Food Philosophy

As I have said before I feel like I have grown tremendously within the past year or so. Much of this growth can be attributed to what I would consider to be both an internal and external transformation.

It all began with a new approach to becoming a healthy human being. Not to sound too much like a late night infomercial here but, I was unhealthy, overweight, and unhappy as a result. I had attempted to alleviate these afflictions before through typically traditional methods that most women turn to in their pursuit to become thin and “beautiful.” Dieting, shortcuts, etc… Many of these methods can lead one to temporary success but it seems inevitable to find yourself right back were you began. None of these ways are effective and I think it is due in large part to the fact that the goal you may have in mind is a selfish, small, and narcissistic one. At least that’s how it was in my case. I didn’t even really foresee myself being led in this direction, but at some point I realized that there were bigger ideas attached to my crusade to become a healthier person.

First off, the vehicle for all of this came from my decision to reject our Western ideas about food. Food has become so much more than it should be in this country. It’s a source of comfort, a form of entertainment, and a type of filler for the chasm that exists in the lives of people for one reason or another. The food situation has gotten way out of hand over here because there is just SO much of it (distribution is another story, though). Our abundance of food and our propensity for wasting it is a gross and shameful exercise in our Western way of life. How much do we really need? How much should other people have by comparison?

I will be the first to admit that food has taken all of the above forms in my life. Even now…every once in awhile. Yeah, I enjoy a night out with friends and bountiful supplies of yummy international foods. I love baking ridiculous amounts of cookies and goods for friends and loved ones. But the latter is really just what enables me to love on people and communicate to them, “Hey, I like/love you. I want you to know that I care about you and I hope this makes you smile.” So, I suppose I can dismiss that as being a bad thing. But I digress… I guess what I mean to convey is that I feel guilty to live in a place with (for the most part) such bountiful food resources.

I suppose it is this level of consciousness that has led me to realize that we (ahem, I) don’t ever really need as much as we (ahem, ahem….I) may think (a very true statement that can be applied to many different areas of one’s life). I have always known that there are people out there who live on far less than I do… and somehow seem to manage. In a time when it has become exceedingly crucial to understand what events are taking place in the world, I have grown to understand just how bad off some people are in terms of basic necessities, like food and drink. Why should I be scavenging for something to eat in the cupboard while I’m watching Letterman in my cozy house when children in India are lucky to have had a single bowl of rice to eat that day? It all comes down to the fact that many of us in this country don’t really know what hunger is or what it feels like. I’m only using India as one example. I’m keen enough to know that there are tons of people in this country who are at a disadvantage and in need of help as well. The main point: food distribution is a big problem. Why is it that there is so much in certain regions and not enough in others? How can I (ahem, we) fix this? I know there are a lot of obstacles that stand in the way and I’m certain that I am not smart enough to understand them all but even so… there are people out there who are hurting and surely something can be done to help. Arms extended- what should I do?

Soooo basically, learning to think this way has made it difficult to gorge myself on junk food. By eating less do I think I am someone performing a service for the disadvantaged? No. Psh, holy smokes! I don’t fancy myself a Gandhi-type. But this level of consciousness might lead in to something bigger in the future and I’m on the watch for what that might be.

Secondly, I have delved deep into the world of organic food. I’ve done so cautiously seeing as how it has become very en vogue these days and with that comes scores and scores of people looking to take advantage of the fad and collect a pretty penny from unsuspecting consumers. When I started to really think about my motives behind consuming organic foods I discovered that they were primarily for reasons of faith. I don’t hold true to a strictly organic diet like a Jewish person might to a Kosher diet. I don’t hold myself to any strict dietary laws. However, since faith does come into play here, I suppose the reasoning could be similar. In my mind I try to see things in their purest form- the way they were created by God. Food, as God’s creation, should be pure. Frankly, it really grosses me out to think of all of the things in our food that we consume- things we don’t even know about… things we can’t even pronounce. Manmade additives, preservatives, pesticides, antibiotics, and other chemicals destroy the purity of food as God created it. Our bodies and systems where all designed purely. So when additives etc. enter our clean and pure systems engineered to work perfectly by God, the balance is thrown off and our bodies don’t know what to do with these unfamiliar manmade agents. I think so many types of cancer and other modern-day sicknesses can all be traced back to the fact that the food we are consuming has been so grossly defiled by the hands of man. It is an idea that may sound simple and stupid but it makes sense in my mind. There are other reasons for eating organic- reasons of ethics and other social issues…sustainable agriculture, health benefits, the humane treatment of animals etc… the rambling could go on for paragraphs. Side note: I have wondered more than once if I might become a vegetarian or a vegan in the future. The reason for that would mainly be because I heart animals so much but I am struggling with what the religious significance of that choice might be. I’m sure I am taking the verse out of context but I know in Romans somewhere it is said that those who eat only veggies are weak..?? And God did outline a whole host of animals that we can consume. But if He wanted me to eat ‘em he probably should have thought twice about makin’ them so adorable. I wouldn’t mind eating Kosher meat. At least that way I would know that the animal didn’t suffer. But then again, I don’t really know of many Kosher, organic delis or meat markets around these parts. Wow. World’s worst digresser… or best? Moving on: Side note Side note: I’m not fooled. Organic food is big time business with big time price tags to match- but being a cautious consumer, researching companies before purchasing from them, and making sure that all food said to be organic is actually certified to be so by the USDA, I think I have been able to avoid being swindled a time or two. It’s easy to lament about the money spent, but I am willing to cut corners other places to be able to eat organic whenever I can.

Third, it’s nice to expend some major energy in the rec. To preface, there really is no getting around it. I was a fatty. Not such a good look. I had such a poor pooooor opinion of myself and it showed in my demeanor and spilled over into every possible area of my life. In fact, negative thoughts consumed a lot of the free space in my brain. Most of my day-to-day internal dialogue consisted of “Oh man, I’m too fat to be in public. I bet everyone is looking at how big I am. I bet I am totally going to die alone.” Etc. Wow. Well, that’s the tone of those past thoughts, anyway. My mental health definitely wasn’t at its best. But the main point here is that all of that negativity DISTRACTED me in a really major way from other things in life that actually matter. There was something about myself that I didn’t like. So I fixed it. Done. In doing that, I was able to banish mostly all of the self-absorption and self-loathing from my mind and replace the free space with thoughts about others and issues of greater importance. Not thoughts about me and whether or not my jeans would stretch out in a few hours. To sum up my need for daily physical exertion: This temple- this vessel has been given to me and keeping up maintenance on it has less to do with being “bathing suit ready for summer” and more to do with having this temple o’mine be in tip-top working condition for whatever service it is needed for. Physical activity helps the cause.

So in summation: yeah, I guess when you eat less, follow a loose organic diet, and work out a lot, you are bound to drop a few L-B’s. That is nice and all but it’s even nicer to know that it wasn’t really your primary focus and comes only as an offshoot of some bigger ideas that might help to serve you and others in a positive way.


It’s a lot to keep in mind, this whole “food philosophy.” But on an ideal day, this is what I am able to hold myself to.