A simple enough question I suppose. Though strangely, if people knew the answer, I would be out of a job.
There has been much discussion of late around corn- the high fructose corn syrup ad campaign, the farm bill and how the US government pays off farmers to grow inedible corn, the use of corn for power, the rising costs of corn… Last week, my friend Josh (also a nutritionist) and I got together to watch the documentary, King Corn. At the end of the film, I was left with the overwhelming feeling that we had a whole lot of work to do.
And it was after watching this film about how ridiculous this push for commodity crops actually is, that I realized how ridiculous my job actually is. Somehow, over the years where nearly every bit of our food supply has been touched by corn or soy and astronomical advertising budgets from the processed ‘food’ industry, it has become a profession, my profession, to try and convince people of what real food actually is and that this real food makes us healthy.
The fields upon fields of corn that grow across the midwest is not food. We can not take an ear of corn from those fields, boil it, and eat it. It is horrible. It has been bred for high yield and high yield only. It is inedible. So how can we take something that does not start out as food and turn it into food? We can’t. Well, we can turn it into sweeteners, and oils, and fillers, and fuel- but is that food?
Alive food is what sustains our health. There is no middle ground. The food we eat will either build health or build disease and for some crazy reason, we need convincing of this simple fact. The best foods we can eat are the ones that come straight from the earth, or from a tree, or from an animal and right onto our table (yes- that would make milk raw). Day after day, my job is to come up with crafty reasons why an apple is a better snack than a candy bar, why water is better than Gatorade and why taking twenty minutes to prepare a fresh meal is time better spent than twenty minutes in front of the TV or on the computer.
Just eat food. The best food will not have label claims, ingredient lists, or nutrition labels. The best food will not have a package to print these on. In Michael Pollan’s letter (discussed and linked to here), he suggests that perhaps food should be dictated by the concentration of nutrients per calorie, or even how many calories of fuel were required to produce each calorie of food. Brilliant ideas but it can be even simpler. Eat fruit. Eat vegetables. Eat whole grains. Eat nuts and seeds. Eat them. Love them (or learn to). And feel better.
Here is a recipe for Really Real Fast Food that is high in fibre, high in essential fatty acids, high in antioxidants, high in protein, cinnamon helps stabilize blood sugar, raw honey is anti-microbial and anti-viral and this fast food is 100% real food and corn free!
Really Real Fast Food
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: None
Keywords: snack dairy-free gluten-free low-carb kosher low-sodium soy-free sugar-free vegetarian apple whole food
Ingredients (Serves 1)
- 1 apple
- 1 Tbs raw honey
- 2 Tbs nut or seed butter (I recommend almond, hazelnut, sunflower, pumpkin seed, or hazelnut)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
Slice apple.
Drizzle with honey and cinnamon.
Dip into or spread with nut/seed butter.
Voila!
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[...] if (vbc) vbc.style.visibility = ‘hidden’; e.style.backgroundColor = ‘#fff’ }); }); today What is food? trackback from post [...A simple enough question I suppose. Though strangely, if people knew the [...]
Hi Meghan, Just wanted to say how much I enjoy your blog, newsletter and the Healthy Cookie.
I just soooo agree with the comment about having to find crafty reasons to convince someone that say, an apple is better…its just CRAZY!
I’m in the UK and spend some of my time lecturing in an Art College, I watch my students consume vast quantities of crap, and its hard to see.
I gave up smoking last year, because I could not face anymore my students seeing that is was ok to do this. I drink a special seaweed superfood drink now at work and eat really healthily in front of the students which causes alot of interest, but sometimes it does actually get copied!
This blog is on my recommended reading list for my students alongside artists, designers and journalists….so thankyou for all you do to inspire!
Lulu x
UK
Hey Meghan. I appreciate your recommendation to watch this movie. The mountains of corn were shocking. Not only is the majority of North American crop production inedible but we are producing so much that it just sits around… waiting for what? I suppose maybe the further push for biofuels may be an answer. SO… here I am, brewing up some chai on the stove and contemplating my existence. I am one neuron in this collective consciousness that fires for the good. The more I learn, the more those connected to me become agents for change. I appreciate being connected to you.
[...] Really Real Fast Food [...]
[...] I also think this might be a good time to answer the age old questions of What Is Food? [...]
[...] or dates. It’s not like I somersault off the wagon and binge on food grade petroleum based high fructose corn syrup junk, but what I do have is still sweetness to the taste and therefore feeds the [...]
[...] or dates. It’s not like I somersault off the wagon and binge on food grade petroleum based high fructose corn syrup junk, but what I do have is still sweetness to the taste and therefore feeds the [...]
[...] earth or can be processed into something else using basic home cooking methods. If you have seen the fabulous documentary King Corn- than you have seen the experiment they did- wearing protective goggles and all, as they attempted [...]
[...] pill, sunshine and cancer, artificial sweeteners, vaccinations, soda pop, the authority of doctors, high fructose corn syrup, margarine, and most recently, MSG. I am forever astounded, though never surprised that these [...]
[...] I came home with loads of freshly harvested squashes (recipes to follow soon) and indulged in a little fresh off the land, corn on the cob. Corn is a tricky thing for me to eat. Not because it gets all stuck in that annoying wire I have cemented to the back of my top and bottom teeth, but because it is like my fear food. For one, it is definitely one of the worst foods to eat if you have any digestive challenges as it can be a whole load to much of fibre for the delicate nethers. But also, I feel like corn isn’t really food, largely because 95% of the corn that is grown in North America isn’t food. More on that here and here and here. [...]
[...] I came home with loads of freshly harvested squashes (recipes to follow soon) and indulged in a little fresh off the land, corn on the cob. Corn is a tricky thing for me to eat. Not because it gets all stuck in that annoying wire I have cemented to the back of my top and bottom teeth, but because it is like my fear food. For one, it is definitely one of the worst foods to eat if you have any digestive challenges as it can be a whole load to much of fibre for the delicate nethers. But also, I feel like corn isn’t really food, largely because 95% of the corn that is grown in North America isn’t food. More on that here and here and here. [...]
[...] day came when I just had to look that sweet smooth talker in the eye and say “You’re poison to me.” However, the next bad boy I had to have a face down with was cane [...]