The weekend before last we drove to my hometown in WV to see my mom graduate from the LPN to RN program at the nearby college. Go mom! On our way there and back we listened to In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan and I have to say after reading loads of diet books, watching documentaries like Fast Food Nation and Food Inc. nothing has affected my lifestyle more than this book. The common sense theories jumped out at me and I found myself excitedly saying to josh “this is so obvious! Why is this concept so hard?” and then I realized that the way we currently eat has been normalized by capitalism and advertising. Wow.
That basic message of In Defense of Food, for me, was and still is eating real food. What is real food? Anything that hasn’t been processed, you recognize every ingredient in and is as close to the earth as possible. I loved what he said about Americas obsession with nutritionism which is, in short, finding a “super nutrient” in food such as protein or fiber or omega-3’s and injecting it in food that isn’t real and then calling it health food. Go to the store and you will find yogurt that has been filled with fiber or nutrition bars filled with protein. Science has pinpointed a helpful nutrient in real food and then found a way for us to eat in food that isn’t real. I can’t tell you how often I’ve relieved my conscience by eating sugary non-food bars because “it has fiber!” or convinced myself that protein in foreign-weird tasting nutrition bars is “health food”. He explains that we don’t know the exact relationship that the nutrients in whole grains that make fiber helpful, but just extracting fiber has not helped us become healthy people.
We’ve taken something as simple as yogurt and made it into non-food. We have been made scared by the ploys of people selling non-food into believe real food is bad for us. How many times have we been made to feel guilty about all the fat and calories in an avocado a fruit that has many nutrients and health benefits, while handed chemical food in healthy packaging and believing that was the better choice? As if I can’t believe it’s not butter, or heart smart were acceptable with their laundry list of fake ingredients. Pasta now has omega-3, bread now has tons of protein. How is this normal? And why am I so mad that I’ve bought into this for a very long time. I’ve been around long enough to have experienced every fad from low fat, low carb to high protein. And I’ve been in every single one of them eating non-food diet-food thinking that it was going to make me not fat.
I am still fat.
Companies seemingly are not making a ton of money from real food. And guess what? Real food is really good. Since moving to Floyd, my real food quota has gone up exponentially. I have the chance to buy real food at local stores and farmed less than 50 miles away. I never knew what peaches really tasted like, or that fresh tomatoes and natural full-fat yogurt are worthy of cravings. Sometimes when I make real food for others, I get asked “is this healthy?” because maybe olive oil or real butter from local cows was spied from over my shoulder and I reply “yes, this is real food”.
I once believed that eating a lean cuisine diet meal was healthful diet food. Lean cuisine is gross compared to real traditional Indian, Italian or greek food. Traditional food, made with real ingredients is healthful and it makes me sad that I’ve believed otherwise for years. I’ve been made to feel guilt for preferring real food.
My question has gone from “is this diet food?” to “is this real food?” because the two just are not interlinked. When I watched Julia and Julie in the theaters recently and realized that Julia Child got it. She loved food and you can see it her writing and in her cooking shows. She was not eating margarine, and definitely not Splenda. She made full-fat French food and loved it. This woman was not obese and lived until she was 94. However, a good lot of us who have been dieting and eating diet food off and on our wholes lives may not make it to 50, 60 or 70 without developing food related diseases. We are never full or satisfied because we are not eating real food. We are deprived from the fake food and overeat to compensate. We feel guilty when we do eat real food and punish ourselves. Is this a way to live?
I want to be a better eater. I don’t want to continue eating food substances thinking it is health food. I am asking myself “is this real food?” and if not, I pass. I’ve never ever in my life asked this question. I looked at the cereal, the poptarts, or the powdered donuts as an acceptable breakfast. I’ve felt better about sugar free or diet ice cream. I’ve felt for a long time, back behind the influence of food marketing, that surely this delicious real food was worth eating, enjoying and feeling satisfied over. Every time I post what I eat or a recipe I make I have people comment saying “well that could have been better for you if you used splenda” or “have you tried the new 1 point weight watcher bread, your breakfast would have been much healthier” or “you really shouldn’t cook with cream even if it is organic” or “it’s okay to have ice cream, as long as it is low fat” or “why didn’t you make that with low fat butter spread, you could have saved a few calories?”
Since listening to In Defense of Food which is not the end-all-be-all of food information, but definitely is a start for real food information, me and josh have been making a valid effort at eating better food. We spend money on real food even if it costs a little more. We spend a more time preparing food and thinking about meals even though we are busy. Because I can’t help but think the extra money and time in our health is a worthy enough cause.
So I turn this back to you, what is real food to you? How much time every week do you spend preparing meals? Do you support local agriculture?
