Book Review #1

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
Michael Pollan


He had me at corn. I love corn. It is one of my favorite things to eat... or at least it was. After reading this book, I have learned that I am little more than a walking talking overly processed corn chip. Crazy right?

If you have ever been curious about what goes into the foods you eat and how they arrive from the farm to the supermarket in those pretty little packages, this book is for you.

I was surprised at how compelling it actually was. I found myself looking at my clock wondering, what is wrong with you, it is 1:37am, you have to be at work in 6 hours and you can't even put down this damn book about corn... really?... maybe just one more chapter.

Pollan takes you on a journey through the American Heartland, from the bowels of industrial food processing, to the green pastures of middle America and ultimately your dining table. He weaves in thoughts and practices of actual farmers along the way forcing you to examine your own diet and recognize that the items you consume reflect not only who you are, but who we are as a nation of corn eaters.

Raw Food Speech

I am back in school again, and we had an assignment to give a short speech on any topic of our choosing. I chose to do Raw Food, and now I am going to share that speech here:

Today, I am going to talk to you about something that is changing my life! I am sure you have either heard of the books or seen the documentaries like Food, Inc., Supersize Me & Fastfood Nation. Lately many fingers have been pointed at the way Americans eat. Many of the things we put in our mouths would be completely unrecognizable to our ancestors as actual food.

The nutrition has been sucked out of the things we eat and replaced with chemicals, preservatives, hormones, sodium & sugars. As a result, we are able to mass produce pre-packaged and processed foods much cheaper than we could even buy ingredients to make the same fresh meals at home. Personally, I found myself eating foods for convenience often and I have been paying for it with something more valuable than money: My health.


Fad diets and quick-fixes are fine and good for some people, but at my size and in my condition, I felt I needed to make a permanent change. And upon research, I believe I have found my solution: Raw Food! I have sorted through websites, books and many articles on the subject and there are still many things I do not know, but allow me to give you a brief overview of what I have learned:

A typical Raw Foodist eats at least 60% raw. This means that most if not all of their food is prepared at less than 116 degrees. Many Raw Foodists are strictly Vegan, meaning they never eat any animal products or by products such as honey, eggs, and dairy products. Almost all Raw Foodists are vegetarian, but some do eat raw fish.

I have been eating raw for 46 days now. I am getting used to not ever eating hot food, which was probably the most difficult part of going raw, besides giving up my morning coffee. In the past 46 days, I have had enough energy to start riding my bike again, just last week I took 3 separate 8 mile bike rides! I have lost 14 pounds, and I feel great! I can’t imagine ever going back to eating processed or cooked foods again.


If you are intrigued by Raw Food or even just getting healthier, I encourage you check out this website: rawmazing.com. Susan Powers runs the site, and I feel she is inspirational and informative, not just about eating raw, but about living healthy.

I hope my message has been helpful to you, thank you for letting me share my passion for raw food with you.

Music

Music has an amazing characteristic; it can create a place. I have experienced this phenomena more than once. I have been sitting at my desk, listening to music and out of no where, a particular lyric mixed with a specific chord will whisk me away to a magical place in my mind. It only lasts for a flash. As though I was teleported there for an instant, and then I am back, sitting at my desk, typing, and looking around to see if anyone else noticed.

The places vary, and I never have the same experience twice. It has been a place where I feel loved. I am not currently in a relationship, but sometimes in these flashes, it feels like I am. Maybe it is revisiting a place where I felt content and happy in a past relationship. Once in a while it is a dark place where I feel cold and lonely. And many times I have felt more than just feelings, but landscapes lush and green with familiar smells.

I am not sure what causes this in me, and it doesn’t happen everyday or every time I am listening to music. Just sometimes and when it does I appreciate the strength of my mind and the power of the art, which although not tangible for the most part, at times can reach out and take hold of me as if it were sitting right next to me.