Today it is not my intention to keep you from getting ripped off by another unscrupulous corporation selling a magical elixir. That could be an added side benefit though. Rather, it is my purpose here to induce you to question the claims you hear, especially those which seem plausible. In doing this you should enhance your parent-child relationship and improve your outcome in child custody litigation.
Some deceptions are so readily accepted because of the ostensible claims obscuring the lie. Who would believe someone standing in an agora during the lunch hour proclaiming it to be midnight? If we are so fortunate enough as a society to have a populace sufficiently informed about the solar diurnal cycle and the associated timetable then it would be no one. But what if it is something for which the general population is not knowledgable? For instance, the biological processes involved in converting calories into energy for the human body. There are some people who believe that metabolism determines BMI although it is logically impossible and such claims have been resoundingly refuted by the medical community. It is this ignorance and misconceptions that foster the subreption upon which the crooks selling “5 Hour Energy” rely and which impede the emotional development of children.
Calories in food and beverages are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function. Thus, energy is merely the conversion of calories. For the body to expend energy it needs to take in calories otherwise it will consume body tissue to satisfy those needs. The body stores excess energy in the form of fat cells. The average person applies the majority of his or her caloric intake to the basal metabolic rate. That is the energy needed for thermo-regulation, cell repair and regeneration, adjusting hormone levels, as well as respiratory and circulatory functioning. Additional calorie burn takes place in conversion loss which is the digestive process.
To maximize energy a diet should consist primarily of simple carbohydrates. Foods should be cooked or pureed to assist in the digestive process. Although exercise and movement is the most variable element of calorie consumption it is not to be avoided. In addition to digestive assistance, calorie demand can be reduced by dressing so you do not chill and shedding unnecessary weight. The bodies of people who are larger burn more calories, even at rest. We know this intuitively when we carry a backpack or bookbag loaded down and feel the additional strain upon our muscular system which has to increase its energy consumption to move the load.
If you count on 5-Hour Energy drinks to provide you with your energy needs your are going to need deep pockets. Dietary supplement manufacturers aren't required by the Food and Drug Administration to prove that their products are safe or effective. Thus, Living Essentials, LLC -- the distributor of “5-Hour Energy” -- can, as they do, lie with impunity about their “dietary supplement.” This product would be more appropriately named 5-Minute Energy. That is because it provides enough energy for an average person to maintain a waking state of rest for five minutes.
To get the calories needed to maintain a typical human body for a 24 hour period one would need to consume about 6 gallons of “5-Hour Energy”. By comparison one could get the necessary calories by consuming four servings of rice and four servings of black beans. Although neither provides sufficient essential nutrients the rice and beans combined include protein, dietary fiber and some minerals while “5-Hour energy” contains only carbohydrates, added B vitamins and about 80 times the recommended daily allowance of sodium. The cost for the rice and beans is about $1. The cost of getting the energy equivalent from “5-Hour Energy” is . . . a staggering $800 when purchased in bulk. That is over $250,000 per year.
Always view factual claims with caution and skepticism. Keep in mind that it was once a “fact” that the earth was flat. However, through the application of reason and logic such an absurdity was refuted. As the use of reason and logic continue to gain acceptance and long held ‘truths’ are discarded the charlatans who perpetuate falsehoods will be exposed as not credible. You don’t want your child to be the one who views you as not credible. Name the person who went cross-eyed from sitting too close to the television. You can’t because it never happened. There are many parents out there who lost credibility over that and similar issues. Likewise children come to learn truths about Santa Claus and other mystical tools of manipulation.
My son is secure in knowing that there is one person in this world upon whom he can depend without question or hesitation. That is the person who told him at age three years that there was no Santa Claus, that it was all a big lie, that regardless of the ubiquity of the falsehood it remained just that - a lie. Over the years one person kept repeating Truth to him and as he grew old others stopped acquiescing the lie. I was that stalwart from the first day. I am the person in whom he seeks counsel, reassurance, and security because I demonstrated integrity to him. Yet because of the ubiquity of some falsehoods and credulity of those who profess honesty even they will still perpetuate falsehoods such as the Declaration of Independence was signed on 04 July 1776.
Integral to the healthy development of a child is that he or she has a patient, dependable, and honest parent. I am not saying that a child custody decision will hinge upon which parent takes the stand and proudly proclaims “I told the children there is no Santa Claus.” Rather, it is the demonstration that a parent’s actions are child centered. The strong rebuke that drug abusing parents receive in court is not because of the drug use. Courts have often imposed orders and admonished parents that they can get all messed up if they wish, unless the children are under their care and control. This is not based upon lack of legal authority. Nor is this because of what may appear to be the self-evident need for a parent to be in control of his or her mental faculties when supervising children. The need for parents to be cognizant and sober around children is so that the children are assured that they have a dependable person available to facilitate their needs. When children fear that a parent will leave, be jailed, hospitalized, or die they suffer mental and physical ailments across the anxiety spectrum. There is a misconception that the prevalence of childhood anxiety is the result of pressure to succeed. The reality is that it is based upon the fear of abandonment. That one parent may already be gone and the other may leave or be taken away. Additionally, there is the fear of not fulfilling a parents’ concept of success and that the parent will emotionally abandon a child with less-than-acceptable performance levels. If you have ever seen a child athlete vomit preceding a competition then you have been exposed to this performance anxiety which is most often founded upon the expectations of a parent.
Examine your actions from a child centered perspective. Does using “5 Hour Energy” demonstrate integrity? Absolutely not. Rather it demonstrates credulity and more precisely a lack of intelligence because the energy level of about five minutes is clearly indicated on the label. How can a child be assured that a parent who can’t do something as simple as read the calorie content of a “food” label will provide housing, food, proper guidance, and stability? If your actions are consistent with integrity and fostering trust your parent-child relationship, along with the emotional health of your children, will benefit.
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