power smoothie

I’ve been reading In Defense of Food. Forgive me while I briefly climb onto a soap box.

I’m trying to incorporate some non-fiction into my summer reading. Partially to seem more cultured and partially to wean myself off of the school-work train.

Although I’m still sort of on that train- I’m trying to get my thesis published (big mistake- big pain in the ass) and I’m taking the Praxis in a couple of weeks so I’ve been pretending to study for that. But non-fiction on my Kindle- this is my real focus.

This book is giving me a sort of a slap-your-forehead DUH moment. It talks about how eating real foods (fruits, vegetables, meat, whole grains) is better for you than processed foods. Scientists went through a period where they figured out (or attempted to figure out) what specific nutrients were in healthy foods, and then crammed them into a bunch of other stuff. Focusing on these individual components in naturally healthy items rather than what they are as a whole is a big mistake.

The big focus on eliminating fat in the diet is also a problem. We neeeeed it. And not just for emotional well-being. He isn’t advocating that we throw caution to the wind and start wolfing down extra cheese pizza, but choosing the low-fat or fat-free items may not always be the healthier choice. And this one stuck out to me- any food that has to advertise that it’s healthy, probably isn’t. Have you ever seen a produce aisle that says “Pick me! I’m HEALTHY!” Probably not.

It kind of reminds me of the whole low ingredient diet philosophy. Not that I eat a lot of processed foods. The worst thing in my diet is probably eating cereal every morning, but it’s not like I’m eating Lucky Charms. I pick something with whole grains.

Although according to Michael Pollan, if it’s advertising whole grains it probably has a bunch of crap in it that I shouldn’t be eating.

This smoothie might be a better breakfast alternative.