Words to Eat By
"It is easier to change a man's religion than to change his diet." -Margaret Mead
"I don't understand why asking people to eat a well-balanced vegetarian diet is considered drastic, while it is medically conservative to cut people open and put them on cholesterol lowering drugs for the rest of their lives." - Dean Ornish, MD
“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Happy Foody 
1.
Heather | February 8, 2008 at 2:44 am
I wish it didn’t but videos like these, books like fast food nation just make me so angry at our government and the people in charge of the corporations allowing this to happen in our country. It’s funny when you look at European countries and so few of them have the obesity epidemic we do. When I was in Europe people were so happy eating fruits and vegetables and were literally grosed out if you spoke of McDonalds…I desperately hope that people will rise up and demand that way of life here.
Thanks for posting this!
2.
Hilary | February 8, 2008 at 6:42 am
I find it frustratingly hard to eat out as I’ve slowly made changes to my diet … I mean there are some times when I do seriously want some junk food and will eat at McD’s but I’m talking about a real meal.
Actually I’ve never been one to eat out a lot but there have been times when I’m like “I just want a fairly quick and healthy meal, some meat, some veggies, … no soy no corn no wheat no high fructose syrup and no hydrogenated oils…” I don’t have a family to feed and making food for one or two people takes just as long as it does for four or five (sometimes it actually seems to take longer but that might be because I’m trying to reduce wheat consumption.)
Soy is the one that they didn’t mention there that is becoming a problem – soy has been marketed as this great for you food but with the majority of it being GMO and highly processed it’s often no better than corn or some of the other things mentioned. I actually am sensitive to soy unless it’s fermented (real soysauce. miso etc.) Since even health minded people think soy is a great thing, this limits me even more (since they are dumping soy products in otherwise healthy foods.) I KNOW I’m seeing soy lecithin places I did no see it 5 years ago (take a look at your packaged teas – tell me why lemon tea needs soy lecithin in it?) It’s cheap filler! I used to be a fan of soy milk until I started really paying attention to what made my allergies worse.
They didn’t reven get into genetically modified, factory farming, hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, chemical preservatives and all this other crap we eat…no wonder we have huge waistlines … no wonder more and more people are getting cancer or other illnesses…
Oh and can I mention pet food? My cats are so much better on organic cat food (I tried the home cooked route but they didn’t want that.) Imagine all of what they say about our food and then deregulate it completely – no nutritional value crap. My cats now have cleaner healthier fur, less dander, more energy… my kidney failure kitty that the vet thought would die in the first week is doing awesome and has been a happy “healthy” kitty for about 6 months now (he requires daily sub-q fluids because he only has 30% of his kidneys left but no one thinks he’s sick unless I tell them.) Yes, it took his kidney failure for me to take a closer look at what they were eating. And they were eating name brand not cheap food before.
There is just so much more wrong than what they talk about in that video … at least it’s a start.
sigh …
3.
Dawn | February 8, 2008 at 6:52 am
I agree with Heather, I get so angry when I see things like this and the harm that is happening to children due to unhealthy diets. This video reminded me of a great book I read called The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Thanks for sharing this.
4.
Heather | February 8, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Great book Dawn, shouldn’t everyone read that!
5.
Jen S Tree | February 8, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Thanks for posting this …I just added it to my myspace blog, makes me sad, but people do need to realize that they need to make educated decisions regarding what food they will eat.
6.
livelightly | February 8, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Thanks for the comments…it is maddening to see how much MONEY plays a factor in everything. It’s good to be upset though…while you’re upset, be sure to be a voice for better governmental standards, etc. There is always a lot going on with organic standards that no one ever hears about…and pasteurization of completely crazy things.
Hilary, I agree that this video in now way covers all that is wrong with this country and food 🙂 But, consider it a little “intro” to the madness.
It can be very difficult to eat out…everything is so filled with preservatives, corn syrups, etc. Some ideas for quick eats:
Qdoba or Chipotle…get the beans, rice, and salsa without the tortilla wrap.
Any sit down restaurant: Order a salad and ask for a side of olive oil and a 1/2 lemon for the dressing. I often carry an avocado with me in my purse to put on top. It’s a great thing for kids too…I just cut it in half, and give Bella a spoon. It comes with a serving bowl built in! 🙂
Grocery Stores: Don’t forget that when you’re out and about, grocery stores are a super cheap, quick option for a meal. Go in and grab a couple bananas, an apple, and a small package of raw almonds/walnuts/pumpkin seeds for later…and you’re good to go. In the summer, you could also grab a small melon, slice it in half and eat it with a spoon (again, you have a built in bowl!).
Regarding soy, I am also careful not to get too much of it. We have cut WAY back from where we used to be. Even organic soy. We’re drinking almond milk now instead of soy…and only have tofu on occasion. Tempeh is way better than tofu…much less processed, but it gives me crazy gas! 🙂
7.
Kelli Smith | February 9, 2008 at 4:48 am
Great video….I often wonder when you find the time to find SO MANY resources; I love it!
As a nurse I spend much time educating people on how to change their diets (and lifestyles) as a result of being diagnosed with diabetes. I know you talk quite a bit about being frugal and still being able to feed your family a healthy, organic diet. I wonder what your advice would be to counter the excuse, “I just don’t have TIME to prepare every meal”?
I’m on board, but I find it difficult convincing others.
8.
Jen. | February 10, 2008 at 12:00 am
Tempeh is way better than tofu…much less processed, but it gives me crazy gas! 🙂 Sorry about that!! lol
So, I put almond milk on my cereal every morning, but lately have been wondering about that whole pasteurization process I keep hearing about. What’s your take on that? I find hemp milk a little grainy & don’t like rice milk. We’re gonna plant some almond trees soon, but til they fruit….
love, Jen.
9.
livelightly | February 10, 2008 at 3:02 am
Kelli…I guess for those that feel they don’t have time to prepare meals…I would ask them to re-evaluate where their time is going. Preparing nutritious meals is vitally important to one’s health…both physical and mental. Perhaps once you talk through the benefits, they might see it differently. There are so many quick and easy ways to eat healthy these days. It’s not like we’re living in the “olden days” where they had to GROW their own food as well. 😉
Jen…you know, I don’t think that I got gas when we had it at your house! 🙂 Maybe it’s the way I prepare it or something else I included. As for the milks…I haven’t been making my own because we aren’t drinking much these days. BUT…fresh almond milk is amazing and easy to make. Have you made it before? If not…there is a great recipe on this blog…here.
10.
Valerie | February 12, 2008 at 2:28 am
Great link Sara, I hadn’t seen that video, unfortunatley it is all too true!
I would highly recommend “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver to everyone out there! Really a great look at what is brought up here, and much more. How it is that we’ve gotten so far away from knowing where our food COMES from and how it got there. Why it is that we are so obsessed with different diets in our country and how it relates to not really having a sense of what FOOD really is and how it got to your plate.