Monstrous

The other day I was doing a track workout at the local high school and preparation had ensued for that evening’s 4th of July festivities.

Since it was to be a family affair, everything that was being set up was indicative of the typical barbecue- red checked tablecloths,  cases and cases of hot dog and hamburger buns (I know), napkins, utensils and so on… and a huge, gigantic canopy under which all the food would presumably be set out, flanked by a gigantic ‘Monster Energy Drink’ logo.

Because this is a  good, family-friendly drink?

Let’s set aside the obvious, yet far too common problem of how it’s normal, regular, typical to have a huge array of highly processed, low-to-zero nutrient types of food and an anomaly to have anything healthy at your run of the mill town holiday barbecue and focus just on the Monster Energy Drink Issue.

As if corn-syrup-heavy Coca Cola weren’t bad enough, how about something that also has an extra dose of ‘stimulants, some of which may or may not cause heart palpitations?   Not only is drinking it a bad idea, the mere idea of promoting something as an ‘energy’ drink that is so sugar-laden and synthetic is a big problem.

Not unlike that 4pm crash that far too many people experience after a day of less-than ideal eating, to put it mildly, if someone is repeatedly having blood sugar crashes manifesting themselves as a ‘need for an energy drink’ or ‘craving for sugar’, the diet needs to be looked at.  What was eaten last?  When?  Was the macro nutrient ratio appropriate?

Not addressing the cause is nothing less than putting a band-aid on top of a gaping wound or taking a pill for pain without figuring what is causing the pain in the first place.

And worst of all, the concept that it’s a safe and acceptable thing for kids to have access to at their own high school?

Appalling beyond words.

We have a lot of work to do!