Let's Eat REAL Food

This month let's all try and put really good nourishing food into our body.  The Holidays have come and gone, so it is a great time to get focused or refocused in order to feel our very best for 2011.   Michael Pollan puts it very simply in his book, In Defense of Food.   He says, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."   I love that!   It’s such an easy way to think about what we should eat.  The first two words of this mantra are probably the most important. "Eat food" means to eat real food -- vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fresh fish, and organic meat -- and to minimize what Pollan calls "edible food-like substances."  So what is an "edible food-like substance"?  "Edible food-like substances" are really everything except vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fresh fish, and organic meat.   These foods are usually highly processed foods, foods that have added chemicals, and usually have lots of added fat and sugar.     So "edible food like substances" are Cheetos, Soda, bunny bread, etc.        

This step in my healing journey was probably the most rewarding but probably the toughest for me.   Start slowly.   My first step was cutting down on the Mountain Dew.   Then I cut out the Mountain Dew, and I have now cut out all soda and caffeine.   Edible food-like substances are everywhere, they are easy to get, and are usually relatively inexpensive.   But, through my healing journey, I found that food-like substances were toxic to my body and were literally making me sick.   As I eliminated the edible food-like substances and began eating real food...mostly plants, I started to heal, my pain reduced, and I had much more energy.   Why?   Well...there are lots of different theories.  The truth is that there isn't one scientific reason to explain why people eating these highly processed foods are more prone to a host of chronic diseases, or why eating a healthier diet and leading a healthier lifestyle can reverse chronic disease.  All I know is that IT CAN....IT HAPPENED TO ME, and I have seen it happen to many others.   What I have come to learn is that food IS medicine.   So, this month let's all experiment with eating really good nourishing food, a/k/a medicine.   Concentrate on eating as much REAL FOOD as possible and pay attention to how real food makes you feel as opposed to “edible food-like substances”.   Feel free to post comments or questions, and let us all know how you are doing.  Remember, this isn't a diet it is a journey to healing. 

*Recommended Reading- I would recommend reading In Defense Of Food if you have not read it already.   It is an amazing book.   Another great resource is Michael Pollan's, Food Rules.   It is a very quick simple read/resource on eating real food.   It is divided into easy to incorporate tips and I will share some of those tips that were most helpful to me in other posts throughout the month.