Leave a comment any time between now and 6pm EST tomorrow (tuesday) and I will pick 2 commentors from random to send a copy of In Defense of Food. (only US commenters are entered in the drawing.)
Interesting stuff! I’ll have to read that book. Have you read “Mindless Eating”?
I’ve heard so much about this book, and have yet to read it. It sounds facinating. Thanks for your analysis.
I agree. That book changed my total food attitude as well. We try really hard to be local and real with our food choices. But it is so interesting to be with people who still buy into the “avacado is bad because it is full of fat” mentality. Being at back at home home this weekend was a real struggle. How do you handle eating when you are back in WV? Does your family share in your food attitude? I’m trying to figure out how to handle food when I am away from my house. How do I share it with them without being preachy? Do I take my own cooler of food? That’s what I’m trying to figure out now.
Have you read End of Overeating? It was just as thought-shifting for me.
Awesome post, by the way!
I have never heard of this book but it sounds wonderful. I’ve slowly started cooking more, and most of the time I use “real” ingredients. I still use canned products like diced tomatoes but mostly because when they are out of season they taste like crap and I dont have a garden yet
I do think there are ways to “save calories” and make a dish lighter. Like using milk with a lower fat content, or using 97/3 ground turkey instead of ground beef.
I also think that our preconceived notions about “diet food” comes from our parents, like I never have used butter on bread at home, its always been margarine because its “healthier” or my mother always using Sweet-n-low so she didn’t have to use sugar.
I need to buy this book!
Ok, done with my novel….
I have been dealing with this subject for years. Two of my three kids have type 1 diabetes. People look at me like I’m crazy when I say I don’t use splenda/equal/sugar twin. I don’t buy much in the way of sugar free anything. I bake and cook all the time and use real sugar. Maybe they could have had three cookies made with splenda instead one of mine, but they’re fine with one of mine.
Oh I saw this the other day at the book store. It sounds fab from what you are saying, I so know what you mean about buying into it, trying to use these ‘products’ but still being (whispers) fat, at the end and wondering whats going on. Fingers crossed I might get lucky and win a copy of the book…otherwise I better try and track a copy down. Think it might be essential reading for my 12 week challenge starting 1st September. I’d love it if you would take a look at my challenge (http://challenge12weeks.blogspot.com).
Perfectly Flawed x
I took a nutrition class and was surprised by all of this as well. I’ve always thought in a scientific, physiological way. Our bodies have evolved with real food. You can get some of the nutrients from that spinach from a vitamin, but your body is less likely to absorb them.
It is easy to buy the real food, the problem comes when you go to prepare it. It’s easier to pop something in the microwave for five minutes then it is to cut and saute veggies or to even cut a carrot into carrot sticks (which is the only way my kids will eat them).
Life is a balance. I think it’s illogical to swear off junk. The key to a healthy diet is not real food (although, it is a big part of it), the key is moderation. Don’t be gluttonous and you can enjoy the fake food, so long as it’s in moderation.
I need to make a better effort to eat better and eat real food. I like your thought process…is this diet food or real food. I’m adopting that starting today! Thanks!
nikki, i disagree, i think “junk food” can be real food too. Cake, cookies, ice cream are essentially “junk food” that can be made with real sugar, local/antibotic free eggs, butter etc. And these things should, obviously, be eaten in moderation.
The truth is, we spend so much time watching TV and being on the internet and less time actually preparing meals and interacting as families in the kitchen. Growing gardens, cooking etc.
Life is a balance, but eating real food is a decision we make every day.
I’m not swearing off junk food, I’m becoming educated about food. I don’t expect everyone to “get” it. I didn’t get it for a very long time, but it’s about awareness and understanding that our food culture today is manipulation through marketing, money making and advertising.
krissie- its hard not to come off as preachy (especially for me, I’m the queen of the soap box) but, the truth is I just get really excited about knowlege and growth that I wonder how other people aren’t as excited and interested in it as well.
I think for me, its weird and strange that something as basic as food has become such a hot topic with a heated emotional and seemingly political response.
My goal in life is to be informed and not just pass by with my head in the sand just because that is what is “normal”.
I went to an event this weekend with some interesting folks and was really surprised by how soda-crazy they were. When it ran out they were requesting more with tea and water sitting there on the table.
I thought it was so strange to depend so heavily on soft drinks. I wasn’t judgemental, but I loved thinking about the cultural and sociological aspect of it. And how much money people make selling surgar water, its really interesting.
I found your blog through other blogs and I really enjoy reading!
