It ought to be simple to figure out, but many people think that if something is safe to eat, then it’s food. Not so.
Real food means things like carrots, fish, eggs, mangoes, coconuts, lettuce, avocados and shrimp. They have not been processed; they are just the way they came from the ground, or the tree, or the ocean. These foods are, for the most part, safe to eat and are good for you. Eating them will contribute to your health. And there is good science to support the phrase, “Good food, good mood.” Eat healthy stuff and you will just feel better.
Food-like substances are almost everything else: potato chips, ice cream, Spam, hot dogs, Chicken McNuggets, baloney, salami, tortilla chips, cheese sauce, and almost anything that comes ready-to-eat in a bag, box or can. For the most part, these food-like substances will not harm you if eaten occasionally, but there could be some serious health risks down the road if you make them your steady diet.
Processed meats, especially Spam, are very popular in the CNMI. To say that that are toxic and “unfit for human consumption” is correct. All processed meats (not just Spam) contribute to cancers of the colon, breast, prostate and pancreas.
A 2005 study showed a 67 percent increase in pancreatic cancer for people consuming moderate amounts of processed meat on a frequent basis.
Bottom line: don’t eat it, and don’t feed it to your kids. Not only will they run the risk of becoming obese, they may face diabetes later in life as a result of eating this junk. And it is junk — tasty junk.
Other favorite foods include processed meats; packages of baloney, sausage, bacon, salami, luncheon loaf, and any other kind of meat that comes in a plastic seal. These meats are loaded with saturated fats, a variety of chemicals, and do far more harm than good in the long run.
Don’t eat them. Or if you must, eat them extremely sparingly.
Every single sugary product is bad for you also. This means candy bars, soda, gummy bears, licorice, cakes, ice cream, pies—all the things we love so much. These are not food but food-like substances. Sugar is one of the worst things you can eat; it contributes to a great many illnesses as well as obesity. If you want something sweet in your coffee, use honey. About the only candy that is approved by most physicians is dark chocolate, the bitter kind. This has some nutritional value, but is difficult to locate in the CNMI. Still, if you eat a Snickers bar on rare occasions, you will probably survive. It’s not food, but it does taste good. The Mars Candy researchers made sure you will love it.
Crossovers
There are some crossover areas which are neither real food, nor food-like substances. These include beef (which usually has added sodium nitrite to preserve the nice red color) and other preservatives. Nitrites are transformed into nitrosamines in the gut, and these chemicals can contribute to cancer, especially of the lower intestinal tract. There are no nitrites in chicken, but there usually are added growth hormones, because the chickens often eat special feed to fatten them up. This is also true of most milk, which often comes from cows which have been given bovine growth hormone. If you eat chicken or drink milk, it is very likely you will gain weight, because the growth hormones will start working on you too, and not in a nice way.
Another crossover food is white rice. This staple of Asian countries, as well as the Philippines and the CNMI for a very long time is just no good. Sorry to break the news to you.
In the process of creating white rice (from brown rice) many of the beneficial nutrients and fiber are stripped away. White rice also has a high glycemic (sugar) index, and will make you fatter faster than eating brown rice, which is far more nutritious. The Japanese eat brown rice, by the way; this short-grain wonder-food has a delicious, nutty flavor.
Rice and beans!
There is a very simple formula to good nutrition — something the Mexicans have known for hundreds of years. Eating rice and beans together will not only give you a whole protein, this combination is nutritious, healthy and tasty.
If you can get plain dry beans — and there are dozens of varieties (navy, pinto, white, even lentils) — and eat them with brown rice, you will have a very simple and nutritious meal. Toss in some jalapeno peppers to spice it up, or even a dash of soy sauce will add a bit of flavor.
The secret is this: combine one starch (rice, potatoes, pasta, corn) with beans (see the list above) and you will have a whole protein. If you like chicken noodle soup, adding some fresh cooked beans with dramatically increase the nutritional value, because the noodles (pasta) and the beans will team up into a powerful protein combination.
Also, with the terrific avocados all over Saipan, making a dip of guacamole — served with unsalted tortilla chips — is a delicious, healthy snack.
Making a diet of real food is not easy, especially when the temptations are great. However, we are very fortunate to live on an island where so many wonderful fruits, vegetables, fish and seafood are available every day. This is the good stuff. You can live better without the junk.
