I’ve been meaning for a while to organise my thoughts around a subject that has become a good sized portion of my life: concious food shopping and healthy eating. I have to admit that here in London is more accesible to make healthy decisions than it probably is back in my home country Romania but nevertheless I am sure it’s possible (even if it involves making additional effort) to buy and eat healthy anywhere in the developed countries.
Let’s start with the begining, the chain starts in your shopping cart and in your cupboard – what you buy you eat. So it’s very clear to me that if you don’t want to eat junk, you shouldn’t buy it. Don’t even go in the crisps isle in the supermaket – there’s nothing healthy there. A couple of months ago, my very good friend sent me this video about the ‘behind the scenes’ of the process that brings the food you eat close and handy. I think it’s quite of a wake up call and although it’s not new (released in 2008-2009), I hadn’t heard about it untill 6 months ago and you probably haven’t either because that would mean more and more people finding out about the rotten base of the consumerist society. Have a look at it here: http://youtu.be/OyhPqrnm48o it’s not super long and it’ll make you think twice when you do your weekly shopping. Also, bear in mind that refusing to be aware of these things doesn’t mean they don’t happen. They do happen and the answer is not ignoring them but confronting them and finding alternatives because the more people change their ways, the better our lives will get.
Right, now that we’ve got that straight let’s talk a bit about our eating habits. Couple of motnhs ago, I went to the pub and looking through the menu I chose to have a juiciy beef burger with a side of chips. It tasted absolutely delicious! You may wander what am I on about if this a healthy lifestyle post. This is exactly the point I am trying to make, that is the only thing that that burger did for me – it tasted good. It didn’t bring any nutrients to my body hence it didn’t help my body fight diseases, it didn’t make my body healthier or stronger, on the contrary, to be able to process it, my body lost important ressources that could have been put to a better use.
So next time when you are planning a meal or looking through the menu at a restaurant, ask yourself ‘Is this good fuel to keep my body going? Or am I just thinking about what tastes good for the 15-30 minutes that the eating lasts?’. We need to learn and educate ourselves that our eating habits mean self respect. Is as simple as that – how much do I respect myself? Do I deserve only the best for my body? And the answer will always be YES! Cause if you eat junk, you become junk – our bodies are intelligently build machines but the power lays in our hands to provide them only the best fuel.
You make decisions every time you buy food – why not make an informed and concious decision? Why buy what the supermarket want to sell you? Take the power back, buy only what YOU want and need.
Hoping that you enjoyed this post, I’ll be back with more practical advice about what and where to buy, what you can include and substitute in your diet and how you can get the most out of every meal you have.
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