How the Food Movement Swept Me Away

The food movement that has been sweeping through the farms and kitchens of progressive folks across the United States is one that I am happy to be a part of. Reading Michael Pollan, listening to radio interviews about inspirational young farmers changing the world (and knowing some of them myself), seeing people struggle to address food security on a global scale--how empowering! I joined the movement by challenging myself to eating mostly all local, organic and seasonal foods. I continued with my life-long commitment (14 years and counting!) to vegetarianism. I cut high fructose corn syrup, processed foods and genetically modified foods out of my grocery list completely. Just one problem--I still felt like the fat girl in the room full of skinny locavores. What was I doing wrong?!

The bottom line: I followed all of Michael Pollan's rules except one. His abridged list goes something like this: eat food, mostly vegetables, not too much. I'm sure that with the background knowledge I've given you, you can decide which rule I didn't stick to. Stumped? Okay, okay. I admit it. I didn't stick to the "not too much" part. All those local vegetables roasted to perfection and served alongside handmade tortillas and creamy hummus? Guacamole on top, you say? How can you turn down seconds? Thirds? What about the brick oven pizza made by the guys down on the corner using only the freshest local, organic ingredients? That's what food is all about!

I could picture all the beautiful, hard-working hands that had grown that food for me. I could appreciate every bite and every meal to the fullest. Somehow I justified my overeating with my decision to be a conscious consumer who ate only the purest of ingredients. I thought that my overeating was stimulating a local market, driving a national movement. I justified until I was blue in the face. But the hard truth could be found in my waistline--it was getting bigger and my lifespan was getting shorter.

So what was the straw that broke the camel's back? ONE DOCTORS VISIT. Already diagnosed with a disease that includes symptoms such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, I was gambling with my life by overeating. By the time I turned 23 years old, my total cholesterol was over 260 and my blood pressure topped out at 149/90, despite my vegetarian, health-conscious, environmentally-concerned food decisions. The doctor looked at me in the eye and told me that, given the rate that my cholesterol was increasing, she projected that I would be at risk for heart disease within my 30's. What!? How could that be possible, I argued. She argued that I had to take responsibility for my condition, that I had to cut out all risk factors related to food and lack of exercise. Since I've always been active, there was just one thing to tackle: the eating. Nothing in the world could have justified a continuation of my previous patterns.

So, I decided to make my health my number one priority. It turns out that already being into natural, organic foods was a huge foot in the door. It was cutting down the sheer volume of intake that would prove to be more challenging. More on the beginning of that journey soon...