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I’m curious what products have been sold more since this whole emergence of Swine Flu. Vaccines or Vitamins? I recently saw a movie that really opened my eyes. It’s pretty safe to say that when I became pregnant with my first child I started to pay more attention to nutrition and what I was putting in my body. I also think it’s safe to say 99.9% of this nation are food lovers. Sadly, we live in a fast food nation. I myself am guilty of indulging on and feeding my children food that I know is horrible for us. Why? because it’s quick, I’m in a hurry or I’m just too damn lazy to cook dinner. Growing up in Colorado was awesome, for those of you who live there or who have visited know what I’m talking about. One thing I’d like to point out about Colorado, it’s a fairly healthy state. It ranks 19 among 50. Everyone is really active and for the most part nutrition is a big part of a Coloradoans daily life. This was a huge culture shock for us when we moved to South Texas. Texas sadly ranks 46 among 50.

Only being in Texas for about a month, I gained a good 15lbs while my husband tacked on a good 60! Ahhhh but the food is so good, but soooo bad for you. South Texas has among the highest obesity rates and people with Diabetes in the country! After feeling so uncomfortable looking at myself in the mirror I decided to get my tail back in the gym and back on a healthy eating regiment. It’s takes a lot of will power to reach any health and fitness goal and usually a good chunk of time but I was determined to get the weight off, most importantly keep it off once and for all. This requires one crucial element…..lifestyle change.

Recently, this whole Swine Flu epidemic has struck a cord with me, particularly because it’s right in my backyard. I live in Weslaco, Texas. Most people in other parts of Texas don’t even know where Weslaco is, much less the rest of the nation. But our town among many other Texas towns has been closed since last week. At this point we will be able to send our kids back to school on Monday. I was totally concerned about this whole thing, still am, in fact I too have been using germX like crazy. But there’s a bigger issue here that I think people have been avoiding for way too many years, and it’s called preventative medicine.

We are all a bunch of  hypocrites! All of us, every single one of us! Inlcuding myself!!! If it’s not Sars, AIDS, Bird Flu, Swine Flu that will kill us, it’s us! We are slowing killing oursleves and the people we  love around us simply by what we are putting in and on our bodies. Why do we not pay just as much attention to those things as well? Why do we continue to take our children to McDonalds when we know it’s horrible for them? Why do we continue to buy processed foods that are full of preservatives, dyes, and fats that lead to a number of health related issues and even deaths? Why do we continue to smoke when we KNOW it can cause cancer? Why do we continue not to put sunscreen on when we KNOW doing without it can cause cancer?  Two of my best friends have lost their mothers to various forms of cancer in the past year, and it’s horrible. I did not even know how cancer really works, I thought it was something you got. When in fact it’s completely different than that, you can see here. (Thanks Leila for educating me in this area) We hear of people dying from some form of cancer every single day but do we really take the time and discipline to do what we can to prevent the possibilty of it happening to us or our loved ones? Like I said I am as guilty as you. It has been exactly 16 months since I last smoked a cigarette. Nasty habit I picked up in College. But I could feel what it was doing to my body, saw that it was darkening my teeth and decided it was time. I don’t want my kids to smoke, why is it okay for me to? Oh that’s right I forgot we live in the “do as I say not as I do” age. I’m so guilty of this it’s not even funny….. all the more reason I decided to quit.

As more time goes on and the healthier I get, the more sensitive my body is to crap. One of my most favorite foods in the world is hot wings and french fries but if I were to eat it, I’d be wishing I didn’t in less than an hour, I can promise you that. As a mom it’s even harder to maintain good eating habits. You don’t want to deprive your kid of the all american  mac and cheese, nor do you want it to go to waste, so you’ll eat what’s left. Again- guilty as charged!!! The movie I referred to earlier in this post just totally shocked me. I encourage each and everyone of you to watch it. Go to the site, watch the trailer, heck, you can even watch the film online!

I will shut up with this, I hope and pray that we as a society, instead of nitpicking other peoples flaws, can take responsibility for oursleves and our families. I pray we  change what we can to be healthier. God is not a stingy god, he created the earth with all of the tools we need to maintain our health, we just need to suck it up and stop running to the doctors office for magic virus killing pills and vaccines. Because if you notice, America is not getting healthier, we’re getting sicker.  Refrain from immediately resorting to modern medicine and dosing your kid up with the newest ADHD medication. Because in more cases than not, it could be what your feeding them that’s making them hyperactive! If your life, your health and your family mean anything to you, then start by taking inventory of your your home and your kitchen.

So do some research and GOOGLE it, the pharmaceutical companies don’t want you to know about natural alternative treatments, but the information is out there and has been for years. We have pure freedom to make choices and most of the time we don’t take advantage of that when it comes to our health. We assume that modern medicine is the only answer. Now before anyone knocks me,  I won’t ever take for granted the fact that modern technology and medicine also saves many lives and for that I am grateful. I am constantly amazed at the advances we make every day in this field. I think Thomas Edison himself must be rolling over in his grave!

But for all of you mothers out there who think stocking up on antibacterial hand wash is enough, it’s not! It’s not good enough! There will always be a bigger badder virus or disease to come. Our kids desearve better than that and we if want them to continue living healthy lives then the ball is in our court starting with what we do in our own homes.