One of my favorite things about writing this blog are the interesting discussions that take place in the Comments section—and did we have a great one this week, sparked by Sylvia’s Real Life Minimalist feature! For those of you who missed it, it revolved around the myriad of choices we make when it comes to food—such as being vegans, vegetarians, omnivores, or other; opting for grass-fed versus grain-fed animals; and the implications of our eating habits on our health and the environment.
I’ve written very little about food on this blog, save from my desire to eat every meal from a single bowl. It’s not because the topic doesn’t interest me; but rather, because food is such a personal (and controversial) subject, and there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to diet.
This week, however, I received several emails requesting that I write about my personal dietary choices. I’m happy to oblige, and keep this discussion going—but here’s my disclaimer: these are my own personal choices, and not my recommendations for anyone else.
So, here we go—fourteen things you didn’t know about me and my food:
1. I’ve always considered myself a vegetarian, but technically that’s not correct. The more appropriate term, it seems, would be lacto-ovo-pescaterian. What a mouthful! That’s because I eat fish, dairy, and most recently, eggs (more on that below).
2. I feel a little guilty when I eat fish; swimming around all day seems like a pretty nice life, and I hate to cut it short. But the health benefits are so great, and they’re so tasty, I do it anyway. For health and environmental reasons, I stick to wild-caught and avoid anything farmed. I also indulge sparingly, about 2-4 times a month.
3. I can’t become a vegan because I love a good artisan cheese. My husband and I like to make a casual dinner (or picnic) from bread, cheese, olives, and wine.
4. I have no fear of carbs, but no craving for them either. So I partake in bread and pasta when I wish—but since I don’t have a frequent desire for them, it all stays in moderation. I’m also lucky enough to have inherited a good metabolism, and I usually walk about 2 miles a day.
5. I used to detest eggs, mainly because my experience with them had been limited to the supermarket variety. That changed last year, when I stayed at a wonderful little bed-and-breakfast on a farm in Wales. The hostess made the most delicious breakfast with eggs from her own hens—and since then, I’ve come to enjoy the occasional farm fresh egg.
6. I don’t eat meat in large part due to taste; I simply don’t like the flavor or texture of beef, chicken, or pork. My parents don’t either, so except for a Thanksgiving turkey, it rarely made an appearance at our dinner table. I imagine my body doesn’t feel the need for meat since I basically grew up without it.
7. That said, I occasionally sample a local meat specialty while traveling. I’ve had pheasant in England, Iberico ham in Spain, and mangalica (hairy pig) in Hungary (thankfully, it wasn’t hairy when served!). This usually takes the form of my swiping a few bites from my husband’s plate, as I typically can’t stomach an entire meat entrée. (My husband also doesn’t eat meat at home, but sees it as a cultural experience when we travel.)
8. I recently read Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and am quite disturbed by the industrial food system. As a result, I’m more determined than ever to eat as locally as possible. And to be honest, you couldn’t pay me to ingest the beef or poultry from one of those factory farms.
9. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. I enjoy indulging in the local specialty when I travel (churros in Spain, pastel de Belém in Portugal, macarons in Paris). When at home, however, I’m perfectly happy with the occasional square of dark chocolate.
10. I’ve loved vegetables since I was a child. I can wander around a farmers’ market or produce section for hours admiring the colors, shapes, and varieties, and prefer simple preparations (steamed, sautéed, grilled) that bring out their natural flavors. (I’ve been frustrated in many a British pub when my veggies arrive swimming in cheese or sauce!)
11. I like tofu. (Yes, I know it’s processed, but it’s a good source of protein for me.) I prefer it steamed with vegetables, or served cold as hiyayakko.
12. In general, I prefer simple, rustic food over elaborate preparations. My perfect meal would be picked from a garden (or plucked from the sea) and cooked over an open flame.
13. I can’t eat anything that’s cute—ducks, lambs, rabbits, etc. I’ve even spent too many afternoons in the company of cows (walking through pastures in England) to be able to eat one. Of course, I don’t fault anyone else who does; it’s just my own personal hangup. I still feel bad about the pheasant, particularly after encountering quite a few on our countryside rambles.
14. Eating seasonally makes me extraordinarily happy. I look forward to asparagus and strawberries in the spring, peaches and corn in the summer, and apples and squash in the fall. It reminds me of my childhood (my parents had a large garden when I was small), and gives me something to anticipate and celebrate year round.
