The Double Daily

Not exactly like at Suffolk Downes, but you get the point. I was up and out too early on Saturday to write my usual installment, so today gets back on track with both Friday and Saturday. I have been a busy bee!

Spring is finally here, and not a moment too soon! I really need some sunshine! I think this winter has taken its toll on everyone, and we should all be out enjoying what little warm air there is whenever we can!

No Impact Man, the documentary about the Manhattan family that decided to not have an impact on the environment for one year had long been on my list to watch and I've finally gotten around to it. While I don't think I'm prepared to give up toilet paper -- in fact, I'm trying hard to rid my mind of the image, I do think their argument to eat locally is dead on. Last year, friends bought and split a share of vegetables and fruit with me from a CSA, Community Sponsored Agriculture, and  while the lack of control of volume or selection may take a little getting used to, always eating fresh makes a huge difference. You make think that your veggies and fruit from Stop-n-Shop are just as fresh, but in reality most of the produce in your grocery store travels more than you do in a year just to make it to your plate. And there's no benefit to eating fruits and veggie out of season. We all know what time of year corn is the best, and watermelon and tomatoes, and yet we wonder when we buy a watermelon in January and it's flavorless.

Having been a vegetarian for almost 25 years, I have gone through a few diet transformations in an effort to stay healthy and not become a carb fiend. After reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan's own personal journey with food, I changed my mind about what I could eat. If you're curious about how the food industry works in the US, Michael Pollan's books and articles for the NY Times are a great read. In the Omnivore's Dilemma, Pollan makes four meals, "industrial food, organic or alternative food, and food we forage ourselves". While I don't believe many of us have either the skills or the time to forage for our meals everyday, we do have the ability to eat locally produced foods making both a big difference in our diets, local economy and environment. Joel Salatin's Polyface Farm convinced me, a card-carrying vegetarian, that I could eat meat again. (I haven't as I can't remove the emotional component.) But I can understand eating meat and chicken raised and kept in the manner he does, and I don't have anything against it. (I'm probably going to get a nasty note from PETA now.)

The documentary, Food, Inc. draws on many of the themes of Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma and Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation. While ignorance may be bliss, it's not sustainable bliss. We cannot make America healthier, and continue to eat the way we do. We cannot make America cleaner, and continue to eat the way we do. And don't get me started on the corn industry or Monsanto Company. Watch, and you may never look at your plate the same way.

Daily Breakdown: Friday
Juices Consumed:  Mango/Pear; Hawaiian Harvest; Strawberry/1/2 Apple/Spinach/Carrot/Banana/Ginger/Kiwi

Weight Loss:  .5 lb (Juice Feast Total: 11 lbs)

Bodily Functions:  Normal

Exercise: Gym for treadmill & bike.

Daily Breakdown: Saturday
Juices Consumed:  Hawaiian Harvest; Strawberry/Papaya/Spinach/Carrot/Banana/1/2 Apple; Vega (Vegan Protein Powder)/Water/Banana/Mint Tea

Weight Loss:  none (Juice Feast Total: 11 lbs)

Bodily Functions:  Normal

Exercise: Ran around Prospect Park -- literally. 3.25 miles