Thoughts on Food

For years I subscribed to the lowfat, high fiber theory of health.  I was a master at cutting fat and using low fat alternatives.  My ideas on those theories have changed dramatically on this journey.

I believe that the creator of this body I inhabit knew and supplied the best nutrients and sustenance for it.  He did this by providing plants and animals for the use of man.  When Adam and Eve began to feed themselves and their family 'by the sweat of their brow' there was no MacDonald's, no Kraft Mac n Cheese, no Costco frozen food isle, no take out and in fact, no boxed anything.  Further if you pick up a box, a bag or a frozen dinner and read the ingredient list you might be surprised how much of it isn't 'food' you even recognize. It might also surprise you to see how many things on the list have names that suspiciously resemble words from high school chemistry class.

What are we eating?  What were our bodies designed to eat?  As I ask these questions I come back time and again to whole foods in their natural form.  To me this means foods grown in soil rich with vitamins and minerals restored naturally, not chemically.  It means eating meat and using fat from animals that have eaten what their bodies were designed to eat, rather than what is cheapest and puts the most weight on the fastest. It means eating whole grain breads made traditionally so they are healthy and not harmful to our bodies.  For me it means searching my heart, listening to my body and finding what nourishes us.

We are by no means perfect, in fact we are far from it and seem to ride a roller coaster diet sometimes.  When life is under control I soak all grains, use traditional yeast to bake with, we eat mostly organic, I make bone broths and fermented foods.  When life is not under control I yearn for fermented foods, for soaked grains and bone broth while we skip ferments altogether, make bread in a hurry without soaking grains and eat cold cereal (I know, I know but it happens!).  But not living our ideal doesn't mean we don't keep reaching for it and so we begin anew, making slow progress, but progress nonetheless.

There are popular diets touted by many; gluten free, dairy free, paleo, vegan, vegetarian.  I have read valid, convincing arguments for each but I must come back to my own heart. For me traditionally prepared grains,  raw dairy (which is an ideal we haven't reached yet), all fruits and vegetables and even honey are a part of our diet.  This works for us right now so that's what we choose.

-November 13, 2013