Stop And Smell The . . .

America. The greatest country in the world. Our freedoms extend beyond those of our allies, and our land is so vast that most foreigners need a passport to experience the same diversity. And yet, we are lacking.

Lauren, a colleague in the birth community recently blogged about how she vowed to not drive through fast food joints, or anywhere, for the rest of the year. She noticed that the sacrifices she was making for convenience outweighed the convenience itself. The food she shoveled down her throat as she drove was initially satisfying, but not enjoyable. Then, late one night, I found myself eating a double cheeseburger from the McDonalds dollar menu because I had skipped dinner and was ravenous. When the burger was gone, dwelling heavily in my stomach, I realized that not only did I sort of want to throw it all back up to clear my system, but that I hadn’t even enjoyed it all that much. Okay, so it was like a gulp of air to me when I first started eating it. But haven’t I enjoyed food before in a way that made me want to close my eyes and really savor it? I was eating out of instinct, and not with intention or thought.

There are parts of America that still grasp this idea. Louisiana is one. There, meals have to earn their worth. Even “poor people food” as Anthony Bourdain calls it, is something to be treasured by all. Like the Po Boy, red beans and rice, jambalaya . . . They may be inexpensive and made with the cast offs and leftovers, but they were prepared with care and intention. So why is it so hard for me to eat like this? I’m a fairly good cook and with a little time and creativity I bet I could prepare meals for myself and I can really savor and enjoy.

In yoga school we discussed the idea of eating with intention. We were given samples of food and asked to close our eyes and chew each 20 times on one side of our mouth, then 20 times on the other. We were supposed to think of the flavor, texture, the experience as a whole. In yoga everything is done with intention. To do something mindlessly would only leave you further from enlightenment and self-awareness. This, in relation to food, only just sunk in. Also, the book French Women Don’t Get Fat spoke about this idea. In France they sit and take time with their food, enjoying it. This goes for many parts of the world, especially the Mediterranean. Because of this they end up shoveling less crap in their mouth. Taking your time when you eat will usually make you eat less. And why not enjoy this aspect of life? A well prepared meal is like art.

So here is challenge #2 for myself and anyone else who would like to join me. I am going to eat at mealtimes or the first sign of hunger (real hunger, not boredom or craving). I am not going to wait until I’m ravenously hungry. And I will seek out food that I will enjoy immensely. With the same fervor that I enjoy a home cooked meal by my grandfather. I will have to be smart about this so that I don’t waste, but spend money on fresh ingredients and use them all. I will try this for one week and then re-evaluate.

Everything Causes Cancer

For the first time in, well, ever cancer is the most prevalent disease in our society. It has risen steadily since the early part of the century. It went from a disease rarely even mentioned in medical texts to a household word. Everything causes it. The sun, our cell phones, our food, our hair products. We can't escape it. Or can we?

Okay, I am NOT going to get on a soapbox about why we have cancer more now than 100 years ago. I could . . . but I wont. Instead I'm going to tell you how to NOT have it. The abridged and simple version. You're welcome.

It is true that we can't escape carcinogens in our life. They are all around us. Although they are fueled by technology and convenient lifestyles, even the most primitive humans would have come in contact with them just by cooking over a fire. We DO have more toxins than ever in our lives. But we also have ways to fight it off.

What is cancer?

Our bodies create and multiply cells constantly. But did you know that cells have a self-destruct setting? They are supposed to die and be absorbed as waste once they can no longer do their job. But some cells, free radicals, just refuse to die. The name "free radical" seems more meaningful in that context. Some cells become mutated before they multiply, such as in the case of skin cancer. Our bodies are supposed to recognize and attack these cells. So why don't they? Actually, they do to an extent. Free radicals are present in our bodies on a daily basis. Usually, they are attacked and killed before growing into something harmful.

In order for your body to function properly you need a few essential things. Nutrients, sleep, exercise, etc. But in order for our bodies to perform optimally you need perfect nutrition, perfect sleep, perfect exercise . . . And our body NEEDS to be performing optimally to fight off this most persistent disease.

You cannot always control what is around your body, but you CAN control what you put in and on your body. In an ideal world you could eliminate all the processed and unhealthy foods that put our bodies at risk. But I'm going to be more realistic. Instead of trying to eliminate every bad thing, just try to ADD the good stuff. I may have some real issues with the Government's Food Pyramid, but I'm going to ask you to strive to meet their fruit and vegetable standards. That's 2-4 servings of fruit per day, and 3-5 servings of vegetables. If you give your body what it needs, it will have a better chance of fixing the other damage done to it by the less than ideal stuff. Also, IGNORE THE GRAIN SECTION OF THE PYRAMID! It is driven by lobbiests and government subsidies.

Now I'm going to qualify this, and challenge you. When I say 2-4 servings of fruit, I mean fresh fruit. Not canned or dried. So lets shoot for AT LEAST two servings of fresh fruit per day (ideally in the morning when your stomach is empty).

For vegetable, they should be fresh and raw or very lightly cooked. Steamed is best. So lets try two or three servings of raw or lightly cooked. The other servings can be as you wish. You may find that if you incorporate these foods in your diet daily, your desire or room for other foods lessens.

So try it out for a week and let me know how it goes. I will be accepting the challenge also. Good grazing!