Written by Joe Suppes

Over the last couple months our company has given a lot of thought to our core beliefs and what are we trying to communicate.  An article that I found today really highlights what is at the core of what we try to represent as a company.

There is one fact I have known for a long time but have been unable to put it into words until now.  It is at the core of what we profess everyday as we talk in the office, meet in the conference rooms, and even think about when we are away from work.  As we observe a country who struggles with obesity, heart disease and cancer we have come to realize that food is not our problem but it is processed food that is the issue.

The article I saw today really puts a big exclamation point on that statement.  For half a century now we have been told that the consumption of red meat is one of the main culprit responsible for heart disease.  If there has been one nutritional fact we could stand, if all other food advice failed, we knew we could fall back on red meat as one of the causes of heart disease.

A group of researchers reviewed the literature to find out the relationship between meat and heart disease.  Their findings were published in the AHA journal in a  review that included 20 studies and over 1 million people.   After looking at all the data the research team found that when you separate the information on processed meat, like deli meat and hot dogs, out from information about meat with nothing added you find out some incredible information.  Red meat is not found to increase the risk of heart disease where processed meat was found to increase the risk of heart disease by a whopping 42%.

Since I am constantly looking over the research I am constantly presented with these two opposing facts, real food increases health and processed food destroys health.  Whether its nuts and beans decreasing heart disease or the “high carb” whole grains associated with a lower risk of diabetes it is always the same.  Eat real food and experience health, eat food imposters and suffer the consequences.

Even though disease management cost continue through the roof and the debilitation of disease is highly inconvenient, processed food will continue to be our cost effective and convenient choice.  If we continue to live for convenience today we will have to pay for it at some point.

Now I don’t want to minimize the struggle that we have today trying to break free from cheap and convenient processed food.  We all live in the same place and are face with the same tempation to choose the cheaper and more convenient choices.  We have to ask ourselves if I am saving time and money on food today, what I am saving it for?  Am I saving it for a time when my health has failed and I would pay anything and trade in my long, painful days to have my health back?

We want to be a company that is there with you on the journey to better health and help you to enjoy the adventure of rediscovering real food.  As we return to real food we will find that it offers a greater variety and tastes and experiences that we could never enjoy with heavily processed foods.

Resources:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20479151

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