Wal-Mart: Rolling Back Prices or Rolling Back the Average Lifespan?

This was the first "post" I saw when I signed on to Facebook today. It is an advertisement by Wal-Mart, who I do not "Like", but who has paid a lot of money to have their ads displayed to those of us who don't choose to follow their daily sabotaging of society.

The Ad suggests that you skip the unhealthy drive-thru and opt instead for Pop-Tarts and bottled orange juice. 

Okay, first of all: Skipping the drive-thru - great message. I'm all for it. But suggesting that people swap that out for Pop-Tarts and mass-produced orange juice - that is irresponsible.

Do you know what is in a Pop-Tart?
You'd be better off eating the cardboard box it comes in (kidding, but really...). Here is the ingredient list for a Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tart, as advertised by Wal-Mart.

These things are filled with heavily processed ingredients that send your and your child's sugar levels skyrocketing and then plummeting, which ultimately results in your body never feeling satisfied and therefore feeling hungry again very shortly after consumption. "Enriched Flour" is a just a more pleasant way of saying heavily, heavily processed! High fructose corn syrup is a heavily processed sweetening additive derived from corn (most likely GMO) which makes it very cheap to make but very dangerous to your body and your health for multiple reasons. As I've explained, our bodies are not meant to ingest genetically modified organisms. By genetically modifying an organism, its make-up is modified and therefore our bodies become confused and contaminated by the artificiality (putting it very, very simply). Scientists have proven time and again that GMO corn, soy and others are causing serious damage to our health with no end in sight as manufacturers continue filling our stores with products full of this stuff! What is also important to note is that this genetically modified corn contains a gene that prevents it from being damaged by pesticides and herbicides. This is great for the chemical and seed company (usually the same company owns both, i.e. Monsanto) because the farmer can plant his seeds immediately and then spray and spray and spray his chemicals, and ultimately harvest his crops sooner. Then its back to the seed company to buy more seeds and chemicals. However, as a result we are ingesting not only genetically modified materials but also foods that have been heavily contaminated by intense exposure to toxic chemicals. The chemical glyphosate, probably the most common of these toxins, is very clearly and continually proven to cause cancer and other serious illnesses. Consumption of HFCS also spikes your blood sugar, causes fat deposits in your liver and constricts blood vessels. It has been linked to Diabetes, immune system damage, allergies, asthma, pre-mature aging, and more. This stuff is pure sugar, pure fat and pure garbage.

Then there is the Orange Juice. First of all, orange juice is so easy to make fresh with a simple citrus juicer, there is no reason for any of us to be sacrificing our money or our health for a plastic bottle of it that was made in a factory, traveled across the country in a tractor trailer and sat on a store shelf for the past month. To produce their orange juices, Tropicana uses conventional oranges, that, according to the USDA Pesticide Program, are contaminated by residues from 16 different pesticides, of which 6 are known or probable carcinogens (cancer causers), 11 are suspected hormone disruptors, 7 are developmental or reproductive toxins and another 7 are  neurotoxins. Back away from the OJ!

As a low-cost retailer, I understand Wal-Mart's message is intended to convince you that by saving the money you would spend at a drive-thru and instead spending it on low-cost items such as pop-tarts and bottled OJ, they are doing you a favor. (I'm told that they run similar adds at lunch time encouraging you to swap drive-thrus for chips and hot pockets.) But the food they are marketing is not only monetarily cheap, it is nutritiously cheap as well. So, instead, they are leaving your body unsatisfied, unnourished, and on a road toward disease (a very expensive road to go down!).

My suggestion: Take the money you would spend at the drive-thru and buy a few organic oranges, a shaker of organic ground cinnamon, organic almond butter (or make your own!) and a loaf of Ezekiel bread. Juice the oranges with a basic citrus juicer, toast a slice of bread and top it with some almond butter and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Feed your body real food and real nutrients; by fueling it with the essentials the human body has lived on and prospered from, you will feel more satisfied, more energized, and ultimately, much, much happier.

Keep it Real,

LVO