Jammin' in the Kitchen: A Beet So Sweet!

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Now don't think for a second that I didn't want to title this post 'Just Beet It' (I do love my Michael Jackson). But today's title was a bit more appropriate because beets are indeed sweet - satisfying any sweet tooth AND simultaneously providing you with amazing health benefits. They're quite the package deal! 

Beets originated along the Mediterranean and quickly spread throughout the world. This root vegetable, which comes in many lovely varieties (red, yellow, white... even red with white swirls), was used by the ancient Romans for its natural healing properties, in addition to its aphrodisiac properties. Like I said... quite the two-fer! 

In his book Food Rules, Michael Pollan says to 'Eat Your Colors'. What better way to do this than by adding the beautiful beet to your diet? Here's why you should just 'beet it'! (Ok, ok! I couldn't help myself!)...

Nature's Anti-Depressant - The tryptophan in beets helps to relax the mind and improve mental well-being. Plus beets are full of betaine, which is already used as a treatment for depression! I'll take my happy pill in the form of a beet, please!

Nature's Viagra - I'll cut right to the chase on this one. Beets have a high amount of boron, a trace mineral which aids in the production of human sex hormones. But that's not all, folks! The nitrate in beets helps to increase blood flow to the genital areas. Really, who wants to pay for Viagra (or therapy) when the answer can easily be found in the grocery aisle?!

Nature's Medicine - Beets are packed with vitamins and minerals - potassium, magnesium, fiber, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and beta-carotene, just to name a few. Plus the antioxidants in beets help fight chronic inflammation that could possibly lead to major health issues down the road, including cancer. Beets provide the perfect nutrient cocktail - one you don't have to feel guilty about throwing back with your friends!

Nature's 'Mama Bear' - As I've said before, natural folate is much preferable to taking a folic acid supplement, and beets are full of folate! Folate helps to protect the body's DNA, while also ensuring that your unborn baby arrives on the scene with no neural tube defects! That's a win-win, my friends!

Nature's Red Bull - Step away from the energy drinks! I have your answer right here! The nitrates in beets, which are converted to nitric oxide in the body, work to expand the walls of your blood vessels, allowing you more oxygen and more energy! Plus, beets are 'smart carbs', meaning that though they are high in sugar, they are low in calories. The sugar in a beet provides you with long-lasting energy without spiking your blood sugar levels, thanks to the fiber content that goes along with it. Eat a beet with your lunch and you'll be in business all afternoon (without even touching a Red Bull)!

So you see? Nature has a funny way of providing you with all the things you need to feel well! I like my beets in juice form or on a salad. Here's a simple recipe for a Massaged Kale and Beet Green Salad...

Grab your ingredients. One beet will be enough for a few servings, and the smaller the beet, the faster it cooks.

Trim the stem off 1 beet and rinse lightly under cool water to get any excess dirt off.

Place the beet in a saucepan of water and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium and let
the water do its job.  A medium size beet will cook about 45 minutes.

Don't waste the beet greens! Wash and trim them while your beet cooks.

Then slice them into ribbons.

Now wash and pat the kale dry. Separate the leaves from the stems and chop into ribbons.

Check that hot beet out... it truly looks like Love Potion #9 in there!

In a large mixing bowl, combine the kale and beet greens. Drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil.

Now squeeze a lemon into the mix. Use just one half of it if you're making 2 servings. Use the whole lemon
if you're feeding a hungry family. At this point you can also sprinkle it with a little sea salt and pepper.

Now massage the mixture for 2-3 minutes until the leaves turn a darker shade of green. The salad will also
shrink a bit in size. Massaging the greens helps to activate more nutrients AND makes the raw greens a little
less bitter and tough.

Your beet is done when you can stick a fork in it easily. Remove it from the saucepan and transfer it to a bowl
of cold water. Gently rub the skin and it will come right off!

Now slice that beautiful beet...

...and add it to your salad. I also added toasted pumpkin seeds but any type of seed would compliment
this salad well (sunflower seeds, pecans, almonds, pine nuts)! Drizzle with your dressing of choice or whisk
the following together for a light yet tasty dressing: 1 shallot finely chopped, 1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil,
1 1/2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar, 1 Tbs. Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder and sea salt
and black pepper to taste.

Food Rules: The Big Bad Fat Monster!