To sum it up, I’d say my diet is 95% plants (fruits, grains, and vegetables), supplemented with a daily yogurt, a biweekly cheese, a weekly fish, and a monthly egg. Hey, you wanted to know. ;-)
If there’s anything minimalist about the way I eat, it’s the following:
* Moderate portions. I tend not to overeat, simply because I don’t like to feel stuffed.
* Minimal processed foods. Fresh, whole foods are tastier, and more fun to cook and eat; plus, you don’t have to read labels and worry about the ingredients.
* Minimal packaging. An added benefit of avoiding processed foods.
* Minimal environmental impact, I hope. I try to eat local foods when possible, and avoid anything I know to be particularly harmful to the planet.
* Minimal angst. I really don’t spend a lot of time worrying about food or fat or calories or fads. I eat what I like, and what makes me feel healthy.
I enjoyed writing this post, and hope it doesn’t incite a firestorm of controversy. Let me reiterate that this is simply how I eat, and not how I think anyone else should. I’d love to hear more about your choices, and hope you’ll share them in the Comments!
{If you’d like to learn more about minimalist living, please consider reading my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.}
I subscribe by RSS feed so luckily I missed the comment storm on the other post. We eat very similarly miss m. – I just need to work on staying seasonal, local and having fewer processed foods. (But I really love the MorningStar vegetarian ribs, it’s hard to quit those.) I eat a lot more cheese than you do, but I am also ovo-lacto-pescatarian, and so is my husband. I became vegetarian in high school after reading Diet For a New America and getting outraged about factory farming. I understand “to each his own” so I don’t judge others for their dietary choices, but I do try to enlighten people on my reasons (when they ask) because so many people just aren’t aware of what happens to their food before it gets to their plate.
I have not yet read Pollan’s “Omnivore’s Dilema” but his “In Defense of Food” greatly changed the way I think about food. Barbara Kingsolver’s “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” helped me to appreciate the wonders of seasonal eating.
I don’t think I could ever become a vegetarian, but I’m all for cutting down on the amount of meat consumed, and having the meat consumed be ethically raised.
I have a garden in my backyard with cherry tomatoes, TONS of lettuce, kale, peppers, among other veggies. In the past two months or so, the meals I cook include an increasing amount of ingredients from the garden. There’s more than I know what to do with! Instead of making yet another trip to the grocery store and wasting gas, all I have to do is walk to the backyard.
It seems as though food is dividing us in our culture, instead of uniting us, as it did in the past. Think festivals and holidays with their traditional foods. Now it has all become politicized.
Amen Milly!
I love the holiday food Milly! I do bring my vegetarian options along, but it’s my favorite part of the holidays, sharing good food with loved ones, regardless of what we each choose to eat. :)
I’ve become vegetarian for 2 reasons. I love animals and animals raised for food are unhealthy and suffer greatly. They are fed antibiotics, hormones and rendered animal food. Mad cow disease, you name it. Our meat supply is not fit for human consumption.
Like you said, fresh eggs and all fresh food is the way to go.
I am not against farmed fish because I was very close to folks who had a fish farm and I was around it. That’s how a lot of people made their living either within their family or their employees. Plus, I went with the drivers once to stock the town’s ponds and it was an amazing experience. Those ponds are fished by the locals, so those fish are feeding people. Not only is it sustainable, but it provides employment, enjoyment (fishing) and food.
I can’t eat anything cute either, especially after having a duck for a pet. Talk about hilarious! Ducks are so funny.
I read a lot of the comments on the other post. I didn’t take offense to the post, because the way I read it was that it was the author’s personal choice not a recommendation, just as you so eloquently stated your post is. I’ve read the Omnivore’s Dilemma, as well as In Defense of Food. In Defense of Food has what you might regard as a minimalist mantra in the beginning of the book: “Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.”
Everytime there is a food recall, as in the ground turkey recall today, I think about and consider the Omnivore’s Dilemma. And we all need to consider that it isn’t just meat that is being recalled. Remember spinach and corriander? Eat Food, as in real food; buy locally and support your Farmers’ Market or CSA, your local butcher and fisherman. Fortunately, where I live we have all of these wonderful resources available, but I realize that many people are limited in their choices. In those situations, it is best to avoid the inner aisles at the grocery store.
