I am very lazy when it comes to food. If I could possibly live off a series of pills like the Jetsons, you bet I'd love that option. Not choosing. No thought. Just a perfect nutritional pill gulped down and I could return to my true passions: reading, writing, and assorted other nerdy pursuits.
Confession:
I HATE grocery shopping
I HATE meal planning
I HATE HATE HATE to cook
And while Jason doesn't really mind any of those and surpasses me in skill in all three areas, Jason isn't so great at planning and consistency. He also hates vegetables. Most nights we all scavenge our own foods and eat when we feel hungry. Family dinners just don't often happen here. Occasionally, after bitching about it, I might take the reins and meal plan (tell Jason what to do or make lists of what he can cook each night) or even attempt to cook. I quickly bore of both and go back to convenience eating: whatever is easiest, fastest, most readily available to go in my mouth.
I love to eat healthy though. Which seems odd given my style of eating. I just prefer healthy foods.
In an ideal existence I would be filthy rich, own my own farm to raise my own meats and produce, and pay a cook to provide balanced meals full of vegetables and fruits and whole grains. I'd also have a personal trainer to keep me fit so I could spend the bulk of my time sitting under a tree writing away.
I don't aspire to vegetarianism (been there and tried it 3 times. Failed quickly each and every time) because I do think meat is important to a healthy diet--in small, indulgent amounts. I don't find it wrong to kill an animal for food. I would, of course, prefer it to have been raised humanly. If we had the money I would only buy from local farms. Back in New York we had a friend who raised two calves, several pigs, and rabbits for meat. She also had a mess of chicken for their eggs. Those animals lived and live happy, healthy lives and then end up in her belly. Sometimes she would pass along a cut of meat and (oh boy) it was the best meat I ever tasted. Happy animals taste so good. I have no moral qualms about having a cow slaughtered that I raised. Maybe one day my dreams of petting my future hamburger will come true.
I write this in a fit of giggles because I know how callous it is to write something like that. All part of being cynical. I make fun of myself for watching the pig being beaten in the head with a metal pole on PETA.COM. I sobbed the entire time and then...went and ate a hot dog a week later. How horrible!
I was the little girl running buckets of water back and forth to dose the dying fish my father had caught and laid out over our porch. I was the preteen making petition signs to save the mouse that was to be fed to a giant lizard later that day at my friend's house. "SAVE FREDRICK!"
I don't think it is funny that animals are inhumanly treated in food production. I think it is horrifying, but getting up in arms and forgoing meat isn't going to save those animals. The industry is still there. I do think one person can make somewhat of a difference and I see those changes out there in supply and demand. But I don't want to put farmer's out of business. I'd rather give my money to the little man than THE MAN, if you know what I mean.
There had been change on a local level. More natural meats in the super market. Organic sections too. Only all those things are more expensive and sometimes people can't afford to be more conscious in their eating habits.
I'm afraid that better eating is really more of a socio-economic phenomenon.
Even though money can be an issue over here, I want to try to change things up a bit.
My ideal diet would be based around the nutritional power of foods. National Geographic has a great chart in one issue that I tore out and hung on our fridge much to Jason's annoyance. It was a ranking of foods based on the amount of good stuff you get for what you are eating. Things like blueberries, coconut, and avocados got very high rankings (99-97 points or so). I consider these foods SUPER FOODS. The more processed foods are, the less you are getting for what you are eating which may cause you to eat more to try to make up for what you are lacking. Funny that the power of foods is pretty similar to the good 'ol food pyramid we all know (or knew. Didn't they change it to a weird circle?)
So, I am going to try again as I have on several occasions to give a damn about what I eat. Or at least put my food intake on the same level as River who out does me in fruits every single day. This means meal planning. This means some work. But it has to start somewhere and for now it needs to be baby steps. Switching to only whole grains (maybe making my own bread or dishing out more money for better breads that rape my wallet over at Whole Foods). Forcing more fruits and veggies into my diet (which I love but always seem to require more work to eat). Maybe even attempting cooking dinners... *shudders*.
I'd like to cut back to meats only once or twice a week which I sometimes do anyway. Shouldn't be a big deal. I'm not a huge meat eater to begin with. Although when I want a greasy burger, I really want that damn greasy burger. I already try to buy only natural meats (but what does that really mean anyway? Is it actually any better? I have no idea).