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Though I was born in the 80's, I am certainly a child of the 90's. One of the biggest things that sticks out in my mind from the 90's (other than the plethora of handsome boy bands to adore) was the huge fat-free/non-fat craze.  My mother, for one, was hooked on Nabisco's SnackWells cookies. Hey, it was a good way to eat sweets within moderation...

...or so we thought. Which leads me to the next guideline from Michael Pollan's book Food Rules...

AVOID FOOD PRODUCTS WITH THE WORDOID "LITE" OR THE TERMS "LOW-FAT" OR "NONFAT" IN THEIR NAMES.

Just because the packaging uses these phrases, doesn't mean the food is healthier OR lower in calories. Allow me to explain.

Fat is what gives food it's consistency. When you remove the fat from food, it obviously has to be replaced with something. In these types of products, the fat is replaced with carbohydrates, sugars, salt and (many times) artificial additives. These ingredients are no better (and sometimes worse) than the fat that was removed to make you think you are eating something good for you. Next time you pick up a box of fat-free anything, scan the label and you'll be surprised at what's inside.

Second, without the fat, your body doesn't get the signal that it's full, causing you to overeat to the point of being stuffed. There's a reason you can eat that whole bag of fat-free chips! It takes a whole bag before you realize you are full. Additionally, studies have suggested that the sugar substitutes used in these products may overstimulate your taste buds, causing you to crave them more and more.

Image courtesy of 100pitches.org

Third, when you're consuming carbohydrates, it's important to allow your body some healthy fats in conjunction with the carbs. When your body breaks down the carbs, sugars are released into your blood stream very quickly. When you eat fat along with the carbs, the fat slows down the release of sugar, keeping your blood sugar from spiking and preventing the inevitable crash that results.

Last, some vitamins that your body requires are fat soluble (ie. vitamin D). Your body uses fat to absorb and store these vitamins. When you purposely cut the healthy fats out of your diet, you are limiting your body's ability to nourish itself.

Fat is a macronutrient for a reason. Macronutrients are needed to survival and basic bodily functions. You need fat for proper hormone function, for normal growth and development, to keep your cell walls strong, to cushion your vital organs, to provide you with energy and to keep you warm. Fat deficiency can cause dry skin, eczema, low energy, impaired kidneys, slow healing time, vision issues, learning problems, depression and even miscarriage. When choosing fats, it's important to pick healthy fats, such as olive or canola oil, avocados, nuts and seeds.

Image courtesy of healthyglutton.com

Moral of the story? Fat-free and non-fat products do not necessarily equal healthy nor do they lead to weight loss. Michael Pollan makes it very clear...

"Since the low-fat campaign began in the late 1970s, Americans actually have been eating more than 500 additional calories per day, most of them in the form of refined carbohydrates like sugar. The result: The average male is seventeen pounds heavier and the average female nineteen pounds heavier than in the late 1970s. You're better off eating the real thing in moderation than bingeing on 'lite' food products packed with sugars and salt."

So my friends, think twice as you head down that grocery aisle. Get the good stuff.

The Health Benefits of Wine: I Can Toast to That!

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I (heart) wine. I love it so much that I make it a priority to surround myself with people who share my sentiments. I learned to appreciate a good red from my friend Claire, who knows her way around a bottle. Then there's my friend Marissa, who I'm convinced just moved to San Francisco to be closer to Napa Valley. While I don't live anywhere near Napa (or France, where I'd really like to be for that matter), I still appreciate a good wine when I drink one, and today I'd like to share some really fabulous news with you!

Image courtesy of goodfoodworld.com

You may know this already, but wine can be good for you! -  really, ALL alcohol can be good for you. Now before you buy a case, call all your friends and dust off the ol' beer pong table, let me touch on why it's good for you, while also explaining the one disclaimer that might put a damper on your impending house party. Let's look at our next guideline from Michael Pollan's book Food Rules...

HAVE A GLASS OF WINE WITH DINNER

Now this sounds like a rule that I can get behind. I like wine. I eat dinner. Done and done! Michael Pollan goes on to explain...

"There is now considerable scientific evidence for the health benefits of alcohol to go with a few centuries of traditional belief and anecdotal evidence. Mindful of the social and health effects of alcoholism, public health authorities are loath to recommend drinking, but the fact is that people who drink moderately and regularly live longer and suffer considerably less heart disease                 than teetotalers."

