Did everyone watch Oprah on Wednesday? It was a great show focused on food. It was all about being aware of what we are putting into our bodies and where our food comes from.
Michael Pollan, author of Food Rules, was there and discussed his rules for healthy eating and spoke a lot about the Western diet. The Western diet is a diet often eaten in the US of highly processed foods, refined grains, etc. Pollan's book provides some interesting and easy rules for a whole foods diet like...
Only eat foods that rot (aka twinkies don't rot)
or
Avoid Foods Advertised on Television.
The show was excellent and I realized how little I know about what I put in my body. I ran right out and bought Pollan's book. I found that I had lots of questions....
Why is "Grass Fed" important? What does "Cage Free" mean? Is there a difference between "Free Range" and "Cage Free"? What happens to the caged chickens? (it's not good I can tell you that)
I really want to change my diet to really become conscious foods and focusing on a diet of whole foods. According to Pollan's book, eating real food (produce, veggies) and abandoning the Western diet will result in better health and reduce your risk of disease. Heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, and some cancers are linked to the Western diet.
In addition, Alicia Silverstone (you know Cher from Clueless) was on the show featuring her cookbook The Kind Diet. Alicia is a vegan, which usually makes me head for the hills, but I was so intrigued by her cooking segments (with my favorite actress Laura Linney nonetheless) and I actually found myself wanting to eat these vegan dishes. You can see the videos here.
I was totally inspired by this show, if you missed it, the videos are all over Oprah's site and Pollan's book is easy to find anywhere. I really have to say I have been exhausted and not feeling too energetic lately. I really would love to change my energy so I'm thinking I need a food revolution. What about you?
PS- Remember this?
This was my short lived food blog, Peonies & Peppermint. I will be including all these posts on that blog as well.