To Eat Human: #4 in a series about eating food in a habitually healthy way
Watch what you eat. Literally, look at the raw ingredients you chow down.
EVERYONE CAN COOK!
And everyone should cook. But we don’t. And we suffer the harsh consequences of those decisions. Because that is what they are. I get genetics. Now we know. If you’re overweight and blaming genetics, show me the test. Because it shows us the solution.
For the rest, it’s what we shove down our pie hole. How and why we do it spawns a billion-dollar industry and a graveyard of dead-diet-dreams. My goal in this series is to prove that each morsel of food you select to put into your mouth is your choice - not a food-processing company’s. Choose more wisely.
In this short post, I link to several resources - written and video - that you should check out if you’re serious about food and it impacts your life. Life is moving at full speed and presents many intersections that we must anticipate, react to, plan for, recover from and live with the consequences of.
Being mindful of your eating habits while the choices you make matter makes much difference in the end. If you have a friend looking for mindful choices, please share this with them.
The AI generated image above is beautiful and bucolic. Distorted and dystopic. Idyllic and idealistic. Like a planter box of mac n cheese next to a couple boxes of fries. In a broccoli forest. With black workers. These Robots have a mind of their own!
As if, like the information super-highway, our food comes to us on a autobahn of affliction: diabetes, heart disease, obesity, addiction. We intentionally ignore the input and willfully question the output. To our detriment.
Of all the lessons Eating Healthy imparts, it’s over-arching goal is for you to eat fresh food. Not processed food. I get it. I eat processed food. Just not all of the time. How many times a week are you eating processed food?
However, not all processed food is bad for you. Some foods need processing to make them safe, such as milk, which needs to be pasteurized to remove harmful bacteria. High-fiber breakfast cereals, whole fiber breads, and some lower-fat yogurt can also form part of a healthy diet
Here are some ways to cut back on ultra-processed foods:
Cook more often: Cook at home without using ultra-processed ingredients.
Dine with friends and family: Studies show that people who dine together have better eating habits.
Dine out on better choices: Choose restaurant meals that are fresh and healthy.
Consider the source: Think about where your food comes from.
Read food labels: Get in the habit of reading food labels so you can easily identify and cut back on foods that are high in sugar, salt, or saturated fat
5 Reasons Cooking With Friends And Family Is Good For Your Health
Psychological Benefits of Cooking With Others
Cook with friends
Plan a menu with friends. One picks a protein. Another selects a starch. Veggies from the visitors. The mystery is the meal. The magic is the moment. And it’s completely unprocessed. Can we live in this reality? Is there freedom in food?
Let’s find out. Eat well = Be well.
Ric
These are amazing videos that you need to watch.
Slowing down to eat/cook have made a big impact in my life. My kids are now old enough to cook as well, and while a lot of that is things like Mac & cheese, I think it's a good start.
It’s just food. You have to eat a certain amount or you starve. Anything more is just fetishization of the eating process.
People who spend all fucking day talking about what they are going to eat later, and when, and how they will cook it, are the most annoying people on the planet. It’s food. You put it in your mouth and swallow it. It’s not some hypersexual ritual. Chew it, swallow, and get it over with so you can go do something useful.