my soapbox moment.

lately, i have been doing a lot of thinking and changing my perspective and ideas about the kinds of food i elect to put into my body.

my borderline obsession with being healthy began in 2003, my senior year of high school, when i was struggling to turn my negative thoughts about food around into something more productive and positive.  as i began to realize that i could make my own decisions about which kinds of food i could nourish myself with, i began to feel more empowered.  that same year i eliminated red meat from my diet and swore off not only hamburgers, meatballs, and corned beef hash, but also became more vigilant about reading ingredient labels to make sure there was no lard or beef fat in any packaged foods i might eat.

three years later i slipped almost entirely into vegetarian-world, eliminating anything from my diet that once had a pulse.  (inspired by a scene from the film baraka, my vegetarian phase lasted about six months before a nasty bout of malnutrition forced my weakened body into deep, intense protein cravings in the form of chicken and fish).

since then, i feel like i know what my body needs, and i know that first and foremost, the most important thing that i can do for myself, or that any of us can do for ourselves, is to listen to your body.  when you think about it, it makes quite a lot of sense.  when you are a baby, you don't even realize it, but the basic things that you require have to do with the most simple of body functions/needs ("mom!  wah!  i'm hungry!", or, "dad!  i pooped!", or, "jesus christ I need a nap here, people.")  as we grow it seems that we sacrifice the innermost needs and instincts of our bodies for the sake of convenience.  and once you're old enough to not have to live off of cheerios sprinkled on your high chair and pureed peas out of a jar, i think it should be everyone's right to have healthy, wholesome, and, of recent importance, local foods available to them.

i'm not trying to indoctrinate people with my veggie-head philosophies; i am merely trying to explain my personal story behind the food-related decisions i make.  "so you eat chicken, sometimes, and sometimes pork, but not beef?  why?"  is a question i repeatedly field whenever i disclose my somewhat-quirky food choices.  it gets frustrating.  when it comes down to it, i don't look at other people quizzically as they hork down a large carton of french fries from burger king.  why should my personal diet choices have to come under scrutiny?  i am making healthy choices.  i am choosing to put food into my body that makes me feel good, and that i feel good about eating.  if i ate a box of french fries, i would feel sluggish and sick.  already knowing that helps me to limit myself from eating it, because no matter how delicious the fries might be while i am eating them, i know that the painful after-effects are not worth the momentary pleasure.  if i ate a steak, i would feel morally appalled (not to mention physically ill, after eliminating beef from my diet for six years).

using this fantastic and thought-provoking article as a basis for my inspiration, having one meal consisting of meat per week is my new goal.  i don't know at this point if i am going to phase out meat completely from my diet.  and god knows i need to eat a crab cake every now and again.  but eliminating meat-based meals is not only nutritionally healthy, it is environmentally friendly and morally satisfying (at least, for me).  now that i know more about nutrition and cooking, i know how to supplement to nutrients i am missing from meat into my more veggie-ful dishes.  and if i want a piece of chicken one night, then, dagnabbit, i am going to have it (i've learned that the worst thing you can do is deprive yourself).

the first step i've taken into the world of local eating is by joining my area's local csa farm, and i urge you to find out if there is a similar program in your area.  it is fun, it is rewarding, it is cost-effective, and it gives you the most delicious local, organic produce in return for a few hours of getting dirt under your fingernails.

the bottom line is that i believe food is a sacred entity.  i am becoming more and more excited about being a part of the process of having a hand in the production of the food that i eat.  if i can go out in my backyard and pick a tomato fresh off the vine, why would i ever choose to do otherwise?  having a hand in the cycle is spiritual and brings you closer to the entire process, i've found.

thanks for listening, and happy eating.