in defense of food.

so, you know that we love food.  you have probably drooled over our big burgers.  noticed that we like to get creative with salads and pilafs and vegetation combos.  and raised a brow at our bizzare health beverage concoctions.  we like food.  in all forms.

i have finally faced the reality that with the exception of our egg eating and burger consumption, we are pretty much vegetarian.  we eat a lot of nuts and seeds and fruits and veggies.  yes, we love our cheese.  sure, a juicy roasted chicken is scrumptious.  and we down our beef patties.  but the reality is that 70-80 percent of our weekly menu is plant-based.  and what isn't plant-based is always the good stuff.  our cheese is usually raw.  our chicken is free-range.  and our beef is grass-fed and local.  we try to eat responsibly.  we eat local.  we eat organic.  the only thing holding us back from full-blown earthy-crunchy granola status is the meat.  which got me thinking...really considering the reality of our diet.

{some of you might be biting your nails right now.  "oh my gosh, they are going vegan," cries you.  the burger-lovers are considering boycotting the blog.  the bacon-ators are unfollowing us on instagram.  now, now.  worry not, dear reader.}

now if you follow us on instagram OR if you were really reading between the lines on this here blog, you might have recently noticed an absence of meat.  well...that is intentional.  i must confess that we have been trying to bypass the beef in favor of veg.  we are trying to live a more plant-based life.  now, we aren't getting crazy with this.  don't fret.  but, we are challenging ourselves to eat more vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, raw food, real food, local food.  food with high ORAC value.  foods that have a stellar ANDI score.  you know.  bulking up our menu with more nutrient-rich ingredients, more power-packed foods, more vitamin/mineral density, more goodness.

this isn't about not eating things.  it is about eating more things.  more variety.  more color.  plus, it is a fun challenge to come up with inventive recipes for our weekly meals.  and it helps me to be more mindful.  each ingredient has a purpose, a deeper value.

let me also be clear that this isn't some fad or diet.  we aren't slapping a label on it.  it is much more complex.  i prefer to say that we are just educating ourselves and making smarter choices.  choices that will keep us healthier, longer.  choices that will bring vitality.  choices that will enable our bodies to work better and stay clean.  choices that will fight disease.

i guess you can say that we are pollan-ites.  call it a manifesto.  call it a mantra.  but michael pollan's proposal that we should eat food. not too much. mostly plants. does the trick for us.  it is a time-honored {yet sadly, novel} response to the question of what we should eat.  that phrase has a simplicity and balance to it that is so appealing.  liberating, really.  it is simple.  eat food.  not too much.  mostly plants.  makes sense to me.

and so...

|| a manifesto, of sorts ||

we eat food.  real food.  we enjoy our food.  the highest quality.  the best sources. the actual stuff.  we won't binge and act like piggies.  we eat our food slowly.  we savor.  we taste and experience.  we are grateful for the bounty.  we eat until we are satiated but not too much.  we appreciate the variety and color and textures.  we select local ingredients.  we cook at home.  we enjoy the process.  we eat as a family.  and eat mostly plants.  lots of raw stuff.  we want all the nutrients.  all the enzymes.  we want to suck out the marrow.  plant marrow, that is.

some of this is natural for us.  some of it is an extension of what we already do.  and some of it requires a bit more thought and care.  but, we are doing it.

and you know what?  if we want to enjoy a tasty burger every so often...we will do it with gusto.

bon appétit!