Day 2: Holy Cow Man

I was going to write a post this morning, with no other motivation than my experience on Wii Fit last night. For the record, my BMI is about 21.5 and my Wii Fit Age is only 22 (I'm 23).

But then, I happened to watch Food Inc. today. Have you seen it? Holy cow. Or, in the case of corporate American farming...not-so-holy cow.

I'll try not to get into a lot of details of the movie, but really...you should watch it. Don't worry, it's not like the book The Jungle, and it won't turn you into a vegetarian or vegan. In fact, one of my favorite interviews was with a farmer who raised chicken, pigs, etc. and refuses to sell out to corporate American farming practices. Rock on, fella. BUT...it will definitely get you to think twice (three times, even) about where your food is coming from.

I'll admit, I'm definitely turning into a big hater of mass-produced anything. But, I'm also broke, so I understand the appeal. I've managed to give up Walmart (yea...I watched that documentary, too), but I'm not going to pretend like Target (one of my favorite stores) is an angel.

But the most important information that I took away from this documentary was not just about the evils of corporation and money. Not just about the poor conditions for workers or the animals being produced. Among all of these concerns, my biggest is the quality of nutrition (or lack thereof?).

I already knew that most mass-produced beef cattle are fed corn (because corn is used in EVERYTHING)...but I didn't realize that eating corn is what causes Ecoli in cows. ECOLI people...not fucking cool. Cows are meant to eat grass...this is why. And don't think you're safe if only one cow gets Ecoli. Because in mass production, that one cow's meat is mixed with thousands of other cows' meat. (Hence nationwide outbreaks...awesome). And the Ecoli in spinach (that outbreak was in 2006, I believe)? That's because all of these mass-produced-cows' shit gets dumped into waters that end up being used to irrigate crops. YUMMY!

I haven't even started on chicken or pigs yet. And have I mentioned that corn is used in EVERYTHING? Because it is...in genetically altered forms with names that you might recognize, but probably can't pronounce. High Fructose Corn Syrup is only one among many.

Personally, I'd like everything that enters my body to be natural unless I specifically choose something that I know isn't. (I had a Splenda addiction...and I mean addiction...for a year or two.) But our super fun, FDA this, Censor that, control control control government will actually pass laws that protect companies from labeling whether or not their food is genetically altered. In fact, one company basically dominates most of the soybean industry...they genetically alter soybeans to make them immune to pesticides and such. And farmers that don't comply get to lose thousands and thousands of dollars in lawsuits! Yay government!!!

Well, now my roommates have put a movie on (Paranormal Activity...I've wanted to see it for months), so I'm going to end my ranting for today.

I will say, before I go, that unfortunately I did not eat completely vegan today. Apparently, the won ton wrappers that I used to make "vegan" pot stickers have eggs in the ingredients. But, they are organic...so I feel better about that at least.

Tomorrow I've got a sushi date w/ the boyfriend...but I'm going to try to order off of a "sustainable seafood" guide so I can eat healthier AND protect our ocean! Mmm...I love sushi. But other than that...all vegan and organic tomorrow. Rock on.

Day 1: Skinny Bitch wannabe

Have you heard of the book Skinny Bitch?

I read a little bit of it at Barnes and Noble a few days ago. I liked the verbiage. Anyone who tells me what to "fucking" eat and what's "shit" is a winner in my book. (They curse...a lot. I love it.)

Anyways, they got my attention. And the facts they presented about foods and how our bodies process them made a ridiculous amount of sense. So much, it pissed me off a little bit.

Let me track back some...I did a detox recently...none of that crazy lemon juice maple syrup cayenne pepper crap. But an all natural, eat-what-your-body-was-meant-to-eat sort of diet. And I felt amazing. And my digestive system thanked me. Did I drop a lot of weight? No. Why? Because I'm at a very healthy weight and I didn't starve myself.

Forward to this Skinny Bitch book...the diet was sooo similar when it came to what one should eat and why. Except, these women were way more descriptive and funny about the "why" part. Here's a little sparknotes version of that chapter:

We're not naturally carnivores. Natural carnivores (Lions and tigers and bears, oh my) kill and eat their prey...without cooking it in the oven first.

We're not meant to chow down on all kinds of seafood. Otherwise it probably wouldn't poison us with Mercury or raise our cholesterol.

And my favorite section of the book (please read it...the writers were hilarious)...We stop sucking our mom's boobs as toddlers. No other animal requires milk as an adult...neither do we.

Annnnnnd after 23 years of hating on vegans and their fake meat, I've come around and decided to give it a shot. Not because I have strong convictions about the way animals are treated in the process (yes, it is awful...but it doesn't keep me from enjoying the fuck out of lambchops or filet mignon). And not because I'm trying to conform to the rest of the tree-hugging, bongo drumming, artsy stoners in the city where I reside. Not even because I'm trying to be super skinny like I used to be (that's what exercise is for). But because I love learning about nutrition, and I LOVE a good challenge.

Will I cheat? Hell yes. I plan to enjoy the shit out of some fresh sushi/sashimi, and I REFUSE to be that annoying dinner guest with a list of dietary restrictions. And I won't even start about those drunken munchies...

But why not be as healthy as I can in my regular, daily life...so that I can feel good and enjoy the fun and crazy times?!

So here we go. Day 1. So far, so good.

Like Julie and Julia, but with way less butter.

I'm not a blogger.

I didn't keep a diary as a young girl. Diaries, blogs, and typing in general tend to get me into trouble...because my fingers type a lot faster than my censoring capabilities can keep up with. The fun part of typing an e-mail, blog, or text is the ability to review and edit it before you push "send." But I'm not so good at checking my work, and like I said, I get myself into trouble.

SO...this blog will be about my journey to finding a healthier lifestyle. Because I can't hurt Big Mac's feelings by accidentally calling it fat or stupid. And a Butterfinger Blizzard probably won't go do something so scandalous that I feel the need to tell the world about it.

However, I will probably end up offending: vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, carnivores, overweight people, super skinny people, nutritionists, fast food junkies, and other bloggers. Too damn bad...get over it.

Recipes, nutrition statistics, and other commentary (especially if it's controversial) are totally welcome.