Hey! I Resemble That Remark!

Our library is so cool! Today it sent me an email to let me know that one of my thousands of on-hold books had come in: The Great American Detox Diet by Alex Jamieson. (Thanks for the recommendation, Tia!) So, I went down the big hill to pick it up, and I'm already hooked.

Alex Jamieson is the fiancee of Morgan Spurlock of Supersize Me and was part of the documentary. After he complete the 30 days, gaining 24.5 pounds and 65 points of cholesterol(!), Alex helped him detox using the principles in this book. I've only read the first two chapters, but I'm already enjoying it. It's easy to read and has just the right amount of information. (I'm finding it really easy to get overwhelmed with this; there's just so much to know!)

In her introduction, she talks about her upbringing in Oregon on mostly organic and whole foods and how she really never paid attention to what she was eating or how it made her feel. It wasn't until she was a young adult and got into some bad eating habits that she noticed how the food she ate made her feel. Her skin changed, she got more bloated and had other intestinal problems, and she dealt with headaches and periods of depression. Morgan also felt much of the same in his shortened experiment with eating McDonald's for every meal.

As I was reading it, every word was resonating with me. After college, my now-husband and I moved in together and set up house. The problem was, I had no idea how to cook for two and ended up making mostly pastas, big casseroles, and pre-packaged convenience foods. I ended up gaining about 45 pounds in 4 years and just felt awful. I had headaches, intestinal problems, and had a 6-month or so period of dealing with depression. Sound familiar? I know now, absolutely, that what I was eating led me to that. It wasn't until I joined Weight Watchers and learned a new way of being that I started to feel more myself again.

Even now, when I'm eating much, much healthier than I did in those earlier days, I can definitely tell when my body isn't happy with what I've been eating. It is usually through my running that I notice it the most: I just feel sluggish and slow in those weeks that I've been eating crap. Doesn't mean I've changed much since noticing that, but at least I have a barometer of sorts.

Some interesting things I learned in the first chapters:
-Studies have been done that demonstrate the negative effects the Standard American Diet (SAD) has had on various cultures once it's been introduced. Literally, bone structures have changed and diseases have increased. No wonder we've created a generation that will have a shorten lifespan than their parents!
-The average American eats more than 50 pounds of food additives a year.
-Americans buy 50% of their food from only 10 companies.

I found a Facebook group on which people are discussing Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. Numerous people like me have started blogs, one of which, Spoonfed, is really great. I've linked it to the right if you have some time. Those of you with kids might be especially interested.

I've also linked to my friend Sarah's blog, Food for Thought. She's a registered dietitian and posts some great recipes with review from her two children. I already want to try several of them!