On the path...

Stage Two: Clean closet, Cleaner food

Things have been coming a lot easier lately... eating cleaner, living with only what I need, cleaning out my life essentially and I don't miss any of the excess. On the contrary I feel weightless like I can fly anywhere and won't be held back by the things that weighed me down once. Since I've been learning about health and nutrition I've been introduces to a number of eating styles. Though I don't think that there is only one that in solely right, I do believe in cleaner eating and sustainable eating, consuming foods that what will keep me healthy and nourished for the rest of my life. I have weaned myself off of processed foods, no added sugars, salt or added fats. I've been eating more of a plant based diet, and although I will on occasion eat meat, I must be conscious of where it comes from. I've watched many documentaries recently about where all the food in stores comes from, how it's "made" or processed and my eyes have been opened to something that I chose not to see for so long. Our processed foods like microwaveable meals, sugary cereals, flavored chips are made with chemicals, artificial colors and flavors and made to look like food. All those artificial ingredients cause our immune systems to break down, give us diseases and cause us to become addicted to that as the normal standard for what our food is. Since going on a healthier path and eating more raw foods such as organic and locally sourced fruits and vegetables, food tastes better, I have more energy and I feel more alert. I haven't felt sick, not even once. Well, I just lied. I have felt sick once and it was when I ate processed food. I went to a certain popular theme park and had a chimichanga. After three bites I realized this wasn't going to agree with me and I put it down. I got sick to my stomach. I knew it was because of the toxins that went into that food, the processed cheese made of chemicals, the cheap chicken that was probably filled with hormones and antibiotics and the sauces filled with salts and artificial flavors and colors all wrapped up in shiny packaging to signify to my brain that this would be good for me because it looks so pretty. Speaking of the meat, I watched a documentary recently called, "Frankensteer", which highlights the meat/poultry industry and how the United States has become a global leader in cheap meats. There is a reason for that, the practices that go into raising the cattle, the conditions, the feed and the actual processing of the meat is a cut cornered, streamlined practice that has such a huge demand, that many areas are overlooked in order to meet that demand. A prime example of the after effect of cut corners is Mad Cow disease came from what cows were eating...ground remains (bones, flesh etc..) from other cows, fish and birds. It was thought that letting the cows graze on grass as they would in a normal natural environment took too long for them to gain weight and it was too expensive to wait for that. Instead, they were fed cheap alternatives, grains with antibiotics to fend off disease from them living knee deep in their own excrement's. They were shot up with hormones so they would grow quicker and larger to produce more meat per cow.  A large part of the processed grains they were fed contained ground flesh and bones from other slaughtered animals. There was an organism found in that ground meal that when consumed by the cows caused their brains to turn into mush and become full of holes like Swiss cheese. They began to display bizarre behaviors. Same went for lambs and birds that were fed this same type or ground meal. It was found that when that meat was consumed by humans, they began to display the same symptoms. So do you care about what goes into your meat? The meat industry has become so large trying to meet the demands of the consume that even the agricultural industry regulators that are supposed to keep us safe cannot keep up and many broken rules, laws and regulations go overlooked. The same types of things can happen with the processed foods we eat. The foods that are grown on such a massive scale like some fruits that are grown in soil that has been filled with genetically created fertilizer so they grow bigger, brighter, but notice one side effect...tasteless. They are sprayed with pesticides and though some people wash them before eating, who's to say that the residues are entirely gone? How can you trust that?  Before even watching all of these documentaries about the food I eat and where it comes from, I began eating better. With a positive influence from a significant other who is very conscious about what he eats and where his food comes from. His habits rubbed off on me and I have had the desire to learn more. So far I've been eating organic greens, fruits and vegetables. I've also noticed that the organic fruits taste amazing. Like they used to when I was little. There is such a huge benefit to eating an organic and locally sourced diet. Benefits to your health and your environment. In my next post I will dive deeper into the benefits to be had from eating cleaner. I pose for anyone to try it and see how well you feel after a week. How much better food tastes. Try it. Why not?