Yummy Tasty Poison

Let's play pretend. Imagine a poison with the following attributes:

• easy to obtain
• doesn't kill you right away
• doesn't (directly) make you sick
• each dose just shaves your lifespan by a tiny random amount
• tastes absolutely delicious—I mean like, really good

If, hypothetically, such a poison existed, would you indulge in it? I mean, it does taste good, and it's only going to shorten your lifespan by a little bit. So why not at least give it a try, and then if you like it, you can have a little more, and if you like that, a little more... Oh heck, why not just go ahead and eat it every day? You may not live as long, but the days you do spend alive will be that much better, right?

Actually, I fooled you. The poison isn't imaginary, it's real. In fact, I bet that you already indulge in this poison every single day . It goes by many different names, but it has all of the qualities listed above. Here are just a few of the names for this poison:

• fast food
• junk food
• ice cream
• candy
• chocolate
• canned pasta

Pretty much the entire modern American diet is a form of poison. Don't believe me? Go ask a doctor how healthy you would be if you consumed nothing but natural foods (fruits & vegetables, no pre-prepared dinners, no eating out, etc.). The doctor will tell you that your immune system would be stronger, you would have more energy, and you would live a generally longer, healthier life.

But don't let a little thing like your health get in the way of eating whatever you want. If you stop eating tasty, convenient food, the terrorists will have already won.

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Categories: Culture