The great thing about soup...

Check out the lunch I ate yesterday! I used up almost all of the veggies we got from our CSA to make the "Fall Harvest Soup" and the only thing un-Paleo about it is the small can of blackeyed peas in it (and a little salt). What a great way to use up all the fennel we've been getting! And the great thing about soup is that you can throw so many ingredients in it and it still (usually) tastes good!

The carrots are a new fave of mine: steamed carrots with fresh dill and a little bit of honey on top.

Zucchini was just sauteed in a little olive oil.

Someone at work commented on how small my apple was. That has been a new joy for me: discovering the size that fruit is "meant to be." I no longer eat chemical laden apples on steroids. And something I have discovered is that most fruit (i.e. peaches, apples, pears, plums) from our organic farm never has much more than 15 grams of carbohydrate in it. Compare this to a conventional apple at the store, which usually has around 30 grams of carbohydrate in it. I don't think we were meant to eat that many carbs in one piece of fruit....

The dessert you see is from a Paleo cookbook I got online. It helped me use up all the pears we got in our CSA share last week. Basically it is just pears, a bag of frozen blueberries, almond meal, and a little honey/agave nectar. As well as some spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. Yum!

The avocado was me "cheating" - they were on sale at the store and I couldn't resist.

Went to my acupuncture appt. yesterday and was told that this diet has been a great thing for my overall health and digestion. I couldn't agree more!

Food, Inc. and The China Study

Last night was a big "food" night for me. I watched the movie "Food, Inc." and started the book "The China Study." If you've never heard of either of these things, here is a little synopsis.

Food, Inc. (<-- click on that link!) is a documentary-type movie about the food industry. It shows the "dark side" of where our food comes from and how it is produced nowadays. It interviews people such as Michael Pollan (author of The Omnivore's Dillema) and Joel Salatin (Polyface Farms), and advocates eating local, organic food. It was great to watch with one of my roommates who may be inheriting a family farm soon and actually have the opportunity to do it right. The one gripe I had about this movie was that it was too serious - I wish they would have injected a little more humor into it. But it is very informative and inspiring! I was so happy to be a part of a (local, organic) CSA after watching it. Next challenge: figure out how to help people who can't afford to eat like this be able to eat like this. SAME Cafe seems to be doing a good job of this - I need to visit that place soon!

The China Study is a little more controversial for me. So far I've only read the first chapter and some strong claims have been made that essentially a vegan diet (no meat, dairy, eggs) can reverse and cure things like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. I really want to believe that a vegan diet is the way to go b/c I don't like killing animals for food (and I am trying more and more to figure out how to bring peace to the world in every way possible), but one question pops to mind in response to his claims - which makes me less apt to believe his findings fully: why did the eskimoes have low rates of heart disease on a diet of mostly all seal meat? (I know the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio is good in seal meat...) I do, however, believe that the author, T. Colin Campbell, has something very right: more fruits and veggies make for healthier people. Looking forward to hearing what else he has to say.