I am definitely an Omnivore, but respect every person’s choice. I would love to be a vegetarian and have tried, but it hasn’t worked for me. I love to cook and I prepare most things from scratch. I find this very gratifying as well as a creative endeavor. It is just good for my soul. I make my own artisanal bread, although I am not a carb craver by any means. For me, food is an experience of the senses. Sitting down and savoring a good meal is a very simple and enjoyable pleasure.
Well, you and I have almost identical eating habits. I’m also a ‘vegetarian’ that occasionally eats fish, cheese, milk, eggs (but not yoghurt). I was extremely sick after eating chicken in Peru, ironically I was reading Michael Pollen’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma at the time, I saw no benefit to eating meat – or what companies pass off as meat! I’ve seen Food Inc. and I can’t believe anyone would want to go anywhere near food products from a factory farm after watching it. I feel that I would be condoning the maltreatment of animals that is the standard for that industry. Anyway, I love the way I eat and, I’ve run five marathons and several half marathons in two years so my diet is keeping this old body working pretty darn well.
We eat very similarly; I was brought up semi-vegan and have never acquired a taste for meat. We now eat dairy and eggs, and fish every month or so. I find this an interesting but frustrating topic, because I like to talk about food and food choices, but as someone else mentioned, it’s become incredibly divisive and people always seem to think that by talking about your choices you are maligning theirs. Not true! And I am an unapologetic lover of tofu! Thanks for being open about your food choices.
Woo-hoo for tofu Terra! I didn’t know you were semi-vegan! You’ve been keeping secrets, girl. :)
It is divisive, which is why I’ve spent almost two decades not talking about my decision to be vegetarian. But sometimes it gets old being quiet. Sometimes I just want to talk about it a little.
Thanks for opening up the conversation Francine. :)
My husband and I are vegetarians. I try and grow a few fresh veggies every year – tomatoes in our greenhouse, salad, carrots, french beans, herbs, onions, garlic etc from a small number of raised beds. We also have four hens (and a fiesty cockerel) so have plenty of free range eggs. The common theme in all healthy diets worldwide seems to be plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. We try to eat mainly homemade food, from ingredients that are as unprocessed as possible. (Chard frittata, steamed new pots, carrots and broccoli tonight, for example.) I think that the worst thing is to worry anxiously about, and to analyse every thing you eat – we just try to eat healthily and moderately most of the time, and take a bit of exercise.
I like these posts that go into detail, though I’m way more curious about exactly what stuff you own and how you organize it than what you eat. Of course I don’t expect you to reveal all, MM.
I read through the comments from the previous post. They’re civil and pretty tame compared to a lot of other food discussions on the web.
I’m envious of your ability to eat well and healthily without craving anything like a Little Debbie Zebra Cake now and then.
I used to LOVE Little Debbie Zebra Cakes! I had one about a year ago. Nasty, tastes like lard laden with chemicals and sugar. But oh I used to love them!
You’re right – they have a weird aftertaste. All those snack cake things do, but sometimes I give in anyway.
All this talk of food is making me hungry! :)
I love that so many people are becoming more mindful about what they eat, where it comes from and the impact it has on their health and our planet at a whole. It is so interesting to hear everyone’s diets and views – food has become a very political topic these days, when once it was so simple. I hope we can reclaim some of that simplicity again in the years to come.
My food choices. I do not really eat dairy – as a child I could never stomach milk and would gag drinking it when my mother forced me to but if cheese ever comes across my way now, I savor a little piece here and there. The only meat that I eat is chicken (and eggs). Like you, I cannot eat cute things such as lamb, ducks and pigs. I rarely, if ever eat beef. I also try to limit my intake of grains opting to get my carbs from a lot of veggies instead. I do agree with some commenters that food has become political but I wonder if it’s any surprise seeing the state of our food production. I tried being a vegetarian last year for 6 moths approximately; however, I didn’t put enough thought into my diet and I started to break out rather dramatically because my intake of grain carbohydrates sent my blood sugar off the charts causing my skin to freak out. I couldn’t live with being sad when I looked in the mirror, so I started eating chicken. Perhaps I will re-try being a vegetarian after I research it further according to my needs. So for now, typical meals/foods for me are chicken with veggies, hard boiled eggs, oatmeal with blueberries, salads and fruit – I LOVE fruit.
