The Moral Superiority of Vegetables

SNACKPOCALYPSE with Chloe Grace Moretz, Tyler Posey, and First Lady Michelle Obama from Funny Or Die 

This morning on the way to work, I ran in to my old friend, Ilsa. She was my nutritionist many years ago. Ilsa was studying some sort of holistic nutrition, and while some of the things she advised were a bit out there and tangential to nutrition in hind site, I really got a lot out of it. It set me on a path of thinking about food seriously, which led me to culinary school. Ilsa, combined with the c-school and a health scare, got me out of a life-long rut of binge-eating sugar so often it was less like a binge and more like a constant stream of crap down my throat.

When stock photography perfectly summarizes a life once lived...

But with any transformation, there is the fear of indulging the "born again" extremist factor. Change is good, but running from yourself in fear and disgust can make for crazy times. People who are "Ding dongs are cool" one day, then a few weeks later are proselytizing a raw-vegan-gluten free-clean-organic lifestyle should be held up to scrutiny: they may very well be emotionally unstable, sometimes even mentally ill.

But as I think about the change I've undergone, and what I'm going to say to Ilsa when I take her to dinner in a few weeks, I can't help but think, have I become a true believer? As can be seen by the comedy clip above, the push for fruit & veg as a large and normal part of our diets is growing both in our culture and in our political conversation. And now there is a study to back it up.

People who ate more fruits and vegetables over the 13-day period reported higher average levels of curiosity, creativity, and positive emotions, as well as engagement, meaning, and purpose.

Quite literally, this study is implying that those who eat more fruit and vegetables are better than you. Fortunately, if you read down the summary, the researchers fully admit there is no causality proven -- eating fruit and vegetables may make you a better person, or perhaps better people just happen to eat more fruit and vegetables. Still, I can't get out of my head studies of eugenics that 'proved' the superiority of certain races to others.

All that stock photography of women joyously eating salad? This study proved why.

I can only speak from my own anecdotal evidence that now that I have added regular servings of broccoli, asparagus, brussel sprouts, spinach, carrots, green salad, and nasty-ass fresh vegetable juice 5 days a week, I do find myself feeling better about things, less prone to foul moods and the ability to read minds and fly. Let's just not be snobby about it, please?
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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 3182

Oy, thats a big number, and doesn't even feel like it was a crazy week. I an do better.

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2950

SLEPT: 9pm-4am, 7 hrs
Didn't feel well rested, some gastric distress during the day, feeling down, too. Gave in to some homemade sweets in the evening which worked in two ways -- the plain ol' sugar rush and chocolate smile was a mood elevator, but also it felt like a real special treat, too, not a mechanical indulgence to chase the sugar dragon.

AM SNACK: 4:15am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 7:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10am, fage yogurt with honey, almonds, vanilla, 450 cal

LUNCH: 12:45pm, falafel, split pea soup, health salad, pickles, 620 cal 

PM SNACK: 3:30 pm, momma salad, Grazebox nut mix , 320 cal

DINNER: 6:30pm, mahi mahi, asparagus, poppa salad with caesar dressing, 600 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7pm, homemade brownies, +/- 500 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7:30pm, popcorn, +/- 300 cal

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WEDNESDAYCOUNT: 2750

SLEPT: 9pm-6am, 2-3pm, 10 hrs
Felt a bit crummy yesterday, I did set my alarm for 4 to lift but thought the extra sleep would probably be better for me than weights. As I write this in the late morning at work, I'm totally convinced I made the right choice, I needed that sleep.

AM SNACK: 6:15am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 8am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10am, steel cut outmeal, 450 cal

LUNCH: 1:45pm, chicken meatballs, steamed string beans, mushroom curry,  pickles, 660 cal 

PM SNACK: 3:30 pm, momma salad, Grazebox spicy nut mix , 310 cal

PM SNACK: 5:30pm, poppa salad with Cesar dressing, 170 cal

PM SNACK: 6:15pm, kind bar, 200 cal

DINNER: 8:30pm, stir fried shrimp, broccoli and shitake mushrooms with shiritaki noodles and oyster sauce, 1.5 homemade brownies, +/- 800 cal
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BIKE CREDIT: 690 cal
THURSDAYCOUNT: 3970

SLEPT: 10pm-2am, 4 hrs
Not enough sleep, then a long emotional evening that ended well, but I needed to stuff my face weekend-style when I got home. This would be a horrible thing if it was on the regular, but I really needed it, and dare I say, I deserved it. It felt good, not out of control, like both a physical and emotional need being met. Wish my body/mind didn't work this way, but it does, and I'm not going to beat myself up.

AM SNACK: 2:15am, iced green tea, homemade granola bar, 150mg caffeine,  240 cal

BIKE SNACK: 4am, homemade granola bar, 240 cal

BREAKFAST: 8am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am, Fage full fat yogurt with honey, vanilla and almonds, 450 cal

LUNCH: 12:45pm, grilled pork tenderloin, roasted brussel sprouts,  pickles, 570 cal 

PM SNACK: 1pm, work ice cream, +/- 600 cal

PM SNACK: 3 pm, momma salad, Grazebox popcorn , 230 cal

PM SNACK: 5:30pm, poppa salad with Cesar dressing, 170 cal

DINNER: 6:15pm, Chipotle burrito, handful of chips, +/- 1000 cal

EVENING GORGE: 10pm, ice cream, cookies, small apple pie, +/- 1000 cal
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FRIDAYCOUNT: 3060

SLEPT: 10pm-4am, 6 hrs

AM SNACK: 4:15am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 7am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9am, fruit smoothie, 500cal

LUNCH: 12:45pm, grilled pork tenderloin, roasted brussel sprouts,  pickles, 570 cal 

PM SNACK: 3 pm, momma salad, Grazebox chips , 160 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, poppa salad with Cesar dressing, 170 cal

DINNER 1: 5:15pm, hotdog, fries, ice cream, +/- 1000 cal

SNICKLESNACK: 7pm, a very expensive vegan chocolate shake, +/- 500 cal