01.31.07
Eat Food
“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
Sounds pretty easy, right? Wrong.
I’m still trying to digest all the information presented in Michael Pollan’s fascinating article Unhappy Meals from Sunday’s NY Times Magazine. The article is hard to summarize, because there’s so much pertinent information contained therein, but Pollan’s main recommendation is to stop fixating on nutrients and focus our diets more on whole foods.
But that’s a lot easier said than done, at least for me.
Some people are super conscious of their appearance, always influenced by the latest fashion magazines and celebrities; I’m hyper-conscious of food, influenced by lifestyle magazines and celebrity chefs. I’m always thinking about food, reading about it, worrying about it, or eating it.
When I started this obsession, it was to facilitate a much-needed weight loss. I still struggle with those 10-15 pounds that I never seem to be able to get rid of, but I am much healthier than I was at the start of my journey, and a lot of that is because of my dedication to the cult of food.
What to do, then, when Mr. Pollan tells me to stop worrying about getting enough protein with my carbs? To stop multiplying calories by grams of fiber? To toss my multi-vitamins?
Frankly, I would love to give up all these silly food affectations and obsessions that I’ve acquired over the years and return to a simpler lifestyle eating more healthful, whole foods. I tell myself this, and yet, I keep coming up against mental blocks when trying to implement it. (Am I really supposed to go back to full-fat butter instead of margerine??? It contradicts everything I’ve ever known!) Old habits die hard.
I’m not at a point in my life where I can go through my kitchen and throw away anything with more than five ingredients, but even thinking about some of Pollan’s assertions has me changing the way I’m thinking about food.
It may be a long row to hoe, getting to a place where I am truly living his mantra to “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants,” but I think it’s an important step in my life. Maybe I’m past the point when I need to analyze every single calorie that goes into my mouth. Maybe I’m coming to a place where the whole should be more important than the sum of its parts; rather than allowing it to be my whole life, maybe it’s time to let food in general become just another part of the whole.
~*~
My dear friend Cate is sending me Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, which we both plan to read, so expect more musings to come.
01.29.07
B&N Book Clubs
In the self-improvement section, Barnes and Noble online is now offering online book clubs where readers from around the world can chat about a book — and then chat with the author. Current authors include Phillipa Gregory and Kim Edwards.
Unhappy Meals
I think this article from The New York Times may change my life. It’s all about the pseudo-science of nutritionism and the many and varied reasons why the Western diet is making us all fat and unhealthy.
The article is long, but well worth it. I’m sure I will have more to say about it soon, but I may need to re-read and (pardon the pun) digest.
01.23.07
Monday, Monday
If you’re feeling a little down in the dumps today, you’re not alone. Researchers in England have declared today Blue Monday: the unhappiest day of the year.
Dr Cliff Arnall, a Cardiff University psychologist, devised the formula that shows today is the most depressing.
His equation takes into account six factors: weather, debt, time since Christmas, time since failing our new year’s resolutions, low motivational levels and the feeling of a need to take action.
Taken together they pinpoint today as ‘Blue Monday’.
I’m not sure I believe that there can be a single day of the year that is more prone to cause depression than any other, but if you’re feeling a little down in the dumps take steps to make yourself feel better. Make a list of things you are thankful for. Make a “Ta-Da!” list of things you’ve accomplished instead of a to-do list.
And, if you’re feeling a little blue about the resolutions you may or may not be keeping, why not try the 31 things in 31 days plan to accomplish a few little things instead of one big one; pick and choose from among their many good ideas. I especially like the idea of making a list of 10 or 15 “fun” resolutions that are easy to keep. It’s never too late!
01.22.07
The Coupon Game
I’ve never been terribly good at being frugal, but certain aspects of it have always appealed to me. Like coupons. I love me some coupons. Speaks to my OCD, I think.
In any case, some time ago, I discovered the Coupon Mom website. Obviously, people who aren’t moms can also use and benefit from it, because what it does is compare the weekly circulars from your local grocery stores with the coupons that have come out in the Sunday paper and then combines them for you so you can get the best deals. It’s really kind of awesome. The idea is, if you buy things only when they are on sale and stock up, you will never have to pay full price for an item, which sounds good to me!
Today, we went and did some major shopping in preparation for yet another impending snow storm this weekend.
I spent $65.30 at Walgreens, but I saved $49.63 with a combination of sales and coupons. That means I got almost $115 worth of groceries (at full price) for $63.
Not too shabby.
For instance? I bought five boxes of cereal. Cereal normally costs about $4 a box. I paid $0.50 each for the five boxes. And now? I won’t have to buy cereal for MONTHS. Cereal doesn’t go bad, and we have room to store it. Where’s the bad?
Not everyone likes clipping coupons. I happen to enjoy it. But the best part about the Coupon Mom system is that you don’t clip the coupons! You save the entire circular, and then, when something goes on sale, you go back and clip out just the coupon you need. The online list tells you which circular it’s in (by date and brand) and even reminds you when certain coupons are about to expire. It even tells you the percentage you’re saving on any given deal, so you can decide for yourself if it’s worth buying those five boxes of cereal.
Also? The web site is free, unlike some other grocery game websites. And we love free, precious. Yes we do.
Drugstore Doubles
[via not martha]
Look like a million without shelling out the Benjamins. Paula Begoun of Paula’s Choice dishes the dirt on drugstore doubles: products that give you the same bang as their pricey counterparts for a lot less buck.
I’m not much of a diva when it comes to cosmetics; there are so many choices out there, I’m frequently overwhelmed. But one thing I do know: I never want to pay more than I have to for quality products. This seems like a great guide to getting the good quality for less.
