For Health Freaks Only?

The world is filled with contradictions and illogical statements.

And hidden truths.

From politics to simple statements that have crawled their way into the open, nothing surprises anyone any longer. It all depends on what tickles your pickle based on your areas of interest and in-depth knowledge.

Our senses are inundated with tricks of the trade and wisely crafted campaigns to make us believe. Or in these times, with sayings and labelling that make us think deeper and connect the dots. The scheme of it and how it translates to how far we have become.

How much have we turned away from a path of righteousness and good health through what we tick off as accurate?

It came up to me one day when I was doing my weekly grocery shopping. As my cart was loaded with enough goodies to get me through the week, it was one section of the supermarket that suddenly caught my attention.

The health food section.

A spectrum of earth-toned packages, labels with the smoothest calligraphy, smoothly oozing in the buyer to get a load of this. Covering only 2% of the whole supermarket floor, it stood out from the rest of the alley because it breathed nature. Green grape vines, flowing down from top to bottom, wicker baskets with the latest in high-in-micronutrient ingredients, and a little Thai lady passing out samples of a protein-rich, non-lactose drink of some kind.

Yes, she, too, embraced the health theme - dressed like a masseuse with matching Birkenstocks.

The horror.

It was one of these moments something switched. It may be because I have been supplementing with Omega-3s these past few months, as I know that my Omega-3 levels are not optimal. Or perhaps, my interest in living a healthier lifestyle took over my attention span more profoundly.

It is not uncommon to see a few square metres reserved for healthy foods and drinks. Almost every supermarket and grocery store in Thailand has approved, in some form, that these foods and drinks need that special attention.

But if this section is labelled exclusively as where one can find healthy food, how do I need to interpret the other 95% of the supermarket’s food assortment?

Not healthy?

Have we been lured into a commercial craze where the food that may benefit our health now needs to have its own stand? So, will the rest of the store be categorised as “less healthy”?

Call it a marketing scheme or not. Just give it some thought.

You are what you eat, so don’t be fast, cheap, easy, or fake. |?Unknown