"There are pesticides in vegetables, clenbuterol in meat, hormones in aquatic products, bleach in flour, colorings in chili sauce... what can we eat now?" Many people sigh with such lament...
There may be a small amount of pesticide residue on vegetables, but it cannot be definitively said that eating these vegetables will definitely cause chronic poisoning. In a developed society, the government and researchers always try to minimize health risks in people's lives, even if the harm is not very certain, even if the consequences may only appear many years later. But if vegetables contain absolutely no pesticides, and chili sauce contains absolutely no colorings, will people's diets truly be free from unhealthy factors?
Scientists have long warned that grilled and fried foods contain toxic carcinogens, and that sweet drinks, sweets, pastries, and snacks contain many factors that are detrimental to cardiovascular health. Yet, people still have a special fondness for grilled meat and fried chicken, and still can't get enough of sweet drinks and snacks.
Research has long proven that factors such as unbalanced nutrition, excess calories, lack of exercise, smoking, and excessive drinking are the main causes of chronic diseases. Therefore, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, etc., are all called "lifestyle diseases." In recent years, nutritional research has confirmed that a deficiency of vitamins, just like exposure to radiation, can cause DNA damage, thereby increasing the risk of cancer; lack of exercise is an important cause of chronic diseases such as diabetes. However, very few people pay attention to moderation in their diet and regularly eat coarse grains and legumes, and even fewer middle-aged people stick to exercise and fitness.
Why do people dwell on and treat food colorings, pesticides, and even MSG as a great enemy, while ignoring and being at ease with the larger and more certain dangers in life? As early as the 1970s, a food scientist analyzed this mentality. He pointed out: humans have a great ability to accept dangers they choose themselves, but are extremely sensitive to risks imposed by others. Humans can accept the huge risks of riding motorcycles and speeding, but cannot tolerate very small amounts of food additives; a brave person who enjoys mountaineering and off-road racing might refuse to buy food because a little MSG has been added to it.
Another common public mentality is that when encountering trouble, humans tend to blame others for their mistakes while excusing their own unwise behavior. People are keen on searching for obesity genes, saying they "gain weight from drinking water," or blaming hormones in meat for making them fat, but are unwilling to admit that lack of exercise and excessive diet are the real reasons for their obesity. When unwilling to change their lifestyle, they subconsciously hope to make up for health losses by being picky about food quality, thereby establishing a psychological image of themselves as people who value quality of life.
While being alarmed and uneasy by the frequent occurrence of food safety incidents, you might ask yourself:
Today, did you eat 400 grams of fresh vegetables?
Today, did you drink a glass of milk or yogurt?
Today, did you eat at least one kind of coarse grain?
Today, did you eat beans or bean products?
Today, did you exercise for 30 minutes?
Today, did you drink sweet drinks?
Today, did you eat sweets or snacks?
This week, did you eat fried or grilled foods?
A truly wise consumer knows where the biggest risks in their diet lie, and thus grasps the main contradiction and holds the key control points. The small amounts of contaminants in food are something consumers cannot predict or test. Instead of being alarmed and panicking over contaminants like Sudan Red, it is better to maintain a more peaceful mindset, choose natural, fresh, and diverse food ingredients, pay attention to the nutritional balance of three meals a day, and live a life with sufficient outdoor activities, because these are the greatest secrets to protecting health.