I LOVE Michael Pollan. He is great and I really enjoy his writing style. If you liked In Defense, you should check out the movie Food, Inc. It was great and really opened my eyes to the food industry in the country. There is a lot of great information on how the industry has actually engineered the perfect amount of fat, carbs, and sugar into foods to make us develop cravings for them. It’s so interesting and actually made me pretty mad (but in a good, want to change things sort of way).
I try to keep to the rule “if it didn’t come from the ground, or have a mother” then I don’t eat it. Granted, like people have said, you can’t adhere to the rules ALL the time, but I’m happy I follow this for myself at least 85% of the time. Over the past few years, I’ve learned so much more about cooking, healthy foods, nutrition, sustainable agriculture, local and organic foods, etc. etc. Like you said, it’s all about educating yourself and taking baby steps towards a healthy lifestyle FOR YOU. Not for anyone else.
Phew, sorry for the book! I get so excited to talk about it
I still eat some procesed foods, but have mostly moved away from them as food staples. My diet is about 50% produce, and because of that I can eat things like oil and real eggs, and not worry about gaining weight. And I’ve never felt better!
I try to cook every night from scratch, which means I don’t use any preprocessed items to cook my dinner.
Sure, sometimes you can’t avoid it, but it’s really not as much work as one would think to cook and eat healthy.
I loved your post about real food! this really resonated with me. It was also very well written – thank you for sharing!
Unfortunately, much as I’d love to be in your “prize draw”, I live in the UK..
Wow! If my library wasn’t closed on Monday’s I’d be headed there now to check out this book. I don’t spend much time preparing our meals, last nights veggies were popped in the microwave for 7 minutes, because ‘frozen’s better then canned’ and for some reason I don’t go for fresh, sadly because it stays in the house to long and goes bad.
Thanks for the info and I’ll be looking in to ‘real food’
I’ve never read Fast Food Nation. Would you recommend it?
My boyfriend and I need to lose quite a bit of weight but I find myself cooking more often from regular recipes than diet recipes because the food seems more real. I try to cook most days of the week but sometimes fail (pizza last night for example). Have you ever checked out Mark Bittman’s works? He’s all about eating real and simple food!
I’d rather eat an avocado than a pint of reduced-fat ice cream or use margarine in cooking!
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/features/diningandwine/columns/the_minimalist/index.html?scp=2&sq=the%20minimalist&st=cse
While I haven’t really sworn off processed foods in any meaningful way, I have been making a conscious effort to eat fewer chemicals. I used to read and want to try a lot of the stuff you see on Hungry Girl, but I’ve realized recently that most of their recipes are full of fake food (especially after I had a rather unpleasant experience with Tofu Shirataki “noodles”). I’d rather eat the real stuff and just try to eat less of it.
I’m so intrigued by this book and would love to read it. I try to make our breakfast and dinners as non-processed as possible – lunch? Not so much – can’t seem to shake the deli meat habit quite yet!
This is always so difficult for me. When we all live such busy lives, it’s so easy to grab a frozen meal that heats up in a matter of 10 minutes. But I know it isn’t healthy.
We’ve begun canning food grown from our own garden and from neighbors. Sometimes I get sick of shucking corn and snapping green beans, but I know it’s worth it, not only for living a healthier lifestyle, but living on a budget also.
I have not read this book yet, but it sounds similar to information I’ve been reading recently from different newsletters that I get. even though I know I should be eating “Real” Food 100% of the time, it’s so easy to fall into the convenience trap of some processed foods. Thank you for your post. Once again, I needed to be reminded. Though we eat real food about 75% of the time now, we could definitely be doing better. I must admit, I am guilty of buying Fat Free yogurt to save on calories, but I worry all the time about what I am ingesting because I eat it nearly every day.
One thing I must admit, my grocery bill has gone down a lot since we began to eat more real food…even when I spend a little more for organic stuff, my grocery bill is still lower. I think I need to just bite the bullet and throw away the remainder of the crutch foods I keep around just in case I’m too busy to cook or plan ahead for a meal. It will be difficult, but so worth it in the end.
Really interesting – have you picked up The Omnivore’s Dillema yet?
Amen! Great post – I’m a huge fan of Michael Pollan’s and think in Defense of Food is great resource for people trying to be not only healthy, but more conscious of where their food is coming from and what it takes to get there. I also recommend the more intense Omnivore’s Dilemma – you will never look at corn the same way again.
I’ve also stopped buying all the “low fat” processed food out there. As he suggests, I eat things my grandparents and great grandparents would recognize as food, which I think is a great standard. In all their pictures from early adulthood they are slim and healthy looking. And, if I want cookies I don’t buy snackwells. I make them myself using butter, flour, sugar, eggs, etc. Or I try to buy them from a bakery that uses real ingredients.
