I fret and moan about what to eat, especially in the animal kingdom. Here's how my pitiful inner dialogue goes: "I really shouldn't eat meat of any kind. Just think of the pigs who are allegedly smarter than Poppy my dog, who is no dummy. They are so crowded in their pens that they bite each others tails off in rage and frustration. Plus we have their fecal "lakes" which are destroying the environment and aren't really that good for the neighborhood. So, no pork. Then there are the chickens, caged, shoulder to shoulder (do chickens have shoulders?) standing in their own feces for their whole life. I also know that most chickens (87%), even organic ones, have a butt load (literally) of heliobacter pylori and listeria which both cause bad stomach trouble. So, no chicken. Then we have the crustaceans, all bottom feeders subsisting on poop from the fish who live in the penthouses above. I can't handle that visual, so nothing from the sea that lives in shells.
"How about beef? It's the eyes of the cows that get me, all sweet and Elsie-like. And how they are made to eat diets totally unsuited to their digestive systems (corn) then after a lifetime of dietary torture and chronic reflux requiring antibiotics they are slaughtered while terrified, despite the humane interventions of Temple Grandin who invented nice, homey cattle ramps for the slaughter houses. And veal? It's not even on my radar.
"Then the fish. I love wild-caught salmon and eat that pretty regularly, but I despair that wild fish will soon be over-harvested. Canned Pacific Sockeye Salmon ordered from Vital Choice is excellent. (www.vitalchoice.com) Farmed salmon is awful on every level. They eat corn and dog food! So, I guess very little variety for me in the fish kingdom although I read somewhere that the following fish are the best choice: Wild Pacific Salmon, Anchovies, Black Alaskan Cod, Pacific Halibut, Alaskan Sablefish, Sardines, Farmed Striped Bass and Farmed Tilapia. A partial list of no-no fish are Chilean Sea Bass, Grouper, Atlantic Halibut, Shrimp, Skate, Snapper, Swordfish, Tuna.
"Ah, turkey. I have discovered ground turkey in an 8 oz frozen roll at Vitamin Cottage. The label purports this turkey to be raised humanely, given no antibiotics or Big Pharma crap and I cozily imagine that these big wattled things - before being slaughtered and stuffed into an 8 oz. plastic roll - spend their sweet lives like beloved pets, scratching bucolically about for grubs and whatnot. I have to forget the pet thing before I throw the turkey patty into the skillet.
So, I consider myself a Flexitarian. I eat mostly plants and am mostly vegetarian but not vegan because I can't imagine giving up my snacking on the wedge of Pecorino-Romano cheese from Costco, or not having my half 'n half for my tea in the morning. I eat seasonally and locally when possible. I don't do mostly raw except for summer when my body actually wants more raw foods. Winter requires warmer foods like soups and stews. If I feel I want some heavier protein I will have fish or the aforementioned turkey. I don't keep unhealthy foods in my house, and I snack on good stuff. Healthy smoothies with whey or rice protein powders are an almost daily given in my life. I am gluten intolerant and I honor that. And my health has never been better.
My favorite food theorist nowadays is Michael Pollan. His Omnivore's Dilemma opened my eyes wide regarding meat, farmed chickens, inhumanely treated animals etc. I suggest you NOT read this book unless you are ready to be hurled helplessly over the edge of the abyss into a more conscious and ultimately a more meatless way of life.
Pollan's oft-quoted yet simple statement about food is one I refer to constantly and you could consider this your main food "rule" in a nutshell: "Eat food. Mostly Plants. Not too much."
He has a wonderful new paper back out, called Food Rules: An Eater's Manual. It's a small, inexpensive book (130 pages) with just a paragraph per page in big type. You can read it in an hour. It's also clever and fun and above all, practical. You could call it your new food manifesto. Here are just a few "rules" randomly chosen for you. There are many more in the book.
Eat only foods that rot. Avoid "immortal" foods.
Don't ingest foods made in places where everyone is required to wear a surgical cap.
If it came from a plant eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't.
It's not food if it arrived through the window of your car.
It's not food if it's called by the same name in every language. (Think Big Mac, Cheetos or Pringles)
Avoid foods you see advertised on television.
Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry.
Pay more, eat less.
Eat less. Period. (Remember Hara Hachi Bu?)
Don't eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk.
Never get your fuel at the same place your car does.
And so on.
His idea (and currently anyone not on all fours) is to eschew the Western Diet with its emphasis on processed foods, meat, added salt, fat and sugar and refined grains. This kind of diet has caused and continues to cause the meteoric rise in both adult and childhood obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. This diet is directly related to our failing Disease Care System which is overwhelmed by all the diet-related ailments caused by this awful and empty, yet at the same time, very addictive diet. He says that "Cooking for yourself is the only sure way to take back control of your diet from the food scientists and food processors."
I don't care how busy and complicated your life is, you can start doing some home-cooking. Use the crock pot. Google crock pot recipes. Plan your menus in advance and shop for the week. Make time to do this. Find 10 recipes you like and rotate them. Get rid of the typical Western Diet-type foods that live in your pantry. Just throw them out. They are poison anyway. Replace these food with acceptable foods, so that when you are crazy-hungry you won't have the Ritz cracker box to dive into. Find support from your parents, your friends, me.
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