Video Nurse Says, "Read the Labels"

Not that I totally like to live life on the dramatic side, but after doing my research, there are certainly enough things that can kill us to take in account. There are so many things, in fact, that sometimes I am reminded as to why life is such a miracle when so many things could go horribly wrong. By the way, if you're neurotic, you might want to skip this blog and move onto some of my more entertainment-friendly pieces.

From edited segments from Video Nurse on June 7, 2010, talking about "Five Things People Do That Could Kill Them", the first segment is something that people do NOT do that could harm them: they don't read the ingredients list on packaging, and they don't read the labels, dosing, and side effects and contraindications the accompany prescription medications.

How can not reading ingredients lists be harmful? In some cases, all you're going to get is some junk in your mouth. In other cases, you might have a food sensitivity and not notice that it's in the food you're about to eat. In other cases, you might mix a medication with something you shouldn't (such as a NSAID or Tylenol), and get an adverse reaction. If you don't know the side effects of medications, you might not know whether these are expected side effects, or you should discontinue the medication and call your doctor.



The rest of the segments can be viewed on my Video Nurse channel , where you'll hear the other three things that could kill you (and the last one I'm saving up for its own segment). Video Nurse airs every Monday at 5 pm PST (unless otherwise indicated).

Not reading ingredients lists over the long haul leads to the problems we're facing as a nation with the obesity crisis, Type II Adult Onset Diabetes, and the problem of corn in almost all our foods. Corn is a filler used to beef up animals for slaughter, but most of us are either allergic to it, or we don't digest it well at the quantities that are showing up in our food. Author Michael Pollan reminds us to not eat from the same place we fuel our cars (biodiesel); we need to know what's in our foods so we can eliminate the stuff that's killing us off or at least harming our quality of life.

Video Nurse wants to encourage you to take back your taste buds and your control over what goes into your body by helping you get informed about your food choices. Why should you allow food producers to groom your taste buds away from natural foods, and towards foods that are high in bad fats, sodium, cholesterol, and excess sugar? Whatever has been done can be undone, but it's going to take some knowledge and discipline. You might not stop craving chocolate cake (and I'm not saying you should!), but you can make choices about what kind of chocolate cake, ingredients, frequency, and in what portion size you want to eat that piece of decadence.

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