The Beginning, or... A Return to Awesomeness?!

I think many of us in the U.S. have become very good at ignoring all the little labels and advertisements that pop up everywhere around us. Be it on a gmail account, television or billboard, we train ourselves to (usually) focus on other things. Which isn't to say we aren't a high consuming culture, but given the thousands of ads we're exposed to, maybe we're not doing such a bad job of staying focused.

In terms of food labels, I tend to look at the price, the expiration date and not much more. But recently I have become more curious about what it is I'm eating. At 28, I don't feel old, but I have become nostalgic for the days when I was racing around the track in high school, running tons of mileage, winning titles, and miraculously never getting hurt. I felt indestructible. I can't remember ever getting sore, having a headache, or even feeling the least bit sluggish or just plain spaced out. I long for those days when my body and mind felt like they were in such a remarkable condition. So I wonder now, is there anything I could be doing to regain that physical and mental agility? I still run, and I'm in graduate school, so that's a good start. But what am I putting into my body? Could I be eating foods that better support my short and long term health? Can I do this while buying foods which have less of a negative impact on our environment AND don't drain my bank account?!

The Plan:

Week 1. Buy food from Wal-Mart in an "anything goes" way. Get whatever looks good and is cheap. Don't alter my current buying habits. This is the "control" week. I will track the food's cost, distance traveled, and questions I have about what's on the food label.

Week 2. Eat at IslandWood (my graduate program) in the dining hall with the kids we teach during the School Overnight Program. Food here is free to me and bought in ridiculous bulk, so I'll track the distance traveled and note any questions I have about where it comes from.

Week 3. Buy food exclusively from the nearby farmer's market at my home place of Bainbridge Island. Eat locally AND with the intention of following recommendations by a comprehensive nutrition resource known as "The China Study." It's a book which cites hundreds of (apparently) peer reviewed research articles and suggests (apparently) science-driven ways to eat for optimum health and disease prevention.

Weeks 4-10. Compare the prices and distances traveled by different food items. Try to figure out if eating differently has an effect on my health, my bank account, and our environment.

I will do my best to remain skeptical throughout this process, but also pay attention to how I feel about this food journey. It is a blog after all (and what would a blog be without some unnecessary feelings sharing).

Thanks for reading!

- Chris Emme