The Westering Hills

As I was scrolling through my daily fix of Slashfood yesterday, I came across an entry that linked to an article that author Michael Pollan wrote in the New York Times this week called “Unhappy Meals.” In this article, he explores and discusses his reasons as to why the basic animal function of eating has become so hopelessly complicated and skewed in America. I encourage you to open up the link and read it, and no complaining about how long it is! It could be an entire book unto itself, if you ask me–a fitting compendium for Pollan’s brilliant and eye-opening “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.”

In any case, if you don’t feel like reading the entire article (yet), scroll to the bottom to read his outline to what he considers nine simple principles of healthy eating. Good advice, all of it, and yet, as he points out, so dang difficult to adhere to in this country! We are literally surrounded by non-real food products masquerading as “healthy,” so much of it processed to the gills, jacked up with corn and corn products, and filled with unpronouncable chemicals. Where’s the food in food these days?

I was intrigued, to say the least. None of his nine principles of healthy eating were new to me–I know I should be buying my vegetables from the farmer’s market, I should eat less, I should cook, and eat food that I grow in my own garden. But what appealed to me is that Pollan’s writing style isn’t the typical shrill, scare tactic, finger-pointing style that is in vogue right now. He outlines the history of how America got to where it is at, what he feels is biologically wrong with it, and what he feels one can do to take control of one’s eating habits for the healthy.

In particular, I was fascinated by the first principle: don’t eat anything your great-great-grandmother would not recognize as food. Maybe my love of history comes into play here, but it’s such a simple idea. It got me thinking all last night and into today, how much of the items in my kitchen are ones that Catherine Woods, my Quaker great-great-grandmother who lived in Ohio, would not recognize as foodstuff?

Quite a bit, it turns out: instant grits/oatmeal, non-fat half and half (heck, half and half!), 2% milk, margarine, boxed breakfast cereal, low-fat bread, vanilla low-fat yogurt, frozen lunches, frozen ravioli, boxed quinoa/couscous mixes, tortilla chips, microwave popcorn, crackers, multigrain tortillas, just to name a few. I mean, none of this stuff is so bad but it’s all processed, sweetened with fructose, dehydrated, refined. You can bet it didn’t show up at Great-Great-Grandma Woods’ local grocer or on her farm!

Do I need this stuff? Is any of it necessary for me to eat given my particular modern American lifestyle? Could I get away for just a couple of weeks, a month, eating nothing but what was only in existence in 1865?

Bring it on! I do love me a historical challenge! Starting on Sunday, February 4th, I am going to Eat Real Food for two weeks, then go for one month if it’s working out. If it’s something that didn’t exist around 1865, I will not put it in my mouth. The only exception to this rule is dairy products, because I obviously am not going to be able to find unpasteurized, homemade butter, milk, and cheese in this country, as it’s illegal. But I will do my best to at least buy full-fat and organic on that front. And this does not extend to how the foodstuff is made, either, as that would prove to be rather difficult and that is not the point anyway. What I will be looking at is raw, genuine ingredients with no chemicals, no additives, no refined processing. The best way to avoid all of these is by making everything from scratch or knowing it was made from scratch, like the daily-baked bread down at the Pike Place Market.

Now, admittedly, I’m a bit nervous about going public with this, not because I think it will be difficult, but because I’m afraid it will be too easy and therefore boring to blog about. I read countless food blogs in which said bloggers live this way daily (or claim to!) and don’t give two thoughts about it. But blog I will, regardless. I’ll tell what I eat every day, if I had any challenges or unavoidable food situations, etc. Also, because I am a history nerd, I will probably be linking to some food history facts and sites, as I’m guessing I’ll need to do some research at times to figure out if a certain food existed in 1865 (for instance, Anne wondered if one of her favorite foods, Saltines, existed back then and the answer is no, not until after 1890!). I suspect I will be utilizing The Food Timeline website frequently!

Any suggetions? Complaints? No? Okay, just give me a few days to plan out my menus and let the games begin!