In Michael Pollan's groundbreaking book, In Defense of Food, he writes that you should eat food that will eventually rot. Not exactly the most appetizing comment for a food blog, but here's why he's absolutely right.
I buy organic lemons and limes whenever possible because I am so frequently using the zest. Usually they come in a large bag with 5 or 6, and this makes the slightly higher cost manageable. Lemons are almost always the most efficient and effective items in my kitchen, from half of one squeezed into some hot water and in the morning, to a fresh way to zing up a pasta dish, or to brighten up some fresh berries.
But every so often, I reach into the bag and am met with a fuzzy, soft, slip of my fingers, and there is a gorgeous lemon, covered in white mold. It can literally happen overnight. And every time it happens, I am cognizant of why.
WHY does mold make me ponder the beauty of nature?
Because FOOD is meant to go bad! All of those wonderful enzymes and antioxidants, and nutrients and vitamins and minerals (which is the POINT of food in the first place!) do so much for your body, but even they have a life. And it is only effective when food is fresh and natural.
If I see one more boxed microwaved "factory lunch" commercial I'm going to hurl a moldy lemon at the TV. FACTORY BOXES should not be lunch, even if they are called "healthy choice" or "healthy whatever". These concoctions have the unpronouncables in them so they can stay on factory floors, supermarket trucks, and grocery freezers, and in household freezers indefinitely. And the food industry is preying on busy people, usually women, who want to trim down, feed themselves well, and drop the extra weight that literally weighs them down on so many levels.
I know it's not as easy to make a casserole, or a homemade chili, or a fresh soup. It might take you 15 minutes, and you'll probably have to do it standing up while using your muscles.
But what are you really doing with the time you "saved" by buying the box? Probably not much. And you're robbing your body of fresh.
Everyone says "it's cold season" and they grab their Kleenex and their lozenges like there's no way to avoid it. I have had only two "colds" since I went vegan, and both times I can trace the preceeding week to lots and lots of non-vegan indulgences. Which necessarily means I ate less veggies and fruits. Bill's noticed the same pattern among his friends. I do not think this is a mere coincidence.
So - my final words on the subject are that factories do not make "healthy food", food should eventually decay, and you are what you eat.
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