I don’t spend a ton of time on food, but I make almost all of my own meals. If you keep a bunch of vegetables and greens on hand, you can pack a salad for lunch, grab a piece of fruit, maybe some crackers or bread. And (also a Michael Pollanism) “you can make anything taste good with garlic and olive oil.” And, it’s true! Chicken, fish, vegetables, grains, pasta – all can be made into some kind of dinner with basic staples.
This post really spoke to me. I’ve been on pretty much every diet out there and have tried all the “diet” foods you can think of. The idea of consuming “real” food is so much more appealing and appetizing than eating processed crap that has who knows what added to it. I have found that I am so much more successful at losing weight and keeping it off when I eat “real” food instead of using convenient “diet” foods. And in addition to being better for you, I enjoy cooking and I like to think the time I spend in the kitchen adds a little something extra to the meals I serve my boyfriend – he gets an extra helping of love too.
Exactly! We have made food so complicated, when it was designed to be VERY simple. Now to retrain myself . . .
That is so true! I have a friend who lost 40 lbs over two years eating “real food”. She wasn’t in a hurry about it, she was trying to get healthy. And it worked!!
Funny I had this similar discussion with my dh this past weekend. I was trying to convince him that it is alright to have a piece of choc. or a cookie EVERYDAY as long as its in moderation and not processed. I do ALOT of baking as I have 3 kids to feed and you know its really expensive to go out and buy all that crap like oreo cakesters, pop tarts because my kids would eat that stuff up in no time, which would lead me back to the store to buy some more. So I end up baking and although I have not made the switch from marg. to butter I hope to do so in the future. My kids love homemade raisin and oatmeal cookies….better for them than an oreo cakester
If you haven’t already, you’ll want to check out “Real Food” by Nina Planck. She goes into great detail about what real food is and why we should eat it. I learned so much from that book and from Michael Pollan.
Fantastic post. It’s amazing how bad processed food tastes once you get used to real food. It is such a viscous cycle once you start eating unhealthy processed food. Those foods often contain MSG or aspartame or some other excitotoxin. Your brain gets stimulated by the junk food, later you find yourself craving the same stimulation again. You have to break free from the junk food addiction, then you will realize how much you can actually enjoy healthy foods.
I’ve been SO wanting to read In Defense of Food. What a great giveaway! And I totally agree – am focusing my diet on eating real food instead of what seems to be “healthier” because it’s gotten added calcium/fiber/etc.
Lorrie,
Currently I have given up all fake sugar. I try to eat only things that I can produce all the ingredients. I don’t like boxed/processed foods. I don’t feel healthy when I eat them. I want/crave REAL foods. The ironic part is that I’m still overweight. But I feel better about myself. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on this book and love your blog!
I felt very similar to what you felt after reading this book–but you articulated it so much better! I would love to have a copy of this book
Thanks.
Kaye
I agree that the BEST food is the simplest and least “messed with.” However, I do like some processed foods, such as Cheerios, etc. I think finding a balance that works for you individually is vital. We garden, shop the local farmer’s market when it is going, but also buy produce from the large supermarket. I would love to listen to “In Defense of Food,” as food is not an enemy OR a friend – it is simply food.
And I support local agriculture by being a farm wife to my 5th-generations farmer/stockman hubby! My daughter sells our produce to the local (little, independent) grocer for Christmas shopping money – sometimes small-town life is nice!
THANK YOU for this insight today! I quoted you on my little blog that no one reads and is really just my online stat/accountibility.
I do eat real food, as you describe above. And I see the value. And I know how much better my body loves me when I eat real food vs. processed junk. THanks for speaking out!
I have been starting to think the same way…LONG AGO…full fat, “regular”, real food was what they ate, in portions MUCH smaller than today…and there was much fewer incidents of obesity.
I already commented, but I as I kept on my google reader list, a Zen Habits post mentioned real food too:
http://zenhabits.net/2009/08/the-7-essential-rules-to-optimum-health-weight-loss/
I am really starting to wake-up in the same way. I can relate to your “diet food” mentality so well. I would love to win a copy!
I haven’t read “The End of Overeating” yet, but I’ve gotten the gist of it from what Krissie’s told me about it. Other than the fact that ‘real’ food is healthier for you, some of the things in “TEoO” will make you want to avoid all that other stuff just because those companies screw with your body so you’ll eat more of their crap. Stick it to the man!
Johnny:
If you read Fast Food Nation (which I recommend), you’ll never want to eat fast food again. That is one disturbing industry.
