Hey, I’m on a roll. 10 things I like about
my body, about exercise, why not about eating right?
Way back in the first week of
#100DaysofHealth, I set up my philosophy on eating during this time as, “Eat
real food, not too much, mostly plants” (which I stole directly from Michael
Pollen, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma).
I’d say that I’ve done just that for the
majority of the 55 days leading up to this post—but there have been times
(right now is one of them) wherein the lure of the meats and sweets has had me
in that state of mind that says, “Well, I’ve already blown it for today, so
might as well go nuts”.
I still have a LOT of trouble staying with
the ‘not too much, mostly plants’ resolution when I’m out of town, and
ESPECIALLY when I’m out of town with others as I was this week. The constant
interaction required in events that I run, or in conference-type situations,
stresses me quite a bit, and my reaction to stress can still be summed up as “eat
and drink it away”.
The funny thing is, when at home, I
actually LIKE food that’s good for me. Vegetables, especially when prepared in
unusual ways and combinations, are amongst my favorite comestibles. Certain
fruits (ripe watermelon and cherries) are my go-to sweets. I don’t have the
handicap that some people do that I have to force myself to down green things.
Nonetheless, the call of high-cal,
low-nutrient food groups is strong. So here’s my list of the 10 best reasons
NOT to listen to their siren song:
1.
No animals have to die to put a vegetable on my
plate. I love animals, and I wish there were a way to eat them without making
them stare death in the face. Every veggie I eat takes a place on my plate away
from a cow or pig or lamb
2.
It’s the rare fruit or vegetable that you can
eat enough of to cause diabetes. I guess some would make an argument for
potatoes being a danger, and I imagine that if all you ate was mangos or beets
you might be in trouble, but in general, this isn’t the food group that causes
problems. The more of it that’s on my plate, the less room there is for bread
and cake and sugar and other problematic items
3.
Ditto cholesterol.
4.
Ditto, for that matter, weight. Who gets fat
eating fruits and vegetables? Can you even imagine how much you’d have to put
away to get or stay fat?
5.
They’re cheap
6.
They’re as easy or hard to prepare as you make
them
7.
They’re full of fiber. One of my friends
recently had a bout with diverticulitis, which I understand is caused by a lack
of fiber. Having seen the results of that, I’ll pass. Fiber is also an
important mechanism for ridding the body of cholesterol. And then there’s the
other thing it does. I’m all for fiber.
8.
They have a lot more nutrients than meat and
grains. I think that we’re eventually going to find out that most supplements
are incomplete and hard for the body to absorb. We evolved to get what we
needed from our food, and a lot of that stuff comes only from fruits and
vegetables.
9.
I never feel crappy after eating plants, the way
I do after eating carbs.
10.
It’s almost impossible to over-eat them.
Yay plants.
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