to work today and it got me to thinking of a simpler time. Maybe its that I am getting older? Or the fact that my high school reunion is coming up? Or maybe it's this scary world we live in... I don't know. But I smile when I think about life back in the 80s and 90s and how "simple" it was. Most likely it appeared more simple because I was young and had zero responsibility, but it just seems like the world was not as scary back then.

Now, its like everything is bad for you. Don't eat fried foods. Don't eat carbs. Wear your seatbelt. You need more folic acid, more protein, more leafy greens. Wine is good for heart health, wine is bad for liver health. The sun provides vitamin D, the sun causes skin cancer. The economy is a disaster. The housing market is failing. Health insurance is a joke. STOP THE INSANITY! AND, to top it all off, I found out yesterday that milk has a protein in it, Casein, that is horribly bad for you and weakens your immune system. Apparently drinking milk has been linked to both breast cancer and prostate cancer... what is next? I thought I could count on my good friend Milk to never let me down.

I left this presentation wondering what the heck I actually CAN do and CAN eat that won't cause cancer or cause me to just ooze toxins. And, actually the research on this milk thing was interesting. I won't get into all the details, but think about this. We are the ONLY species that drinks milk from another animal AND that continues to drink milk after infancy. And the "Milk Does a Body Good" stuff is apparently a load of crap that the industry came up with. I love me some milk, so I probably won't give it up... and I love cheese a little too much too. But, it made me think this morning when I went to grab the gallon and I opted for juice instead.

Anyway, does anyone else feel this way? I think it is annoying. I have strived in recent years to eat more veggies, take a multi-vitamin each day, drink more water, don't as much fried foods, and eat more whole grains and wheat... but this nutrition stuff is getting outta control. I am convinced that EVERYTHING causes cancer! Seriously! If you look though the mounds and mounds of research out there I am convinced we will find that every single thing we intake, and surround ourselves with causes cancer. And I am sure there are foods that reduce our risk, as the same doctor who told me milk was bad for me yesterday also told me that folic acid and flax seed/oil will reduce my risk of breast cancer. I may try to add those things to my diet or I may not. Everything happens for a reason and I can try to prevent and reduce risk as much as possible, but I am not going to sacrifice happiness (which to me means good food :) ) just on the slim chance that I am effecting whether or not I will get cancer later in life.

WOW... not sure where this post was going... but there it is. :) Your thoughts?