I am so with you! When I started my journey (by force due to heart health) I started by examining the sodium content of “healthy” foods and was floored… I have since learned that sometimes, full fat, natural food is way better than processed, so-called diet foods. You should get a copy of “Clean Eating” magazine – you would love it. I do!
Yay for this post. I have been a proponent of the “slow food” moment, which focuses on enjoying the entire process of eating, from harvesting to consumption. I would love to read this book!
I have been wanting to read this forever…
Hallelujah!! I am so happy to read this post that you have written and clearly thought a lot about! I had emailed you not long ago to let you know that I had come across your blog and spent basically an entire weekend reading it (like a book that i just couldn’t put down). Reading through almost 3 years worth of your blog entries, one can’t help but notice “patterns” in your diet/eating/exercise routine/food choices… Since I am such a huge supporter of/believer in REAL, LOCAL, FRESH FOOD – real butter, olive oil, milk, etc. sometimes I wanted to shake you and say “stop eating protein bars (or rice cakes/100 calorie snackpacks/lean cuisine/etc.) and eat delicious, real food. You will love it, feel better and be way more satisfied!
THANK YOU for writing about this, especially in a forum where you have so many dedicated readers who have an interest in diet and weight loss! We need to eat REAL food people! I am so proud of you!!
(oh, and we already have the book and I am from Canada, so no need to enter me. Have you read “The Omnivores Dilemma”?)
That book is a gem!
Actually, the reason I have never been able to do Jenny Craig or similar is precisely because I was raised eating real foods and I just can’t stand eating processed.
I have a friend who lost 80 lbs on Jenny Craig (gained half of it back and is now losing it through JC again), and I’m both appalled and amazed that she can do that to herself.
I love real food and my body shows it!
I eat mostly “real” and I am currently on a path to eliminate diet coke. I started drinking it because I had eliminated sugar from my diet, but I couldn’t eliminate soda! I wish I had never started.
I stumbled on to your blog in the last couple of months. I think you give a lot of insight into the struggles of losing weight, making healthy choices and having faith throughout this journey. I especially liked today’s post and In Defense of Food is actually on my list to read. Its sad to know that we have been sold a bill of goods when it comes to low fat/diet foods. We all should be eating “real food” and stay away from the chemicals in much of our food now such as fructose corn syrup which you would be amazed is in many processed foods, soda and juice. Companies started using it because it was cheaper than sugar and just as flavorful. With the use of fructose corn syrup you see the rise in obesity and all of us struggling to lose weight.
I think today’s post should make everyone think about what they eat. Thank you for putting good information out there. I’m glad you’re still blogging. Its nice to read someone else’s journey that is similar to one’s own.
Love this post and your insight. I am also trying to eat unprocessed foods and getting back to basics. I have tried every diet out there over the past 20 years. The only success I’ve had was when I lived in a country that did not have convenience foods of any kind. Everything was freshly picked, baked, and slaughtered. My husband never had a weight problem until he moved to the U.S from Russia. He frequently ponders many of the points you’ve touched upon.
I have recently said “no” to ready-to-eat lunches, i.e. anything that is frozen and comes in a box. Preparing meals is a bit more laborious, but when I go to the kitchen at work for lunch, I’d much rather see a Tupperware bowl filled with fresh salad, shrimp, beans and a sprinkle of feta cheese than a plastic-covered pasta that is basically noodles, soupy sauce and leaves me ravenous within five minutes!Kudos to you and to everyone who is abandoning processed products, and for supporting local farmers…nothing in the store holds a fork to a homegrown tomato!!
TOTALLY AGREED Lorrie!! I did not actually get this concept myself until I removed myself from North America, (the king of fake food continents), and moved over to North Africa where I am currently. Don’t get me wrong, there is still “fake food” here but it is much more difficult to find than the real thing. At first, I sought out any of the diet food that I could possibly find. I thought, “What am I going to do? All of this yogourt is full fat! There is no light or lite or diet or calorie reduced or fat free ANYTHING! I am going to be 100 pounds heavier for sure!” Then something miraculous happened. I stopped bothering with the few “diet” products I could find and simply ate the real thing because it tasted better, was much easier to find and much less expensive. I lost 50 pounds in 6 months without putting a single “diet this or that” into my mouth and just counting the calories of the real food I was putting into my body. It is possible – these fake and modified foods are not the answer.
Kudos to you for making the connection while staring the diet food industry in the face – I don’t know if I would have ever made that connection without moving across the world.
Best of luck in your new “real food” ventures!
Thanks for this article. I enjoyed reading and am interested in this book. I too, am just now learning the “Value” of (feeding my children/family)real food.One of my new favorite blogs is http://www.elanaspantry.com. She is very smart and inspirational and really gets it! Good luck with your journey!