BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
We are told what to eat and not to eat all the time. It changes whenever you turn around. One day drinking a glass of wine a day is good and the next it’s not. One day red meat is good and the next it’s horrible. Sometimes you’re allowed to eat dark chocolate or wheat bread and the next time it’s bad for you. New diets pop up and people all take on new health fads every few years. It all changes all the time.
One consistent measure of health is “calorie count”. Pretty much all food products list their ingredients and the “calorie count”. While it’s always up for discussion, it’s pretty safe to say that junk food that’s listed to have a HUGE calorie count is bad for you. It’s unhealthy and should be avoided.
Of course you can eat what you want and suffer the results. You can eat junk all the time and be unhealthy or you can treat yourself to junk food once in a while to kill cravings and as a reward. It’s all up to you. It’s always suggested to be as healthy as possible, but the same rate goes for being as happy as possible. If a shorter life of bad habits is your thing and you don’t care that you’re setting a bad example for your loved ones and will leave them sooner in life then rock on. Nothing is for certain. We can all die tomorrow so in the end it doesn’t matter. To a lot of people it’s worth sticking around and if eating less candy, chips, and shitty food is a way to help the cause then awesome.
They also say anything can be okay as long as it’s moderation, right? Then why not other things.
Why not television?
TV should have a calorie count. It’s that easy. Some television is better for you than others and should be moderated like a television calorie count.
Let’s attempt to break down television into its own comparable food grouping system. I’ll warn you now, none of this really makes sense but it’s a fun thought regardless…
VEGETABLES: Educational Programming, Documentaries
The veggies of one’s diet is supposed to be the important part. It’s the roughage to help you digest and full of the vitamins you need to survive a healthy life. They don’t always taste good, but they are essential. Comparably to the veggies are educational programming and documentaries. These shows are sometimes boring and a bit of a task to force down, but you do it anyway. You build a palette for them and start to enjoy them. Eventually.
FRUITS: Talk Shows, Foodie Shows, Travel Shows
Fruit rocks. It’s good for you in respectable doses and tastes good. They also say too much fruit can be bad for you because of the sugar content. Talk shows, certain ones at least, can be good television. The same can be said for certain cooking shows and certain travel shows. You learn things, you absorb new ideas and get something out of it. That said, you have to avoid too much of them and live your own life.
GRAINS: Sports, Network Dramas
Grain is subjective. It’s often said that bread isn’t that great for you. It’s said that it’s good for you and needed but them others say it’s something that should be avoided. I know for me personally that eating breads and grains are and easy way to add the pounds on. Bread tastes awesome and is part of many great meals. Sports doesn’t seem like it’s “dumb down” programing, but it’s not really essential. It doesn’t really hurt you if not obsessive though. Same with network dramas. It’s mostly cop shows and not-as-great dramas. They are decently written shows with substance. They are good for some people and for other’s they pack on the pounds.
DAIRY: Game Shows, Sitcoms, Soap Operas
The more I learn about cheese and dairy the more I try to avoid it. Cheese and ice cream tastes amazing, but it’s just not good for you. Cheese and milk aren’t HORRIBLE for you and neither are sitcoms. But if you watch sitcoms all day or eat cheese all day you’ll be left with stomach pains and be, for lack of better terms, full of crap. Some game shows rely on smarts and to follow soap operas you have to invest your time and show some dedication. They aren’t the best things to watch, but sometimes value is gotten from them.
PROTEIN: The News, Cable Dramas
We need protein. It’s the meats, the chicken, the turkey, the fish, and even the almonds and nuts. This stuff is the base of what we need to work on to live a strong life. The smartest things on TV right now are well written cable dramas and of course the news.
JUNK: Reality Television, Cartoons, Pornography
Cartoons rock, but it’s not something you want your kids to watch too much off. It’ll rot your brain like teeth after too much sugar and junk food. Reality TV also brings nothing to the table but mindless time wasters. It’s all unhealthy filler that eats up your time with no real nutritional value or benefit. Then of course pornography brings no real value. This stuff is all a release, a reward, and a chance to turn off your inhibitions and just indulge. It’s all okay in moderation though, right? Right!
These are all subjective. I’m only a viewer, not a scientist.
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