Studies have shown that wine can be beneficial when you drink it in moderation. Moderation is a funny word because it's obviously different to different people. Moderation for you might mean two glasses a night, while moderation for the average college student might mean ten. The term moderate refers to the suggested 2 glasses per day for men and 1 glass per day for women, but the good news is: you can indulge moderately every single day if you feel so inclined!

Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Alcohol (of all kinds) raises your good, or HDL, cholesterol and helps to thin out your blood, thereby preventing build-up in your arterial walls. Then there's the phytochemicals in wine, which act as antioxidants and prevent the proliferation of cancer-causing free radicals in the body. Red wine is clearly the leader of the pack when it comes to health benefits, especially red wine from cooler climates. Red wine contains more of the phytochemical resveratrol. When making red wine specifically, winemakers allow the skin of the grape to stay on longer. The longer the skin is on, the more resveratrol there is in the end product. Resveratrol  works its magic by preventing blood clots and plaque formation in arteries, leaving you with a healthy heart. Malbec is a great example of a wine with high resveratrol content because the grapes used to make it have very thick skin. Other good choices are Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.

Consuming wine during a meal seems to have its perks - other than avoiding that lightheaded, tipsy feeling you get when you drink on an empty stomach. When you drink during a meal, the compounds in wine help to  prevent the adverse effects of fatty foods during the digestion process. The two negative byproducts of fat digestion (malondialdehyde and hydroperoxide) - which are toxic to cells - are significantly reduced when wine is involved.

So the next time you're sitting down to dinner, don't feel guilty about pouring yourself a glass or two. When you drink in moderation, you can enjoy the life-saving perks!

Food Rules: No Apron Required!

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We all have our ideas about what heaven will be like... for my mom, it's a land full of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, for my dad, it's a PGA-worthy golf course where you can play for free, for my brother, it most likely involves a burrito. For me though, I imagine heaven - not as the land of milk and honey - but as the land of tortilla chips and pecan pie. Until that day though, what's life without a few indulgences?

It's OK to indulge! It's what you do 90% of the time that really matters. So have a little fun with the 10%, which brings me to our next rule from Michael Pollan's book Food Rules...

EAT ALL THE JUNK FOOD YOU WANT AS LONG AS YOU COOK IT YOURSELF

For a man who wrote a book full of rules, this statement seems a bit out of character. He goes on to explain...

"There is nothing wrong with eating sweets, fried foods, pastries, even drinking a soda every now and then, but food manufacturers have made eating these formerly expensive and hard-to-make treats so cheap and easy that we're eating them every day. The french fry did not become America's most popular vegetable until industry took over the jobs of washing, peeling, cutting, and frying the potatoes - and cleaning up the mess. If you made all the french fries you ate, you would eat them much less often, if only because they're so much work. The same holds true for fried chicken, chips, cakes, pies, and ice cream. Enjoy these treats as often as you're willing to prepare them - chances are good it won't be every day."

Image courtesy of mccormick.com

I know if I had to make a pecan pie every time I wanted something sweet, there's no way that I'd be eating pecan pie all the time - no way, Jose!. The man hours involved are just not worth it to me. Our society loves instant-gratification, which is why we are plagued with an obesity epidemic that's getting worse by the day. We eat these treats because they're cheap, they're easy and they bring us instant satisfaction. I'm guilty, you're guilty - we're a product of our environment. It's not our fault!

But it's time we changed our thinking.

As I've started to cook more in the past year, I've learned that there's no better satisfaction than eating something that I cooked for myself or for the ones I love. The process of cooking is in itself cathartic. You will inevitably burn some things or set off the smoke detector. That's par for the course - I can't tell you how many times I've danced around my apartment with a dishcloth, 'pushing' the smoke out the open window. But once you get the hang of it and cease to set off the smoke detector, cooking your own meals can be really rewarding.

Image courtesy of elizabethpalmerkitchen.com

When you cook, you are able to control what goes into your food. At a restaurant, you may assume that you're ordering the 'healthy' or 'light' option, but you're not seeing the butter, oil and additives that are being put into your food and you can't control the quality of the meat or produce you're consuming. Cooking has made me more aware of what ingredients go into certain dishes, so even when I do eat out, I am better educated when it comes to choosing a dish on the menu.

