I apologize in advance for the impending hand-waving, but…. you know
I’ve been working on two different projects here at work, about 50% of my time on each. There has been a roadblock (out of my control) that was finally lifted today and now I can really rev up the engines. I guess, actually, roadblock is improper, because I was able to move ahead before, just terribly slowly. And it only took 2.5 months!
and I are currently trying an experiement: We will only eat fast food once a month. Well, not quite: Salads and deli-sandwiches aren’t lumped in there, but that kind of food isn’t really apropos to the experiment anyway. We are really focusing on trying to eliminate the scourge of french fries, burgers, etc from our diet… It’s not so much the fries or the burgers that are the problem, but more of what goes into them at a fast-food restaurant. I am starting to make a consious shift to avoiding High-Fructose Corn Syrup and Trans-Fats, but it’s a pretty monumental challenge. I haven’t really made a determination as to whether or not these two products are actually bad for me, but humans got along without them fine for eons before their invention, so I don’t really see why they should be part of my diet.
Nice.
Inspired, at least in part, by Alton Brown I hope? I’ve been thinking about doing the same, but it’s going to wait until I have a job and some sort of stable lifestyle…
Not so much inspired by AB, but more of a confluence of opinions from all kinds of people. Corinna has been harping on me regarding trans-fats for awhile now, and I read a study that tried to correlate the introduction of HFCS with the start in the rise of obesity. I’m not sure if I buy the study (seems there are plenty of other factors that could have contributed), but it did make me think about HFCS, which was introduced in the 70s. I mean, why do we need it? Answer: We don’t.
Sounds like a good effort! I know, from trying to avoid a lot of things during the last year, that those two ingredients are EVERYWHERE. I bet up by you there are some great natural food stores (maybe a Trader Joe’s or Wild Oats Market too). You can usually find good stuff there. I know Wild Oats recently removed all Trans Fats from their entire chain. Good luck!!
Not only Trader Joe’s, but Whole Foods Markets are abound in the Boston area…
TJ’s is nice, but they are way too inconsistent for me… Several times I have gone there, gotten attached to some product, just to find it isn’t sold there the next time I’m there. I only go there on a whim, and leave with some stuff, but I never actually go there to do my shopping.
Whole Foods Market (a.k.a. Bread & Circus) rules… My nickname for the place is the Hippie Mart. Their butcher rules, and the cheesemonger is the man.
I actually have a funny story regarding the cheesemonger at B&C. I was near the bread, with Corinna, and I commented how much I love buttered fresh bread. The cheesemonger overhears this, and comes up to me and whispers (drug dealer style): “If you are really into butter I can give you a line on some good stuff.” I nod in bewilderment and follow him back to the cheese/dairy section. He introduces me to this great Lurpak danish Garlic Butter that was simply fantastic. He also showed me this $12/lb european (cultured) butter that I have yet to try but he raved about. He’s the man.
I have been trying to do a similar thing. I run into difficulty at lunch time, but I will usually get a salad or sandwich, which as you pointed out is not that bad.
I hope you realized that Krispy Kreme uses partially hydrogenated oils (aka trans fatty acids!) I’m sorry :(
Hey, I said I was trying to avoid Trans-fat, there is no way I am giving up the glorious KK.
I love the word “avoid”.
It’s so damn flexible!
So more like a “gawker blocker” than a roadblock, eh?
Yes. :)
I’ve been trying to eliminate french fries and cut down on sodas for my eating habits. As in, at a restaurant, I’ll get a water instead of a Dr. Pepper. If a sandwich comes with fries, I’ll say “No fries.” Of course, then it looks pretty lonely.