Tryna Eat Right

One of my aims in growing a garden is to eat better. I'm not a huge fan of dieting-I think denying myself the foods I crave only leads to ultimate failure. I can't keep it up forever and eventually I end up binging. :: sad face :: Wholesome foods and exercise are where it's at.

However, I do try to keep the amount of processed food in my diet to a minimum. I like knowing everything that's on the ingredients label. Propylene glycol? Glycerol triacetate? Xylitol? Do you know what that stuff is? I certainly don't, and I've even got three semesters of organic chemistry under my belt! So why would I want that stuff in my body? Especially considering the FDA classifies most food additives as "generally recognized as safe." Generally? I'd like a little more conviction when you say that!

I believe that if I start with some basic ingredients: pasta, rice, fresh fruits & vegetables, spices, I will know what I'm putting into my body, it will be more nutritious and I can cut down on the things we all know we shouldn't be eating. You know what I'm talking about-cheese puffs, Twinkies, etc. I'm convinced there is a direct connection between orange food coloring and food quality!

I also think that fresher ingredients mean better taste. And if it starts out tasting better, I can cut down on things like butter, salt and even meat. No I'm not going veg-although I have mucho respect for those who are. However, I know meat production eats up a vast amount of resources and has a proportionally larger carbon footprint than many other foodstuffs. Red meat especially is bad for the environment-cattle farms are simply not sustainable. So even though I'm not cutting meat out of my diet entirely, cutting back even a little bit helps.

So those're my thoughts on eating right. Anyone else have any thoughts to share?