Make cooking fun... pour yourself a glass of vino and sip it slowly while you cook OR put on your favorite music while you're in the kitchen. If you have kiddos, recruit them to wash and peel the veggies or set the table. They'll feel important and you'll feel productive. Find recipes that work for you. They don't have to be complicated or time-consuming. Some of the best meals only have a few ingredients.

Here are a few healthier takes on your favorite junk foods. Give them a try! You might be pleasantly surprised at how good they taste!

Oven-Fried Chicken Tenders with Five-Spice BBQ Sauce

Healthy Homemade French Fries

Sweet Potato Fries 3 Ways

Beet Chips

Kale Chips

Healthy French Toast

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Food Rules: Put A Fork In Me, I'm Done!

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We've all been there. I'm talking about the point of no return - the moment at dinner when you find yourself slipping your hand underneath the table to release the top button of your pants. Phew. Much better. It happens to the best of us. Sometimes the food's just so good (and/or so expensive) that you find yourself in a competition with yourself to wipe that plate clean. Culinary domination complete!

The good news? The food was fantastic and you conquered it... all.
The bad news? You're uncomfortable and beelining for the nearest mattress store with your pants around your ankles.

Drastic times call for drastic measures. I think it's time for some good old fashioned waistline therapy. Let's dive into the next guideline from Michael Pollan's book Food Rules...

STOP EATING BEFORE YOU'RE FULL

It's not our fault that we don't innately know this. We grew up being told, 'clean your plate' or 'eat all your vegetables'. Our mothers and fathers meant well. They wanted us to get our fair share of nutrients AND they believed in the concept of avoiding waste. There are starving children in Africa, Lauren... finish your peas!

Image courtesy of thedailygreen.com

The only problem with this child-rearing technique is that it sets the tone for how we relate to food as adults. Unfortunately, as the portion sizes in restaurants grow larger by the day, so do our waistlines AND our stomachs. Overeating can stretch your stomach up to 20%, and it doesn't just snap right back to business as usual. The next time you sit down to eat, it will take more food to feel full. You can see how this pattern could easily get out of hand.

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The purpose of food is to provide your body with energy. When you overeat, you feel the opposite of energized - you feel lethargic. You crave a nice long nap. Your brain feels fuzzy. It becomes hard to concentrate. You might even feel discomfort or pain. None of these things are natural or good.

The Japanese have a saying - hara hachi bu - which advises people to stop eating when they are 80% full. In India, there's a common belief that you should stop eating when you are 75% full. In China, they say 70%. Moral of the story? No matter what the percentage, you should be so aware of your body that you stop eating when you no longer feel the physical pangs of hunger. You'll know you've reached this point because you'll start to feel content, your food may start to taste less interesting than it did on the first few bites and you might even become distracted, thinking about the next thing on your to-do list. Some people even let out a 'sigh' of satisfaction when they've reached that 80% mark.



Here are a few tips to help you implement this concept...

1) Eat slower - Give your stomach the time it needs to send the message to your brain that you're satisfied. If you scarf down your food, then you will stretch your stomach long before you ever get the message.

2) Concentrate - Turn the TV off and put the computer away. When you take the time to fully focus on your meal, you will be able to savor every bite. When you're distracted by an outside stimulus, you forget to enjoy each bite, and you may end up going back for seconds just to get that feeling of satisfaction.

3) Drink water before a meal - Your mind often mistakes thirst for hunger. Before a meal, drink 1 glass of water to hydrate, then you'll be able to accurately identify when you've reached that 80% mark.

If you can follow these 3 simple steps, you just might be able to wear your skinny pants to dinner without despair, rid your closet of all the muumuu-style dresses and say goodbye to those awful stretchy waistbands!

Now wouldn't that feel therapeutic?

Food Rules: Food So Fast It Makes Your Head (and Stomach) Spin!

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I studied abroad in Australia the summer after my junior year of college. While I saw lots of kangaroos and other exotic things typical of Australia, I also encountered a lot of chickens. Not the kind of chickens you would imagine - the cute little guys clucking around in the chicken coop. No, this was more of the Kentucky Fried variety. Not cool, Australia, not cool.

Kentucky Fried Chicken has laid it's claim on Australia. There are so many that it's actually frightening. The rate at which fast food restaurants have taken over our country (and now the world) is totally alarming to me. This unfortunate phenomenon brings me to the next food rule I'd like to discuss from Michael Pollan's book Food Rules...

