Eat Real (NOT a Chemistry Experiment!)

“Yeah I eat real, I’m not eating plastic am I!”  In truth, REAL food doesn’t include the thousands of edible food-like substances that adorn the average supermarket shelf.  And REAL food doesn’t need a health claim or a chemical dictionary to help you pronounce the ingredients in them.  The food industry has a sly and deceptive way of marketing their products as real when in fact they are far from it.  REAL real food is instead often times simple and recognizable (food like hummus would be a good example of an exception) and as close to its natural form as possible.  If it says that it’s a “fruit” bar, you should at least see a seed or something remotely resembling components of the fruit. Unfortunately “fruit” snacks in the shapes of fruit don’t cut it.   My people, it’s time to EAT REAL!

Food Rules

Perhaps, food activist and author, Michael Pollan, said it best when he recommended his readers to follow these three main rules for eating: Eat Real, Mostly Plants, and Not Too Much.  Although these rules may seem simple enough for some people yet overwhelming for others, know that these attainable changes take time and perhaps it is best to consider eating real most of the time, eating mostly plants most of the time, and not too much for the vast majority of the time.

Addicted

addicted |əˈdiktid|
adjective
physically and mentally dependent on a particular substance, and unable to stop taking it without incurring adverse effects.

Even if you don't initially relate to this post title, you may find it an interesting read nevertheless.  Although, most people are either directly or indirectly affected by addiction (my hand is raised!).

I’ve always considered all addictions equal (and no one better than the other), as they are most often influenced by a deep-seated unhappiness, whether known or unknown to the individual at the time.  I would even consider the deprivation or purging of food, as in the cases of anorexia and bulimia, to be considered a different and more severe psychological form of addictive behavior.  These addictions are often fueled by a cycle of trying to quite the substance of choice (illicit drugs, cigarettes, legalized drugs, alcohol, food, gambling, etc.), doing well for a time, resorting back to the old behavior, and then the overwhelming feeling of guilt that helps to fuel the self-destructing cycle.

Food Day

Today is national Food Day (“If you don’t know, now you know...”), a day dedicated to shedding light on U.S. food-related issues and trying to instigate change in U.S. policies that don’t necessarily support healthy eating.  Before breakfast, lunch, or dinner, the average American rarely thinks of where their food comes and why some food ingredients are more prevalent in the foods that we eat (eh ehm..high fructose corn syrup anyone).  Below are the 6 Food Day priorities which Food Day hopes to promote.

Purging Guilt

I thought I would sprinkle in this entry as I am talking about writing down what you eat.  Even though it may be easier said than done (and in fact is a process), don’t feel guilty about what you eat, plain and simple.  Acting to change your life should never be fueled by guilt, which fosters a negative mindset.  Plus, there are enough wrong-doers in the world, please leave the guilt for them!