"Is That You In The Mirror?" Probably Not If You're Eating At Taco Bell

"Is That You In the Mirror?" 

That's the title I gave my nutrition/fitness seminar because it asks the right question -- is who you see when you look in the mirror really you?  I spent years avoiding mirrors so as not to have to answer that question.  Now, after having lost 55 pounds and putting on a lot of muscle over the last couple of years, I can say, "Yeah, that's me in the mirror, and I like what I see."

It is really not difficult to get to that point in life.  It is simply a matter of deciding to do it and having a fool-proof system to get it done, one that provides the accountability we all need to get anything done.  (I will be at Fitness International in San Miguel de Allende this Thursday from 2 - 4 p.m. talking about it.  If you're in the area, come by. More dates in other locations coming soon . . .)

One of the few "rules" we play by at plus50fitness.com is this:  "If you can't tell what it was, don't eat it."  What I mean by that is so much of our food is so processed that you cannot tell what it once was in the original form.  You can tell a peanut was a peanut.  But you can't tell what your Coco Puffs once were, now can you?  Nope, you can't.  

We learned this lesson (again) today reading the papers about the lawsuit filed against Taco Bell.  Seems their meat is (alleged to be) only 35 percent beef.  The rest (65%) is a mixture that contains binders and extenders that includes wheat oats, soy lecithin, maltodrextrin, anti-dusting agents and modified corn starch.  The suit alleges that it doesn't even meet the minimum requirements set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be labeled "beef.” 

This is exactly the kind of "food," (to use that word loosely) that we should not eat -- ever.   Whether it meets the requirement to be called "beef" is an issue that will be decided by the courts.  The other issue -- "Can you tell what it once was?" has been resolved.  You can't.  You don't know what is in that taco.  You likely don't know how much fat, or how many calories, carbohydrates or protein is in it.  You don't know if those "binders" are genetically modified.  And, for sure you don't know what they mean to your health.


When people approach me and say, "I'm ready to make a lifestyle change . . .  but I still want to eat fast food," I smile knowingly.  They aren't ready to make a real change and they're not going to do it.  Sure, some will lose a few pounds only to put them back on and more.  

A lifestyle change means eating healthy and that means, first and foremost, knowing what you're eating.  


Train hard; diet harder.


Jim