Eating Resolutions 2010

Celebrate Life with Real Food

Teetering and sipping his sixth Eggnog, Uncle Jimmy slurred, “Isn’t life glorious? I’m so ‘bleshed’ to be alive to share this-hiccup-special day with my loving family”, as he and his Chicken Liver Rumaki ingloriously kerploped into a heap on the gift- wrap strewn floor.

Do you brawl with nutritional self-control? Who doesn’t during the holidays? We’re human. Do you have heart disease, diabetes, Crohn’s, RA, cancer or superfluous tonnage? Consider the grand-daddy of ironies; we celebrate meaningful life events by eating poor quality foods which slowly sabotage the privilege of pure health.

By now readers of this column are privy to valid scientific research signifying the most common ingredients humans worship; sugar, AP flour, animal fat, butter, kayo, cream, cheese and salt, are literally addictive. Yep, just like crack. Eating noxious, factory-refined foods stimulate the holy temple to produce the opiate Dopamine, the feel-good drug. Combine with addictive coffee, soft drinks, cigarettes, alcohol and pharmaceutical drugs, clearly we’re been molded, not by choice, into dead-food junkies. It’s not your fault, however. You simple trusted Betty Crocker and Ronald McDonald to be responsible. We can take down the ethically malnourished, out-of-touch corporate Fat Cats by ignoring their products. They don’t own you. Impractical and idealistic? Time has come today to challenge the twisted paradigm of factory produced food and to rejoice in our gift of life by returning to a more natural, preordained, non-suicidal, wholesome and sustainable way of eating and living. There are too many largely preventable chronic diseases here in America. Responsible scientists tell us these Post Industrial Revolution diseases are created by bogus, man-made food-like substances; main-stream brand name foods we consider our best buddies. Think before you eat. Carefully reflect upon your health-enhancing efforts thus far; remember eating consciously now yields handsome dividends as you age.

There are many ways to be a good steward of your temple. Avoid plastic food. In 2010, focus on foods of plant origin. Fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, grains, nuts and seeds are not only good for you but their production requires fewer earthly resources. Selecting nutrient-rich living foods maximized healing nutrition and makes your food dollars count. Fat, sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, MSG, food colorings and salt-laden choices take up much shelf-space in today's supermarkets. Spending on whole food rather than excessive processing and packaging is smart money.

Think globally, eat locally. Every dollar spent on local foods is an investment in local agriculture and farmers. Keeping land in agriculture helps assure food security for future generations.

Reduce "food mile" intake. The mileage on your dinner plate represents fossil fuels burned and carbon dioxide emitted. Long distance food and beverage distribution means wear and tear on vehicles and infrastructure, eventually requiring dwindling natural resources to restore.
Spice up your kitchen with local products. Change the family your diet from season to season according to what’s available from local farms. Tender greens, asparagus, and new potatoes in spring provide delicious prelude to a cornucopia of summer fruits and vegetables. Fall heralds in an abundant harvest of hearty roots, apples, pears and gourds that store well.
Go old school. Buy just what you will eat and don't squander food. When cooking in larger batches, freeze half. Ninety-Eight Million pounds of good food gets tossed out into the trash each year. That represents 44 billion dollars. We can do better.

Yes, I’m besmirching decades of hallowed American eating traditions, however, there comes a time one must ask oneself, especially if you’re chronically ill, “Gee, how’s that working out for ya?”

Happy New You!

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