IT'S NOT FOOD IF IT ARRIVED THROUGH THE WINDOW OF YOUR CAR

It's OK to laugh out loud. It may sound comical and obvious, but it's the truth! Let me tell you why... The whole point of food is to provide your body with the necessary nutrients to function. Fast food and processed food provide little to none of these things. 

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Our concept of 'food' began to change in the 1950's, with the advent of TV dinners and fast food restaurants. America had been through some rough patches in the previous decades and now it was time to sit back, relax and enjoy the convenience of a microwave dinner or a made-to-order meal from the drive-thru window. Life was good. Health stats... not so much.

As soon as Americans began consuming foods that were highly processed, containing preservatives, artificial flavors and additives, the health of the general public began to take a turn for the worse. If you've ever seen the 2004 documentary Super Size Me, these health repercussions should be painfully obvious. In the film, Morgan Spurlock ate McDonald's 3 times a day for his experiment. Almost like clockwork, he started to experience major health problems. Granted, the average American doesn't eat fast food 3 times a day (I know, I know), but his experiment did make the point that fast food consumption only does bad things for your body.

Fast food and processed food have direct links to obesity, insulin resistance, high cholesterol, higher risk of heart attack, increased risk of developing allergies and possible sexual dysfunction. I don't know about you but this doesn't sound like a Sunday drive through the countryside to me. It sounds like a life spent in the doctor's office or waiting in the pharmacy line. It sounds expensive and it sounds debilitating.

Now if health risks aren't enough to keep you from that glorious Big Mac (believe me, I've savored a Big Mac or two in my time), then maybe the thought of its immortality will. You and I both know that real food goes bad, often quickly. It wilts, decomposes or grows mold. Studies have been done on the buns at fast food restaurants and in one study, the buns stayed good for up to two decades... that's 20 years, folks! Real food wouldn't come close to that. 

Image courtesy of photoree.com

But it doesn't stop at the buns... burgers contain excessive amounts of sodium, fries contain all the bad fats (like omega-6 oils) and even chicken nuggets have harmful additives that can affect your health. You can go for the salad option, but once you've added the dressing, you're still done for!

Listen, I grew up at McDonald's. I have vivid memories of eating Happy Meals and running around on the playground. I also grew up in the South, surrounded by Chick-fil-A's. I'm not going to deny that a chicken biscuit tastes like heaven, especially when you're on the run.

But the point is this... The choices you make today regarding what you feed your body directly affect the way your body will treat you later. If you give your body the love and respect it deserves, then it will serve you well AND you will reap the benefits of a happy and healthy life.

The good news is once you start eating real food, you'll probably be so disgusted by your former favorites that you won't even be tempted to hit up the drive-thru. Your food cravings will begin to change as you alter your diet for the better. I guarantee it.

Giveaway Alert: Last Chance to Win 'Food Rules'!

There's still time to enter! Here's how: Leave a comment on my Strictly Nutritious Facebook page sharing one food rule you live by OR pin it to win it! Pin a picture of the book Food Rules with a link to yesterday's post about the book, then paste your pin below in the comments section!

The winner will be announced at 3 pm today!
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UPDATE: Congrats to Emily Bullock... the lucky winner of Food Rules! Thanks to all who participated! More giveaways to come!

Food Rules: The CliffsNotes of Nutrition

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Rules were generally made to break, right? Your mother tells you to keep your dirty little hands out of the cookie jar because you've had enough, and what do you do? Wait until she's not looking and stick your dirty little hands in the cookie jar. You're not even discouraged when she hides the jar on top of the highest shelf in the kitchen, thereby requiring you to scale a kitchen countertop the size of Mt. Everest. You might not even want a cookie, but because she laid down the ground rules, you just HAVE to have one. It's your calling, your mission in life at that particular moment.

Well, I hate to say it, but your mom, your dad, your teachers... they were all correct. Rules ARE for your own good, especially when it comes to food. Last week, while at the powerHouse Arena bookstore in DUMBO, I purchased a copy of Michael Pollan's book Food Rules. It's one of those quick reads that you can easily finish in an hour, but it's packed with useful and enlightening information about (you guessed it) food!

For the next few weeks, I'll be sharing tidbits from his book because they are definitely worth sharing with an audience such as you! I'll start with this one...

