What Was Taco Bell Thinking?

Oh, wait.  That's right... Taco Bell wasn't thinking when they ran an ad which they quickly pulled after enough grumbling from the public.  What's the beef all about?  The commercial starts with, "Bringing veggies on game day is like punting on 4th and 1.  It's a cop-out; and secretly, people kinda hate you for it."  Really, Taco Bell?  Here is the ad which can still be found floating around the internet, thank you YouTube.  

I get it. Most people would rather throw down on some fast food tacos than raw veggies.  Taking a quick look into the current state of health and obesity in the US drives that point home faster than Taco Bell can whip up a batch of their pre-packaged taco mystery meat.  And, I get it that places like Taco Bell count on us spending our food dollars with them rather than on veggies - though calling anything served at Taco Bell "food" is a stretch in the use of the word "food".  Yet, promoting that bringing veggies to game day is lame AND that people will think you are a big d-bag is pretty over the top and inexcusable. 

Of course to drive the point home, the dude in the commercial brings over a bunch of limp, way-past-the-expiration-date-sad vegetables rather than something that resembles.... say... this!

Go ahead.  Hate me for bringing this.  I dare ya!

 

I have an idea, Taco Bell.  How about you sell your "food" in a manner that displays what you are really serving up.  Let the hero in your commercial show up with a big bag full of this and see how much love he gets...

 Click to enlarge.  Sounds delish, right?

As always, my point isn't about being controversial.  Being controversial about food is pretty easy and there are already way too many talking heads and bloggers out there to get people worked up.  My vision is about helping others to wake up to what is in our food supply and to know what this stuff does to our bloodstream, to our mind, and to our spirit.  My point is about giving you the opportunity to make an informed decision - you are free to select Taco Bell all you want, but you should at least know what's going into your pie hole when you make that choice.  My point is about waking people up to the marketing and propaganda which has an direct impact on how we behave, the choices we make, how we spend our money and how we nourish ourselves.  Example: In 2010, the fast food industry spent over $4 billion on marketing.  Ya think that might distort the perception and actions of more than a few Americans?

I'll leave you with this "food for thought":

"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. ...We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society. ...In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons... who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses.  It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind."

Edward Bernays, the father of public relations and marketing.  1928, in his book "Propaganda".  Use your google-fu skills to learn more about this cat and then tell me you are above the control of marketing and advertising!    

Free your mind.

Know what's in your food. 

Vote with your dollars.

Be an activist for your bloodstream.

We Don't Get Fooled Again...

All calories are not created equal when it comes to your waist line and your wellness.  Zero calorie drinks can still contain toxins, sketchy artificial ingredients, and all sorts of chemicals.  Not to mention the addictive qualities of many soft drinks and "fake" juices.  Artificial sweeteners also trigger insulin secretion which promotes fat storage, stresses the pancreas, and trigger the brain into craving more sweet foods and beverages, i.e. the "vicious cycle" that many struggle with.  The ONLY Coca-Cola product you should even think about drinking on a regular basis is MAYBE Dasani water.  Is that to say you should never drink a Coke or Diet Coke again?  Of course not!  An occasional can of poison won't kill you, just don't make it a regular part of your diet and keep it to an absolute minimum.  If and when it feels right for you to eliminate it all together, do so.  Your bloodstream thanks you.  Just don't be fooled by the marketing and ads. 

Perhaps this video would be more appropriate:

New Year. New Day

Quite a few emails, messages, private conversations, and Facebook posts have come my way from several of the recent BTWG students.  The jest of the news is essentially the same - "I fell off the BTWG Lifestyle wagon during the holidays".  Let's face it, no one truly "falls off", we chose to get off the wagon - either consciously or unconsciously, we slide off, jump off or sabotage our way off the wagon.  Acknowledging this truth is the accountability that is necessary for transformation - accepting responsibility for our actions.  In BTWG we learn that we cannot have a victim mentality if we are to truly transform our lives.  Accepting this truth should not be viewed as anything associated with guilt.  Instead it should be embraced with empowerment and enthusiasm.  You are in charge.  You are in control of your self and your actions. 

Okay, now that I've REALLY made some of you feel like a
slacker, let's talk about another truth - for the recent Grads, this was your FIRST holiday season post-BTWG so to expect that you would navigate the holidays without a few slip ups, or a bunch of slip ups, isn't very realistic.  As we discuss during the BTWG program, it REALLY takes a full year to even get close to dialing in this lifestyle, let alone mastering the path.  You need to experience the holidays.  You need to experience birthdays, vacations, travel, illness, injury, all of it, before you can master this lifestyle.  So you didn't plan well.  So you allowed yourself to break the 90% rule more than a few days during the holidays.  So you totally threw out the Hunger/Satisfied scale.  So you didn't stick to your workout plan.  So you didn't meditate or do yoga to help you deal with the stress, excitement or pressure of the holidays.  So what?  It happens!  This won't be your last holiday season, right?  There are many, many more to come, right?  Take this as a learning experience!  Take accountability, learn from it, and move forward!  Reflect on what went well as well as what didn't go well this season.  Next year do more of the things that went well for you.  Next year do fewer of the things that didn't go well for you.  Have a plan and stick with your plan... a REALISTIC plan!  Perhaps it takes 5 years before you can glide through the holidays with your health, fitness, and well-being in tact.  Isn't that better than beating yourself up and repeating the same poor choices year after year; fighting the same battle over and over or choosing to not fight at all?  I vote "yes". 

As always, feel free to reach out to me or any of the BTWG Mentors for help.  We are always here to help out any way we can.  Also, the next round of BTWG will be starting in February.  Consider joining us as this will help reinforce what you have already learned and deepen your practice and skillfulness for the future.  There will be a discount extended to those who have participated in previous classes!  Dates and details will be officially announced on Monday, January 21st. 

Please let me know if you have testimonials to share about your holiday experience or if you have any questions.   

In Health and Peace,
Chris