Real Food = Groovy Mood

I’m really excited, because Food Day is less than three months away. Obviously, I am a food geek, as these sorts of things really blow my skirt up.

What is “Food Day?” I’m glad you asked. Held on October 24 this year, Food Day encourages people to eat real foods, like veggies, fruits and whole grains produced by farmers with sustainable farming practices.

“But I eat real food every day,” you may say. Perhaps, but you’re groovy. What about the typical, less groovy, American diet? Let’s take a look at an American staple… breakfast cereal. A typical breakfast cereal may have the following ingredients… and this is one without the intoxicatingly colored marshmallows:

- rice
- sugar
- hydrogenated vegetable oil
- salt
- red 40
- yellow 6
- blue 1
- yellow 5
- blue 2
- BHA (preservative)

“HEY!” You might be thinking, “Isn’t rice real food?” There may be a couple of “real” ingredients in there, but I can guarantee that even those real ingredients look nothing like they look in nature. The rice and sugar are stripped of their fiber and most of their nutritional value so they hardly even resemble their former selves. Who knew neither sugar or rice are actually white in nature? And when was the last time you went to the farm to go red 40-picking?

And just in case eating things with numbers don't bother you, ponder this: certain chemicals used in processed foods cause cancer. Processed foods increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Junk food can even lead to lower IQ in children. And those are only the things that affect your body. We won't even get into how the processed food industry affects the environment... that's for another post.

If you’re like me, you’re incredibly busy, and preparing real food for you, your spouse and/or your very hungry growing children seems more daunting than climbing Mt. Everest. After all, you only have to climb Mt. Everest ONCE… you have to prepare three meals a day every day for the rest of your life, for crying out loud. No worries, my dazzling diners. It’s not as hard as you think.

It’s easier than ever to follow a whole-foods diet. There are a ton of websites, books, and recipes out there to make eating real food realistic. Those of you who know me well know that I am a kitchen klutz… yes, it’s true… I once almost burned the house down trying to boil water. Okay, more than once.

But if I can cook whole foods, so can you! One of my favorite recipes is Chef AJ’s “Hail to the Kale” salad. I promise you… once you try this incredibly easy-to-make recipe, kale will be your new BFF (Belly’s Favorite Food). And speaking of Chef AJ, be sure to check out her book, Unprocessed, for more mouth-watering recipes and some straight-forward info on why unprocessed foods improve your groove. You can also find some fantastic whole foods recipes on the Whole Foods website. How appropriate!

In order to make more mojo in your life, it’s imperative that you eat real food. A whole foods diet not only strengthens your body, mind, and soul, it may literally save your life… and the life of the planet you live on.