"AVOID FOOD PRODUCTS THAT 

MAKE HEALTH CLAIMS"

This seems pretty straight-forward, but how many times have you given yourself a pat on the back for eating a product that advertised itself to be 'low fat', 'natural', 'healthy', etc.? I know I have! Just think Lean Cuisine, Snackwells and Baked Lays.

The underlying problem with these products is that they are processed foods, and unfortunately, processed foods are not regulated by the FDA as responsibly as you might assume. The very fact that they come in a package should tell you something. If you take a moment to review the ingredient list, you'll see that most of these foods are full of genetically modified ingredients. 

Image courtesy of leancuisine.com

Check out this ingredient list for Lean Cuisine's Chicken Fettuccini. You, like me, probably can't pronounce most of the ingredients towards the end, much less figure out what they are. Also notice the word 'modified' more than a few times in this list...

Ingredients:

BLANCHED FETTUCCINI (WATER, SEMOLINA, WHEAT GLUTEN), SKIM MILK, COOKED CHICKEN TENDERLOIN (CHICKEN TENDERLOINS, WATER, SEASONING (MODIFIED CORN STARCH, SUGAR, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, YEAST EXTRACT, DEXTROSE, SPICE, ONION POWDER, GARLIC POWDER, PAPRIKA), SOYBEAN OIL, ISOLATED SOY PROTEIN, SALT, SODIUM PHOSPHATES), BROCCOLI, WATER, 2% OR LESS OF CREAM, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, SALT, ENZYME MODIFIED PARMESAN CHEESE PASTE (PARMESAN CHEESE (CULTURED PART-SKIM MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), WATER, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE (FROM MILK), REDUCED FAT MILK, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ENZYMES, NONFAT MILK, CULTURES), PARMESAN CHEESE PASTE (GRANULAR AND PARMESAN CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), WATER, SALT, LACTIC ACID, CITRIC ACID), SOYBEAN OIL, BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, ROMANO CHEESE PRODUCT ((PASTEURIZED COW'S MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), WATER, SALT, LACTIC ACID), BUTTERFAT, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, CHEESE FLAVOR (CHEDDAR CHEESE (CULTURED MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), WATER, SALT, ENZYMES, CULTURES, PHOSPHORIC ACID, XANTHAN GUM), SPICES, MONO-&DIGLYCERIDES, XANTHAN GUM, FLAVOR (MALTODEXTRIN, FLAVORING AND MODIFIED FOOD STARCH), YEAST EXTRACT, SEASONING (WHEAT STARCH, EXTRACTS OF ANNATTO AND TURMERIC COLOR, NATURAL FLAVOR).

Contains: MILK, SOY, WHEAT INGREDIENTS

If your great-great-great grandfather and his clan didn't need genetically modified ingredients in their food, then you probably don't need them in yours either. These processed foods are modified to increase their shelf life. They're basically immortal. You know as well as I do that REAL food goes bad. If your food is not going bad, you should probably err on the side of caution when grabbing it off the shelf at the grocery next time.

Image courtesy of wellandgoodnyc.com

I'll leave you with one last excerpt from the book:

"Generally, it is the products of modern food science that make the boldest health claims, and these are often founded on incomplete and often bad science. Don't forget that margarine, one of the first industrial foods to claim it was more healthful than the traditional food it replaced, turned out to contain transfats that give people heart attacks. The healthiest food in the supermarket - the fresh produce - doesn't boast about its healthfulness, because the growers don't have the budget or the packaging. Don't take the silence of the yams as a sign they have nothing valuable to say about your health."

Now I'm not saying you should never buy food that's packaged. Don't worry about looking over both shoulders for me in the grocery store. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not on the Processed Food Police Task Force. If truth be told, I am guilty of buying processed food myself. It's just hard to avoid sometimes!

But my goal after reading Michael Pollan's book is to make a conscious effort to investigate what I'm putting into my body. The corporations that produce these 'foods' don't have a vested interest in my well-being, or yours. It's up to us to take an active role in what we purchase and consume.

Those Lean Cuisines weren't any fun to eat anyways, right? 

Good! I'm glad I didn't spoil your lunchtime fun!


GIVEAWAY ALERT!
I'd like to give one lucky reader a copy of Food Rules! Here's how you win...
Leave a comment on my Strictly Nutritious Facebook page sharing one food rule you live by OR pin it to win it! Pin a picture of the book Food Rules with a link to today's post, then paste your pin below in the comments section!

Winner will be announced tomorrow!