The Purpose: To Think More About What I Eat

I gave up “eating processed foods” for Lent this year – starting today, Feb 25, 2009, and ending on April 12, 2009 (also known as Easter). In their place, I’m going to try and follow Michael Pollan’s axiom: Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants.

I think I probably eat better than 99% of Americans. I avoid fast food like the plague, love vegetables, and cook for myself all the time.

I don’t want to be vegetarian – I love meat way too much. I don’t want to try and lose weight – I’m already a little bit too skinny as it is. I don’t even want to try and get healthier – though eating “mostly plants” will likely help reduce that ludicrously high cholesterol count.

I just want to be more deliberate about my food. I think I’ll enjoy eating more, since I’ll enjoy the process of selecting what I eat, preparing my meals, and then eating it.

Why blog about it? Why not… But really, if other people don’t hold me accountable, I’ll likely fall prey to the butterfingers in the office kitchen. Also, I’m sure I’m going to learn a lot during this process about things like where to shop, what kinds of foods work well for someone without a lot of time to cook, and what I can learn to eat without spending more money than I usually do.

So here, I’ll post some of the highlights of what I eat, the challenges of the “diet,” and what I’ve learned from the process. Hopefully folks will find it useful as they think more about the stuff they put into their bodies.

For More...

• NYT Interview with this Michael Pollan guy
• NPR Article (and audio interview) with this Michael Pollan guy