"It's not about being pure or saintly, it's about moving in the right direction," says New York Times food writer Mark Bittman, author of The Food Matters Cookbook. Bittman considers himself a "less-meatarian," and says that while he loves meat, the best way to move toward sustainability and slowing climate change is for people to consume less meat. Meanwhile, eating plants and other natural, unprocessed foods is not only best for the environment--it's best for our health, too.
Bittman joins Laura in studio for a conversation about food: what to eat and how, the barriers to eating healthy that so many people face, and to share a few of his "revolutionary" recipes.
one thing i often miss when people talk about food and “moving in the right direction” is the problem of “addiction”. not “real” addiction of course but how watching ads or beautifully decorated things in the store tend to make our mouths watery and actually want those things.
dr. kessler has written an in my opinion great book about that side of the issue called “the end of overeating” and i have to say since i have stopped “treating myself” and started to look at food in a more “functional” manner, i am able to enjoy e.g. fruit a lot more than i did back when i still kept eating chocolate now and then. also, i rarely get cravings for something unhealthy and it has become quite easy for me to just not be interested in basically e.g. all things chocolate.
maybe that’s not the case for most people but i think for those who find it difficult to switch to healthier food but really want it, they should try to “detox” for half a year or so. though depending on how addictive your nature when it comes to food is, it might take longer (for instance, i had to avoid sweets in supermarkets for almost two years. only then could i walk past them and not care). and just because you’ve switched to healthy food doesn’t mean you can’t slip back into old habits by thinking that treats now and then are fine because those treats might become more and more frequently…
By AndyV on November 25th, 2010 at 10:16 pm