A new found sense of urgency....
I'm not sure that urgency was necessarily the correct word for what I am trying to convey, but it's what came to mind. I started this blog quite a while ago, put a few posts up, then subsequently decided that I didn't have time, or it wasn't for me. In any case, I am returning, with new found fervor...I have found something worth writing about, and for whomever may read this, something worth reading about. Simple as it may sound, that something is diet. Not "diet," as in some crazy extreme diet, or the latest crash diet, or even the latest government standard diet. I speak of diet in terms of what we eat in general, all the time, no matter what your age, race, creed or personal preference. "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Those words inspired me to change my lifestyle on a dime. I recently watched a documentary entitled "Food Inc.," and was royally disgusted by the putrid ways our everyday food is raised, grown, harvested, processed, managed, sold, and advertised. There were a number of shocking facts including the number of FDA officials that ,conveniently, previously worked for any one of the surprisingly few food distributors in America. This film also led me to an author whom I had heard of before, but never really gave more than one or two thoughts to, Michael Pollan. Pollan, who is a contributing writer for "The New York Times Magazine," has published five books, including the two I am currently reading, "In Defense of Food" and "The Omnivore's Dilemma." The combination of these things led me to a drastic decision, eat food, not too much, mostly plants : or die... Now, when Pollan says food, for those of you that have not read his books or know anyone who has, he means real food. Real, whole, organic, unprocessed foods. Not the ones on store shelves that say they are food. He discusses how, over the last century, food has been broken down from it's whole self into it's constituent parts and those parts have migrated from certain foods, to all foods. That's why you can get all your daily vitamins and minerals (recently including fiber) from SUGAR; WHOLE GRAIN CORN FLOUR; WHEAT FLOUR; WHOLE GRAIN OAT FLOUR; OAT FIBER; SOLUBLE CORN FIBER; PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (ONE OR MORE OF: COCONUT, SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED OILS)†; SALT; SODIUM ASCORBATE AND ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C); NIACINAMIDE; REDUCED IRON; NATURAL ORANGE, LEMON, CHERRY, RASPBERRY, BLUEBERRY, LIME AND OTHER NATURAL FLAVORS; RED #40; BLUE #2; TURMERIC COLOR; YELLOW #6; ZINC OXIDE; ANNATTO COLOR; BLUE #1; PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6); RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2); THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1); VITAMIN A PALMITATE; BHT (PRESERVATIVE); FOLIC ACID; VITAMIN D; VITAMIN B12 (also known as "Froot Loops"). Bear in mind, that is bleached sugar; genetically modified, pesticide sprayed, industrially grown, nitrate enriched whole wheat flour etc. etc.. Most people don't look at what is actually in what they call food, if they did, they would realize that what they call food is hardly that at all. "Food Inc." gives a snapshot of where this food comes from, how the farmers that raise it are mistreated and just how much of what we eat is not regulated by what is good for us, but by whomever has the deepest pocket, and whatever can make those pockets deeper. I have re-started this blog with new gusto in hopes that I can change even one persons way of eating, and hopefully add a few years to their lives like I am trying to do with mine and my family's. This is also to show people that you don't have to be some best selling author to live like this. I am a currently unemployed electrician with a stay at home wife, and two toddlers. I do not live high on the hog. I want this to let people know that it is possible to eat well and live healthily, even when you are poor. I lost count of how many times I have heard "I can't afford to eat healthy, I'm on food stamps." Well, I'm living proof that it can be done. The local farmer's markets take them, Meijer takes them, and they have a large selection (more than WalMart) of locally grown (within our state), organic foods. So here I am trying to relay my message, my inspiration, my desire for change in the way our food is handled before it makes it to our dinner tables. I am here to encourage you to vote with your fork every time you go to store. Everything you buy gets scanned, every scan is documented, every scan is counted, the food with the most scans will have the most shelf space, funding, advertising and ultimately the sought after stamp of FDA approval and endorsement. I am not here to make you feel bad about what you eat, I am here to encourage you that no matter what your situation, you can make a difference in your life and the lives of others. This blog, however, is not just for you,this is also a way for me to be held accountable. If I have others reading what I am writing, looking at my food diaries, as ramshackle as they may end up being, I will be held in a position where I will feel like I am letting more than just myself down, I will be letting my family and friends down as well. So far I have been on this diet change for almost tens days, and have lost almost as much weight. My family has been eating three whole meals together everyday, and gathering in prayer before each one. We have grown closer and healthier, together. These are things I wish for you as well! Please, read, pass it on, check out the aforementioned books, and most importantly "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."
