This is the food and diet section
I'll pretty much just tell you what's in my fridge and pantry. We can leave comments and questions on anything here. At first I didn't want to, because it really seems extreme. But it was such a gradual change, I didn't even notice myself. Basically, since I can control what I eat at home, I chose to eat what was best. So... pretty much all organic. Unfortunatley I can't cook worth crap, so everything is really simple. I might not have many links and I tried to link the actual brands I use, but here's what I usually always have stocked:
Meat:
Chicken (Whole Foods naturally raised)
Eggs (Happy Hen, Pleasant View Farms)
Produce:
Baby Bok Choy
Apples
Pears
Pineapple (Whole)
Milk/Dairy/Beverages:
Orange Juice (Whole Foods 365 Organic Brand)
** Goat's Milk
** San Pelligrino
Breads/Grains:
Manna Bread
Brown Rice (Bulk Organic)
Raw Almonds (Bulk Organic)
Other:
Coffee
Butter
Simply Organic Spices
Ketchup
Peanut Butter
Almond Butter
Jelly
Hot Sauce (Whole Foods 365 Organic Brand)
Habanero Sauce
Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar
Evaporated Cane Juice (Bulk Organic)
** Olive Oil
** Soy Sauce
** Sriracha Sauce
Junk Food:
Dark Chocolate
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chips (Wholefoods, Blue Chip Organic)
Salsa
French Fries
Ben and Jerry's
Food/Energy Bar
** Not certified organic
Other Stuff I'll get from time to time:
Cheese
Raisins
Goji Berries
Pasta Sauce
Pasta
Succanat
Yogurt
Trinity Bottled Water
Prunes
Based on what I was eating before, the only things that took some getting used to (aside from kicking soda) was going from jasmine rice to brown rice and going from regular milk to goat's milk.
Organic is more expensive, but not THAT much more expensive. Buy smart...spend a little time shopping around. Then grocery shopping will be easy...
Besides, isn't the cost all about how you prioritize and the choices you make? I may spend a little more a month on food that's good for me, but then again, I don't drive a BMW or Lexus and have a $600-$700 payment a month. As a matter of fact, I haven't had a car or motorcycle payment since 1992.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not a fanatic and hardcore outside of my own home. There's nothing I hate more than eating at a restaurant with a Vegan who just complains and tries to convert you. Yes, I enjoy food and I actually like tasting my food. I'll enjoy a nice fat burger and fries from In and Out burger every once in a while. I eat out at restaurants all the time. I always eat lunch out. I just don't make a habit out of eating bad and I make smarter choices when I can. A burger and fries once in a while won't kill you, but the sloooow accumulation of the toxins, pesticides, chemicals, flour, HFCS, hydrogenated oils, hormones, etc... will.
The ONLY think I am adamant about is eating at a fast food joint. Especially McDonald's.....
Oh... seafood. I'll find some links. But usually wild-caught is better than farm-raised. The main reason is that in a farm-raised environment, it's controlled. Therefore, the feed will have antibiotics and growth hormones in it. Wild-caught is exactly what you think it is. The only bad thing, being price. And as far as seafood in general, you have to deal with the heavy metals and toxic waste in the water. Jaques Cousteau gave up eating seafood in 1972. Not because he loved our friends inthe sea, but because he knew the crap people dumped in the water. From what I understand, the best seafood capable of eliminating al the bad stuff are things with BOTH scales and fins. So, most fish. No eels, shark, octopus. And of course detritus feeders eat anything, including waste, and decomposing matter such as shrimp, oysters, and lobster. That seems like a lot. Personally, I'm an oyster and sea urchin (uni sushi) fanatic. I don't eat it every day, but I really enjoy it when I do.
Why don't people eat pork? It's not really a religious thing. There are a TON of links on why pork (especially not fully cooked) is bad for you. Something to do with microbes, bacteria, etc. From what I found, this is usually apparent in meat from animals that are carnivores. Pigs, dogs, monkeys, alligator, snake, and other exotics.
[VINCENT] You want some bacon?
[JULES] No, man, I don't eat pork.
[VINCENT] Are you Jewish ?
[JULES] No, I ain't Jewish, i just don't dig on swine, that's all.
[VINCENT] Why not?
[JULES] Pigs are filthy animals. I don't eat filthy animals.
[VINCENT] But bacon tastes good, pork chops taste good...
[JULES] Hey, sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie, But I'd never know 'cause I wouldn't eat the filthy ******. Pigs sleep and root in ****, that's a filthy animal. I don't eat nothin' that ain't got sense enough to disregard its own feces.
[VINCENT] How about a dog? A dog eats its own feces
[JULES] I don't eat dog either
[VINCENT] Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal?
[JULES] I wouldn't go so far as to call a dog filthy, but it's definately dirty. But, dogs got personality, personality goes a long way.
[VINCENT] So by that rationale, if a pig had a better personality, he would cease to be a filty animal. Is that true?
[JULES] We' have to be talkin' 'bout one charmin' ************ pig. I mean he'd have to be ten times more charmin' than that Arnold on Green Acres, you know what I'm sayin'?
As far as diet goes, my worse habit is my eating times. It's a bit difficult because of my work hours. Instead of 5 small meals, I'll do 2 small meals and one big meal late at night and sometimes an extra small meal if it's not too late. Breakfast (10am) is usually Manna Bread with peanut/almond butter and jelly and 2 big cups of coffee. Lunch (2pm) is usually at work so it's a salad from the salad bar, chinese lunch special, or Thai lunch special depending on my mood. Dinner (9pm) at home is something like broiled chicken, brown rice, and steamed bok choy. If it's not too late (before midnight), I might make an omelette, french fries, or stuff in the pantry.
I go to My Organic Market for everything except meat. They don't have a meat/butcher section. I get the rest of my meat at either Whole Foods or a local Halal meat market.
PLEASE list grocery stores you go to in the D.C. area or Arizona area. I have many friends that are looking for good places to shop!
