There is really nothing more fashionable these days than being enlightened about eating cleaner and greener. The hottest buzz is all about gluten-free, GMO-free, and chemical-free foods. People who shamelessly live on chemically-laden foods and beverages are on the ‘not-hot’ list. There is nothing more-dated (not to mention environmentally-incorrect) than poisoning our bodies with diet drinks and bastardized toxic Franken food. Is it possible that there is anyone living in the year 2015 (i.e., today) that does not know about the physical, mental and emotional ramifications of chemically processed/toxic food on the body, mind and soul? Think about it: The soul subconsciously knows the difference between right and wrong for its vehicle (the body), which is simply on loan to us from whatever higher power you believe in. Let’s face it, we have only one body and it’s up to us to take care of it. What we put into it determines how long it will last. Our best accessories are our God-given gifts: teeth, hair, skin and bodies. It’s our choice to go out in style or to die like a disease-infested dog… and that’s not a pretty way to go.
I don’t know about you, but I’d like to go peacefully in my sleep - looking like Audrey Hepburn - now she was a class act! You know damn well she didn’t abuse the hell out of her body with all manner of chemicals; moderation was probably her credo, and there’s no way she was gluttonous. Studies show that, as we age, the less we eat the healthier we are for it. As I watch my grandmother and her friends eating unhealthy food in tiny portions and continuing to live well into their 90’s, I can’t help but wonder how much better-off, in terms of their mobility, strength and overall health, they would all be if they only had cleaner-quality food available to them in their assisted living facilities. I pose this very question to college students who, sadly, have little-to-no choice over the quality of food options they have available to them while away from home. Food makes all the difference between a child who is staying up late at night and staying healthy, and those that call home every week with flu, strep throat and mono. Food is the foundation to everything, so much so that I raised my kids with food as our family’s priority, even though I was a struggling single mother. It was such an imperative part of our lives that I would not even consider sending my daughter to a college devoid of healthy options available close to campus. Imperatives to look for are: grocery stores like Whole Foods, healthy local restaurants, and talking to the head of the campus cafeteria regarding gluten-free, organic and chemical-free options. Even with all of my due diligence, she still has suffered with constant breakouts from the drastic change in her diet compared to what she was raised on.
So here is a suggestion: What if you became less-obsessed with the quantity and more obsessed with the QUALITY of your food?