Some say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And while that’s certainly true about food as much as anything else, there are some common truths that some really smart people have figured out over the years.
Warning! I am not an expert!
I’m learning every day just as you are. So rather than come up with some crazy notion on my own of what really good food is, I thought I’d share a few perspectives from people who are a lot smarter than me who I’ve been fortunate enough to meet or learn from on my own food journey:
Good for your TASTEBUDS: Yummy
- Let’s face it, it’ll never work if it isn’t yummy. Good food has to be delicious and only you get to decide for yourself whether it is.
- The average lifespan of a tastebud is 6-7 days. It takes some time and work to train your tastebuds to appreciate the taste of real food behind the barrage of fat, salt and sugar that we have grown accustomed to, but I promise it can be done.
Good for YOU: Healthy
- Michael Pollan said it nicely, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
- Cancer, heart disease and diabetes take the lives of more than a million Americans each year and millions more are diagnosed. The American Cancer Society and American Heart Association both admit that diet plays a strong role in preventing these diseases.
- Processed foods are loaded with ingredients and chemicals that contribute to you feeling sick. You deserve to know what you’re eating. You deserve chemical-free, synthetic-hormone-free, synthetic-protein-free food. You know – like grandma made.
Good for THE PLANET: Local and Sustainable
- High estimates indicate that less than 3% of food consumed in Colorado is grown or raised in Colorado. Other cities and states find themselves in similar predicaments as we have come to rely on a global food system that has provided us with great benefits like eating blueberries in Colorado any time of year, but also brings with it inherent flaws and risks.
- Although some may accuse me and others of worrying that the sky is falling, it just makes me feel better to know that I’m in better control of my food supply. Eating local, sustainable foods means less reliance on energy derived from fossil fuels and more money and jobs going into our local economy.
- Taking it one step further to contribute to growing local and sustainable foods means more food available for you, your family, your neighbors and friends. That’s a pretty good incentive to start.