Boy, I'm Glad This Experiment is OVER!

(just kidding)

It’s been 30 days and this concludes my experiment.

I would like to share some of my thoughts and observations, what I have learned, as well as some of the reasons why I've decided to make this a permanent change!


1) Perhaps the most significant and gratifying result of my experiment: Removing the food industry’s most powerful weapon from my diet has liberated me from cravings! This has allowed me to return to a way of eating that is natural. I eat when hungry, I stop when full. I’ve taken the power away from corporate food, and have returned it to its rightful owner; Moi! I can now say that I’m finally living my previously only pined-for credo of  “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” (Thank you, Michael Pollan).

*If you are interested in reading more about this secret, powerful weapon, please scroll to the bottom of this blog post.

2) It’s easier than I thought! I can still make just about every recipe that I already love, and plenty of new ones, it’s just a matter of recognizing the zip code from whence the ingredients came (for the most part, more on that later!), aiming for a little more organic, and a little less animal. Our great grandparents knew exactly where their food came from and what was in it. These days it’s a crap shoot. I just feel better knowing.

3) I can’t afford to buy a hybrid car right now. But this is one way that I can make a slightly smaller carbon foot print, even as I drive my big ol’ wagon around! (sorry) In addition, I am supporting local farmers and responsible ranchers. I'm practically an activist!

4) Knowledge is power and I feel empowered. There are so many things we can’t control, but it’s nice to be able to control something. And something as vital as the stuff that keeps us alive? I think that’s pretty awesome. It’s unfortunate that it takes nothing short of a Herculean effort to decipher the truth behind nutrition and ingredients labels, as well as finding out if the product was grown/made, or just distributed through a local company, but it can be done, and practice makes perfect.

5) I feel really healthy. I mean, really healthy. Vital. Vibrant. Energized. Peaceful. Perhaps it’s simply a return to my normal physiological/psychological constitution minus the chemicals, additives, excessive salt, sugar, and fat. I compare it to how I felt a few months after I quit smoking. Or perhaps it’s just all the Kale I’ve been eating. Whatever it is, I like it.

6) I finally feel like my “food lifestyle” is a little more in accordance with my personal values. I’ve been bothered by my own hypocrisy; having the desire and some of the knowledge, but not giving the proper effort or attention to my choices. These changes have created a much more harmonious relationship between my values and my palette.

7) Feed lot and industrialized animal harvesting practices aren’t going to go away, but there is one less person in the world taking part in it (and sometimes as many as 3 people in my household, or more if we have dinner guests!).

8) I lost 7 pounds. That was a surprise. It must be due to my #1 observation above. Plus, removing processed foods from my diet obviously makes my choices a bit limited. Am I really hungry? Like hungry enough to eat yet another apple? Nah. *sigh* I guess I was bored. I went through this for the first week or so until I re-learned what real hunger felt like, and also what real satiety felt like (unlike that weird sense of hunger I would still have after eating processed foods).

9) I’m happy to report that my relationship with food is a much healthier one. I love to cook and I love food…passionately! But no longer in that “good food, bad food” way. Everything I eat is good. Even the square of organic dark chocolate I have in the evening. I don’t beat myself up for eating too many chips…they’re kale. And if we do go out to eat once in a while (rather than once a week like we used to!), I don’t freak out. I enjoy it and move on.

10) We’re saving a ton of money! That was also a surprise. But everything I buy is used until it’s gone. My fridge starts full, and by the end of the week, it’s empty. There is far less waste. Also, because the meals are so wholesome and tasty, I don’t crave restaurant food. We used to go out to eat at least once a week. That can run $50 - $75 (with cocktails, of course). If we go out just once a month instead, we’re saving roughly $200.

11) Even if it did cost more, I think I would still try to find it in my budget to eat this way. Americans spend the lowest percentage of their income on food than in any other country. Our food is DIRT cheap, thanks to the industrial revolution. But just because it’s cheap, doesn’t mean it’s good for us. Spend a bit more, splurge! It’s what keeps us alive! We’re so worth it!

I would like to say this; I’ve never been hyper vigilant or super militant while on ANY kind of diet, and this one is no exception. I can’t always find a local Greek variety of yogurt in stock (and this is a food staple in my house) so I have to buy Fage, which is from New York (gasp!). Sometimes we use bread that isn’t made super-locally, like the Hawaiian rolls I use for sliders. They’re not from as far away as Hawaii, by the way, they’re from Torrance, Ca. But my condiments, oh my condiments; olive oil, balsamic vinegar, etc. come from Italy! And I do enjoy the odd meal out without an obnoxious amount of concern. But for the most part, if I can try to eat as close to the earth and as close to my zip code as possible, at least 80% - 90% of the time, that’s good enough.

I also want to point out that my enthusiasm for this food-lifestyle choice is in no way meant to be a judgment on anyone else’s food-lifestyle choices. We are all responsible for ourselves and for doing what’s best for each of us and our families. What feels right to one person, may not feel right to another. I get that. I hate it when people "preach at me". So my intention is not to be preachy, but to share my personal views, experiences, and what I have learned. If I happen to encourage anyone, who isn’t already on the localvore bandwagon (sometimes it seems like everyone already has been, and I was late to get the memo!) to make a change, I think that’s fantastic, but it’s not my sole purpose.

Bon Appetit!

SECRET POWERFUL WEAPON!

What is this powerful weapon I speak of? The food industry has a major problem. Their target demographic, the human stomach, is “fixed”, and just because something might be a great bargain, we are physically unable to eat more of it. So how do they sell more food? They have figured out a way to make Americans consume more - roughly twice the amount of calories needed (caloric consumption has roughly doubled in the past 50 years from approximately 2,000 per day for the average American to approximately 4,000). This increase in caloric consumption is not just because food is cheap and plentiful in this country, although that’s one reason. It’s common knowledge that all of the major food companies, and I’ll lump franchised restaurants in with them, have “Food Scientists” on staff whose sole purpose is to formulate food for optimal “mouth feel” (requiring less chewing), and finding the perfect combination of fat, sugar, and salt that will literally “hijack our brains”, as Dr. David Kessler states in his book “The End of Overeating”.


Kessler was the Commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration from 1990 - 1997. He left the FDA to join Yale School of Medicine as the Dean until 2003. In his book, Kessler exploits the food industry and explains how they train us to overeat by creating “foods” (aka processed foods) specifically designed to trigger the “pleasure points” in the human brain, in very much the same way that drugs trigger them. This makes it extremely difficult for even the most conscientious consumer to make the healthiest choices. We literally aren't thinking clearly while eating this stuff.


Kessler stresses that “the problem is not only the behavior of profit-driven food companies, but also the daily choices that each one of us makes." By removing processed foods from my diet, I’ve leveled the playing field and am better equipped to make healthier choices. I’ve taken my power back.