Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Eat Food - Real Food








Tapas Bar in Atlanta


I'm lucky enough to be home to watch the entire Oprah - and lucky enough that Michael Pollen, one of my personal heroes is featured today.  A couple of years ago I read his book, "An Eater's Manifesto" and it changed the way I look at food forever.  I've always loved food, let me make that clear.  My parents are both outstanding cooks and we grew up eating, well, pretty much real food.  (Let's clarify, for those of you who don't know, real food is unprocessed, you can pronounce every ingredient, and your great-grandmother would recognize it if you were shopping with her 80 years ago.  This is NOT a low-fat, low-cal, low-carb, whatever, regime, it is about taking back our food supply and declaring that Twinkies, Lean Cuisine, Pepsi, WonderBread, and GoGurt are not real food - I'd go on and on and on - just Google Michael Pollen, or better yet, read one of his amazing books and you'll be a believer.)

I've mentioned before that I hate fast food.  I eat it only under extreme duress (i.e. when we are on a 14-hour road trip that we conquer in one day and I don't want the battle with my husband - who actually does share this food passion of mine - but when you are trying to get to Cali in one day ... you make sacrifices!).  We have become a nation of cheap food and high health care costs - yes, that is the correlation, folks.  That Big Mac and fries, the Big Carl, whatever you can buy on wheels without getting out of your car are killing us ... KILLING US.  You can buy a fast food meal for sometimes less money than a healthy meal, that is what is wrong with America and our health care system. THAT right there, is the solution.  Do you see how this can become a revolution in my mind?

I live in the middle of nowhere, the produce section in our ONE grocery store is no where near to being fresh and delicious.  I shop at organic, whole foods stores whenever I am able to, but I make do.  I am willing to spend more on food, and I'm fortunate enough that I can.  The government has swept this entire 'agricultural' problem under the rug, succumbing to lobbyists, at the expense of our national health.

I love food, I'll say it again.  Real food.  This is the reason I cook every single night, I normally enjoy cooking anyway, but I feel better feeding my husband and me a meal that doesn't come from a box or a 3000-square foot, germ-infested joint.  Take today.  I had an all-day meeting that was at a local hotel (very nice hotel, very nice staff).  Breakfast ... powdered egg omelets, sausage, potatoes drenched in butter (okay, I'll admit, I had 2 sausage links and a small portion of potatoes, and I felt worse from having deviated from my soy milk, tea and nuts selection in the morning).  Lunch - fatty mexican food with tons of cheese, I am a non-cheese and egg eater because I have never enjoyed those foods.  I had a half-portion of rice and some salsa on a few chips.  Break times - chips, candy bars, muffins, danish rolls, then cookies, I didn't even have to fight the urge to eat these things.  I stopped eating desserts and processed sugars over a year ago, and don't miss them a bit.  If I do have half a cookie to satisfy the inner child, my digestive system revolts, so I've learned it isn't worth it.

I am so passionate about this topic.  We have to take back our food supply and stop poisoning ourselves with processed foods, mass animal feedlots, and fast foods.  We have a Farmer's Market for about 3 months here, I take full advantage, but I'm still at the mercy of our local grocery store during the winter months.  I embrace the slow food movement, the organically minded farmers (who are often too poor to get organic certifications but nonetheless do the right thing with their food).  Food is celebration, love, happiness ... put down the Taco Bell and make your own tacos, you'll be amazed at how much better they taste, and more importantly - how you feel.  Try it ...

Soapbox ... now stepping down.

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