So, posting hasn’t been quite as frequent as I’d like it to be lately. Seems like I haven’t been able to make much free time since break from school in April.
Summer is fast approaching in mid-coast Maine. Around here, it seems like there are just 2 seasons: summer and winter. Winter was too long, too cold, and too boring, but things finally changing. Summer means the opening of all the seasonal businesses. This is good, because I’ve been waiting for farmer’s markets and fresh, local produce for months. Maybe next weekend I’ll have the chance to finally go check one out.
It also means that restaurants, including the drive in, the ice cream shops and the local hot dog stand, are open again. Some of these places don’t even have vegetarian offerings on their menus! It’s things like that which I forgot over the winter while I was making vegan soups. It was a lot easier to eat healthy food then, when delicious, greasy, meaty, fat-ridden food wasn’t easily available to me. As I get busier and spend more time out of the house with members of my family its easier for everyone involved to grab a quick hamburger instead of seeking out somewhere that serves healthy food just to make me happy. I’ve had some good grease in the past couple weeks. But I’m trying not to enjoy it too often and keep moderation (and flexitarianism) in mind.
Lunches got boring for a while, and this week I’m making vegetable sandwiches on whole wheat pita bread with hummus. They’re good, fresh, and easy to change a little from day to day. I do intend to get back into the kitchen soon and it looks like my schedule is going to allow me to.
I’ve almost finished reading Food Matters, and along with other sources, such as the excellent blog No Meat Athlete, have realized that the best (and often easiest) way to eat well is to eat natural food. I know this idea isn’t unique, but I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who didn’t realize it. Clearly, food that is closer to its original source, which hasn’t been altered and processed and treated, is better for us than the alternative. My current plan involves trying to eat whole wheat products, fresh fruit and vegetables, and packaged food with as few ingredients as possible (Michael Pollan recommends less than 5…at least that’s what I’ve heard, I still haven’t read In Defense of Food). Sometimes doing all this is still difficult, but its a lot easier than remembering all sorts of other rules. It’s nice to know it can be that simple, since I still feel like I just stumbled into this “eating healthy” thing with no idea what I’m doing. The Wall Street Journal just ran a piece about how “health food isn’t always healthy.” Check it out, it’s pretty interesting.
Stay tuned, I promise more, better posts in the future.
