Day 55- Don't be fooled

One thing I have learned.  It's hard to pick pre-packaged food that is "healthy".  Yes you can make better choices, but if you are trying to eat "whole food" you are going to have trouble with just about anything that comes in a package.  Food Rules # 8 "Avoid foods that make health claims".  Food Rules #9 "Avoid foods with the words lite, nonfat or low fat in their names." (usually code for more sugar or salt) Food Rules #10 "Avoid foods pretending to be something they're not." (for example margarine or egg beaters)

On this blog- 100 Days of Real Food- Lisa helps explain the ingredients label and what might look like "health food" is not necessarily so- part 1, part 2, part 3.  It was a real eye-opener to me! Watch out for the words made from "multi-grains" or just "wheat" instead of "whole wheat".  Did you know most "wheat" bread is just like white bread- they just make it look brown with caramel coloring?

Day 41- A Giveaway!

Welcome to Day 41 of my 90-Day journey towards eating more healthy foods.  I've been a little off track lately, so I think I need to go back and review Michael Pollan's Food Rules: An Eater's Manual.  This little book contains 64 "food rules" that are little tips towards eating more healthy.

To help you today, I am giving away one copy of Michael Pollan's book Food Rules.  All you have to do to be entered to win is leave a comment with something you liked or learned on one of the other days of my blog.  Please leave a comment below with your email.  I will need to contact you if you win.  To get a bonus entry, share this post on Facebook, or Twitter, or on your own blog.  Please leave another comment below if you link to this blog.  The winner will be chosen randomly from all the comments on Friday October 15 @ 8:00am.  Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery.

Good Luck!

(the contest is now closed- thanks)

Day 2- Fast Food

The basic thesis of Michal Pollan's book- Food Rules is: "Eat food, Mostly plants, Not too much."

I'm not going to pretend to change everything all at once, and I wouldn't even try.  But I am going to start one of Pollan's Food Rules right now- #20 "It's not food if it arrived through the window of your car." In other words- no more fast food.  I will admit right here I love fast food.  It's cheap, it tastes good, it leaves you wanting more.  But then you feel kind of awful after you eat it.  This is going to be one of the hardest rules to follow for the next 90 days.  I'm pretty sure I can do it for myself, but it might be a little harder to get the whole family on board.  The one thing I will really miss is McDonald's french fries.  I actually had a small order on Monday to say goodbye.  Isn't that pathetic!

There is this scene in the movie Food Inc. with a family going through the drive-thru and the mom says if she has a dollar she's going to get her daughter a double-cheeseburger because you can't even buy a bunch of broccoli for $1.  That's the truth and it's really kind of sad.  Plus you have to wash and cook the broccoli.  And let's face it- plain broccoli does not taste that good. (I'm just being honest!)  Not eating fast food is a lot more work and a lot less convenient. If you plan to follow this step with me, try watching Super Size Me with Morgan Spurlock.  The guy eats nothing but McDonald's for 30 days with some alarming results to his health.

I'm pretty sure I'll end up breaking this rule somewhere along the way.  There will be this day we're in a hurry or something.  I also think some fast food may be ok.  Like a salad, or fruit, or yogurt- (or Chipotle LOL!).  But I'm going to try to go cold turkey for now.  I should also note that we eat a lot of processed foods in general- even when I "cook" a lot of time it comes out of a package.  So even a little change is going to be big for me.

Do you eat fast food? Or do you never touch the stuff?

Welcome to 90 Days of Change

Tomorrow is September 1st. There's something about the start of a new school year calendar that always inspires me.  No New Year's Resolutions for me, I'm all about the start of Fall. (Nevermind that it's 90 degrees today.)

Today I am starting a journey- well an experiment really- that will take me to the end of November, and maybe beyond.  I have been thinking for some time that I would like to make some changes in the way my family eats and acts and lives. It all started when someone told me they just read the book In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan. I kind of filed that away thinking I would read it when I had time.  Then someone else said they just watched the movie Food Inc.  So off to the library I went.  I got In Defense of Food on CD and Food Inc. on DVD.  I listened to the book over several days and watched the documentary over a couple nights.  I have to say they both changed the way I look at food.  The way it is produced, packaged and consumed.

So I began to think- what can I do? For myself and for my family. To eat more whole foods and less pre-packaged junk.  Also to live more healthy in general- for our bodies and our environment.  I will say right now- I am not one of those green-eco-hippie types! (But, all the best if you are.)  I just think we should do the best we can with our bodies and earth God created.  OK, plus I can stand to lose a pound or ten (or forty.)

I will be using as one of my guides the small paperback book by Michael Pollan- Food Rules: An Eater's Manual.   It contains 64 "rules",  which are more like suggestions, for eating.  I will also be using other resources I come upon from time to time.

I'm not really sure what this is going to look like, but tomorrow I'm going to dive right in.  I hope you will join me for the next 90 Days of Change!