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Eat Right, Exercise Regularly, Die Anyway!

I came across a thread on a local mommy discussion board recently that resonated with me. The gist of the conversation revolved around this conundrum: how do you balance health and convenience and (further) how do you reconcile the seemingly contradictory health information that we face every day? 

Examples:
We all know you should wear sunscreen to prevent skin cancer, right? Did you know that some research indicates that sunscreens may be bad for us...and for the environment? Plus, now we have to worry about Vitamin D deficiency if we don't get enough sun. 


We all know we should eat our fruits and veggies...but do they have to be organic? or locally grown? How many of us can afford a completely organic lifestyle? 

Carbs are evil...meat is murder...High Fructose Corn Syrup is from the devil (and yet in everything known to man)...keep your house clean but only use "green" products... 


It makes my head spin.


Even with all of the supposed knowledge at our disposal about what's good, bad, or otherwise for our health, there are endless examples of contradictions caused by a crazy mixture of environment and genetics. There are those who drink, smoke, and eat junk food and live a long life with few health effects. Then there are those whose lives are taken far too soon. For no apparent reason other than bad luck and weird genetics. I just don't get it.


For many of the moms in the discussion, a lot seemed to boil down to convenience and cost. It's challenging to provide a healthy, organic meal that tastes good to your family night after night. I'm not saying it's impossible. People make a lot of money writing blogs and books on the topic. But have you been to Whole Paycheck (I mean Whole Foods Market)
lately? That stuff ain't cheap!  


I think that, as with many things in life, it's all about balance. In my own life, I think about the changes I can make that fit my budget and my lifestyle. I make small steps towards those changes. I eat more veggies. I avoid high fructose corn syrup if I can buy an alternative brand. I buy organic if it fits my budget. I also enjoy a yummy burger on occasion and buy whatever sunscreen is on sale. 


I have a friend who makes a conscious effort to feed her family as healthfully as possible when at home so that when they are "out and about" or on vacation or visiting with friends, they can be more flexible with their dining choices. Hopefully, it all balances out in the end. 


Here's the really important part: life is too short to miss out on chocolate milkshakes, a fine steak, and salty thick-cut french fries. We just have to make sure those items aren't part of our daily recommended nutritional intake, right?

How do you balance nutrition, good taste, convenience, and environmental consciousness?
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