All Foods Are REAL

[BrightAngel]

See below for Beth's great post today at WeightMaven.org

Michelle Allison, the Fat Nutritionist, dislikes the term “real food†and writes today that
“all foods, like all women, are real.†She explains (emphasis hers):

No, this does not mean that all foods are nutritionally equivalent,
or that all foods are good for all people in all situations,
but it does mean that choices around food must be individual,
that all food choices can be valid, depending on the person and the circumstances,
and that universal pronouncements on a food’s relative realness
are not helpful or, well…real.

“Real food†is not a real thing.
Because what constitutes food is too many things.

I’m as guilty as the next “real foodie†of thinking that there is a meaningful difference between a tomato and a Twinkie,
but it’s probably worth keeping in mind that at the end of the day (no matter how long it will live on your shelf),
a Twinkie is actually food and not everyone wants, needs, or can afford to eat like a caveman or like Michael Pollan.

[oolala53]

Living without fast food or some convenience food just isn't worth it to me yet. Maybe it will be some day.

[MerryKat]

Absolutely!!

To me this is in the same category as "Good" & "Evil" food!

Thanks for sharing Bright Angel

[Jethro]

I've always thought that the body processes macro nutrients (protein, carbs, fats) and micro nutrients (vitamins, minerals) equally whether they come from evil or saint foods.

[keep on going NMW]

Jethro I have been taught that as well, I was on another diet sight and there were always heated discussions about this. Somebody would start preaching about chemicals n foods and another person would retort that technically everything is a chemical. Like water, water is a chemical and people would batter each other with scientific studies.
an interesting observation for me was that some of the buffest people ( at least according to profile pics) were people who reveled in things like pop tart ice ream sandwiches. They lots of healthy things too, but a few times a week you would see things that would make Michael Pollen clutch his pearls. Often times the people who made the biggest deal about clean, foods either had lots of weight to lose, or after reading their posts you start to realize they have an unhealthy relationship with food. There are of course exceptions on both sides. But the happiest of the posters eat junk in moderation.

[Over43]

Don't get me on "super food".

Just a thought.

[lpearlmom]

I so agree!! I love Ellyn Satter's view on food. She's so sensible and moderate. http://www.ellynsatterinstitute.org

[jw]

Agreed that anything we eat is food -- but remember "The Men Who Made Us Fat?" Moderation with some intensely flavor-enhanced manufactured foods is really, really difficult for me -- as in the old potato chip commercial, "you can't eat just one!" Some foods are engineered to take us into excess.

If you overeat cherries, you get a bellyache and never do it again. If you overeat potato chips, it's not enough to make you sick, not enough to satisfy your appetite, and you do it over and over!

Cherries are food and potato chips are food and I love both. But I have to be really careful with the potato chips.

[keep on going NMW]

Well written JW.
Good discussion

[Blithe Morning]

I think what people mean by real food is food that is grown and was living (breathed, ate, and grew). Fake foods have ingredients that are mined or occasionally synthesized in a lab.

When you get down to the atomic level there isn't much difference. But as we know what mattes is often as much the how as it is the what.

[BrightAngel]

But as WE know,
what matters is ....

Like my husband sometimes says to me....
when I assume that my personal beliefs are Universal ...
... applying to him, and to everyone else whose opinion I value,

"WE"... you mean you and that mouse in your pocket?

[wosnes]

not everyone wants, needs, or can afford to eat like a caveman or like Michael Pollan.

I'm not sure if she's saying that to eat like Michael Pollan eats is expensive or if the way he suggests eating is expensive. I think eating lots of locally sourced, organic foods can be quite expensive. However, the way Pollan suggests eating "eat food, not too much, mostly plants" seems similar to la cucina povera or the way some of the people featured in Hungry Planet: What the World Eats eat. Those who were spending the least were eating the way Pollan suggests.

[BrightAngel]

You can see a copy of the ENTIRE original article here:

http://www.diethobby.com/blog.php?ax=v& ... =Real_Food

[alice2002]

Loved that article!!