Does Natural Always Mean It's Good for You?

I often grow weary of advertising hype, buzz words, and flavor of the month mentality.  And we, so many of us being lemming like, get caught up in that hype and sometimes lose our sense of critical thinking.  Consider the term natural.  One hundred percent natural, no artificial ingredients, no added chemicals, etc., etc.  Well, here's some common sense news for you.  Many chemicals are found in nature, and so are, by definition, natural.  And just because something is found in nature, it does not mean that it is good for you!  Opium comes from poppies; cocaine comes from the coca plant and was in the original recipe for Coca Cola--and you thought the buzz was only from caffeine!  Caffeine occurs naturally in coffee, and tobacco grows in nature.  Do you think that if a carton of cigarettes was labeled with "100 percent natural and organically grown" it would change your mind about taking up smoking?  Supplement and vitamin companies and stores have lots of products that are all natural.  But all natural does not always mean safe for you in all circumstances.

Research things online before you purchase.  Look up individual ingredients in supplements and see what experts have to say.  Which chemicals in the long list of ingredients are actually vitamins?  Are they from a vegan source?  Are some of the chemicals actually toxic?  Did you know that the talc in talcum powder is more than likely carcinogenic?  How many generations of families used talcum powder on their infant children?  Here's a link that gives you the low down on cosmetic grade talc: Talc Talk.  There are a lot of food additives that simply don't need to be there, like the dissolved human hair in bakery products that I discussed in a previous post.  Now that we have the interwebs, it's so much easier to do your own research!

Does vegan equal healthy?  Well, no.  I could be completely vegan and eat no animal products at all, but still have a poor diet.  If I had Mighty-O donuts for breakfast every morning, vegan hot dogs for lunch every day, and a Boca Burger with French fries for every dinner, do you think that would be a healthy diet?  It would be completely vegan, but it would also be completely unbalanced!  So, vegans need to strive for balanced nutrition.  Focus on all of the great, healthy foods that you can eat, and eat a wide variety of those.  Get creative about new ingredients and new recipes and remember that you need to make your vegan diet a healthy, balanced, plant based diet!