Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

The Houston Zoo held a Bear Awareness Day this weekend, and as a volunteer there, I signed up for a shift at one of the tables for the event. The purpose of the event was to make Texans aware that Black Bears are starting to migrate into East Texas, and homeowners, hikers, and campers alike should take certain precautions for their safety, and for the safety of the bears.

However, being the nerd that I am, not even 5 minutes after arriving at the Bear Awareness Day tables, I couldn’t help but think of NBC’s The Office and the scene where Jim imitates Dwight making the comments “Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica”  and “Bears eat beets. Two statements that are generally instantly recognizable by The Office fans. If you haven’t seen this before, or would like to see it again, here’s a clip: 

Then I saw the tray the Houston Zoo keepers had out to show what kind food the Houston Zoo feeds all of its bears in residence. As it turns out, bears are known to have a sweet tooth, (which explains Pooh and his hunny).

 

But what I discovered from talking to the bear keepers, was that the bears are fed mostly produce, and about a cup of biscuits a day, which can be seen in the picture on the left. Most bears are also given fish every other day or so, and are also given honey as  a treat.

After hearing and seeing this I had two thoughts.

My first thought was that these bears eat so much healthier than the average person, and while the average person should probably be eating as many, or almost as many fruits and vegetables on this tray daily, most people shy away from them. And if people have a sweet tooth, they’ll eat candies, cookies, and cakes, many of which are filled with preservatives and high fructose corn syrup, which is equivalent to a highly refined unnatural sugar. 

So take it from the bears, if you have a sweet tooth, try switching out candy with fruit, or refined sugar with all natural honey, or agave nectar. You will be amazed at the difference between eating natural simple sugars found in fruits and vegetables and honey. And while any types of sugars in excess are bad for you, you’re much better off eating too much apple or too much honey, than too much cake or candy.

So what was my second thought you ask?  Bears DO eat beets. Or at least in the zoo they do. This thought of course initiated a domino effect of considering all relationships between bears, beets, and Battlestar Galactica. I had made the connection between bears and beets, but what about bears and Battlestar Galactica? Then I remembered a PETA campaign with Jamie Bamber (who portrays Lee Adama in BSG) and BAM!

Small world, no? Then I thought about it some more (because two hours volunteering can sometimes offer time to think). Bears, Beets and Battlestar Galactica are a trifecta of sorts, so is there any what that all three are connected? And then I impressed myself with my own creative and analytical abilities which could only be fueled by organic foods:

If you modify “beets” to “beats”, then yes, Bears, Beats and Battlestar Galactica are inseparable, because the composer for the re-imagined series of Battlestar Galactica is indeed named Bear McCreary.

Crazy, I know. But it still gets better. Every five years, there is an anniversary convention to celebrate Battlestar Galactica in Houston (where I just so happen to live), and this year, Galacticon 3 will be held in the George R. Brown Convention center in Houston, Texas. (For more information click here). ANNNNDDDDD... one of the panels that will be held is actually called “BearTrek: Bear, Bears & Battlestar, a panel hosted by Shawn O'Donnell" (full description can be found here). Needless to say, I will be in attendance.

So just remember, even if you have a bear-sized sweet tooth, steps towards a healthier lifestyle, such as replacing refined sweets with fruits and refined sugars with natural sweeteners like honey, agave nectar and stevia can be quite simple. But simple, doesn’t always mean easy, so when you debate whether you should give up and give in to refined sweets when a healthy alternative is available, take a few seconds and ask yourself: 

Did the remaining members of the crew of Battlestar Galactica ever give up in their fight for survival and their search for Earth? 

No, they did not. 

So say we all.