But here I go, trying again. Maybe this time it will stick?
Confession:
I HATE grocery shopping
I HATE meal planning
I HATE HATE HATE to cook
And while Jason doesn't really mind any of those and surpasses me in skill in all three areas, Jason isn't so great at planning and consistency. He also hates vegetables. Most nights we all scavenge our own foods and eat when we feel hungry. Family dinners just don't often happen here. Occasionally, after bitching about it, I might take the reins and meal plan (tell Jason what to do or make lists of what he can cook each night) or even attempt to cook. I quickly bore of both and go back to convenience eating: whatever is easiest, fastest, most readily available to go in my mouth.
I love to eat healthy though. Which seems odd given my style of eating. I just prefer healthy foods.
In an ideal existence I would be filthy rich, own my own farm to raise my own meats and produce, and pay a cook to provide balanced meals full of vegetables and fruits and whole grains. I'd also have a personal trainer to keep me fit so I could spend the bulk of my time sitting under a tree writing away.
I don't aspire to vegetarianism (been there and tried it 3 times. Failed quickly each and every time) because I do think meat is important to a healthy diet--in small, indulgent amounts. I don't find it wrong to kill an animal for food. I would, of course, prefer it to have been raised humanly. If we had the money I would only buy from local farms. Back in New York we had a friend who raised two calves, several pigs, and rabbits for meat. She also had a mess of chicken for their eggs. Those animals lived and live happy, healthy lives and then end up in her belly. Sometimes she would pass along a cut of meat and (oh boy) it was the best meat I ever tasted. Happy animals taste so good. I have no moral qualms about having a cow slaughtered that I raised. Maybe one day my dreams of petting my future hamburger will come true.
I write this in a fit of giggles because I know how callous it is to write something like that. All part of being cynical. I make fun of myself for watching the pig being beaten in the head with a metal pole on PETA.COM. I sobbed the entire time and then...went and ate a hot dog a week later. How horrible!
I was the little girl running buckets of water back and forth to dose the dying fish my father had caught and laid out over our porch. I was the preteen making petition signs to save the mouse that was to be fed to a giant lizard later that day at my friend's house. "SAVE FREDRICK!"
I don't think it is funny that animals are inhumanly treated in food production. I think it is horrifying, but getting up in arms and forgoing meat isn't going to save those animals. The industry is still there. I do think one person can make somewhat of a difference and I see those changes out there in supply and demand. But I don't want to put farmer's out of business. I'd rather give my money to the little man than THE MAN, if you know what I mean.
There had been change on a local level. More natural meats in the super market. Organic sections too. Only all those things are more expensive and sometimes people can't afford to be more conscious in their eating habits.
I'm afraid that better eating is really more of a socio-economic phenomenon.
Even though money can be an issue over here, I want to try to change things up a bit.
My ideal diet would be based around the nutritional power of foods. National Geographic has a great chart in one issue that I tore out and hung on our fridge much to Jason's annoyance. It was a ranking of foods based on the amount of good stuff you get for what you are eating. Things like blueberries, coconut, and avocados got very high rankings (99-97 points or so). I consider these foods SUPER FOODS. The more processed foods are, the less you are getting for what you are eating which may cause you to eat more to try to make up for what you are lacking. Funny that the power of foods is pretty similar to the good 'ol food pyramid we all know (or knew. Didn't they change it to a weird circle?)
So, I am going to try again as I have on several occasions to give a damn about what I eat. Or at least put my food intake on the same level as River who out does me in fruits every single day. This means meal planning. This means some work. But it has to start somewhere and for now it needs to be baby steps. Switching to only whole grains (maybe making my own bread or dishing out more money for better breads that rape my wallet over at Whole Foods). Forcing more fruits and veggies into my diet (which I love but always seem to require more work to eat). Maybe even attempting cooking dinners... *shudders*.
I'd like to cut back to meats only once or twice a week which I sometimes do anyway. Shouldn't be a big deal. I'm not a huge meat eater to begin with. Although when I want a greasy burger, I really want that damn greasy burger. I already try to buy only natural meats (but what does that really mean anyway? Is it actually any better? I have no idea).
But here I go, trying again. Maybe this time it will stick?
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