We keep 5 Khaki Campbell ducks, 3 of them female (was meant to be 4 girls but Maggie turned out to be Malkie), for eggs. They’re well treated but very bold and cheeky. Please don’t have any illusions of what’s cute. They have a go at the dog and will gang up on and chase a cat out of the garden. Neighbours of ours have 8 Aylesburys (big white ducks with yellow beaks and feet, very cute looking) who have actually killed 2 cats. They’re not as cute as you think, and knowing how well ours have been treated I have no compunction about eating them when the time comes. Same with pigs, who can be pretty brutal especially where piglets are involved, and I personally have been chased out of a public footpath through a field by a herd of pregnant cows!
I was fishtarian for 5 years, when I started eating meat again (with guilt) my digestive problems were resolved. It wasn’t meant to be. It’s an individual thing, although I’d rather eat poultry and livestock from a source where I know they’ve had a good life.
I love animals. I also like to eat them. We have incisors and molars for a reason and I’d like to think that the people who slaughter animals in an inhumane way will get theirs in the end. You reap what you sow (or butcher).
***UPDATE***
I have since gone vegetarian. It’s been a year without pork, beef, and chicken and a little over three months without fish. It feels great and [yes,] I felt compelled to address this over 4 years later :)
Cheers!
I am vegan. I have been vegetarian since middle school. I loved animals and stopped eating them. I cannot imagine eating meat. I decided to give up eggs and cheese in 2004 when I got married, as my husband is also vegan, but I ‘fell off the wagon’ about 4 years ago. I realized that when I was vegan, I ate a lot healthier, no processed cheeses (and that means commercial mozzarella and cheddar), a lot less sweets (no donuts or other pastries) and a whole lot more beans and grains and vegetables. So I recommitted myself to a vegan lifestyle. I don’t judge anyone. If you’re happy with your food choices, good. I prefer to not eat animal products for my health and for the sake of the animals in question. If you’re capable of saying “thanks for offering me that cupcake, but I only eat farm fresh eggs and dairy from cows that were treated humanely”, more power to you, but for me, its easier to just to say “no thanks, I don’t eat eggs or milk.”
I notice my diet changes with the seasons. Lots of salads, fruit, nuts and dairy in the summer and then my body automatically goes into the “chipmunk mode” in the fall where it feels the need to store fat for the winter I guess. It really is physiological. So I usually end up gaining and losing the same 3-4 pds a year. My weight isn’t a problem because I am a firm believer in small portions. Some of the servings I take home and make 2-3 meals out of from a restaurant. I eat more sugar than I should due to having low sugar and want to cut back and substitute healthier choices. That’s what I’m working on now. In the end I really do believe in everything in moderation and small portions. I agree with Francine, simply prepared is the best. My fav is roasted veggies. The book that has had the biggest impact on me is “French Women Don’t get Fat” by Mireille Guiliano. Not so much for the weight issues, but for how the europeans eat and their attitude towards food and meals which I find admirable.
Thanks for sharing. I am vegan for (initially) health reasons then it just snowballed from there (I don’t even eat honey and I’m striving very hard to not buy clothing made from animals). You’re right; food is the hot button topic for a lot of people. I think it’s because some feel threatened by the way I eat and always want to justify what they eat to me. But I don’t preach (hate people that do that). I just answer questions I’m asked to the best of my ability–the biggest thing for me is I feel amazing ever since I went vegan 4 years ago. I only wish I had done it sooner (I’m 43).
Thanks, too, for your wonderful, informative, fun, well-written blog! I LOVE it. :)
I agree with many of your statements EXCEPT the one about wild caught fish. Many fisheries are over exploited so unless you are buying fish from sustainable fisheries, the environment is not any better off than had you bought farmed fish. Also, not all fish farming practices are damaging to the environment.
Good on you for being prepared to ‘bare all’ on your diet. I have two young children who are good eaters within reason – they love broccoli, carrots and pumpkin and hate tomatoes and mushrooms. They eat salad and they love meatballs, chicken and tacos. Month by month they try more things and will be more adventurous – it takes time and patience. Cooking can be a little tiresome after homework and chores so I like to keep it simple so the kids can appreciate what each vegetable tastes like and can get used to eating it. Chilli is a far off dream and a thai curry is only possible if I cook two meals. Rice is popular in our house too. The best we achieve for ourselves is to buy organic meat and our fruit and veg are sourced from local farmers. We love cheese too Francine. If only we could limit ourselves to ONE piece of any sort of chocolate :)
I am a lacto-ovo-pescaterian too, so I was happy to see that phrase in print. I don’t ever come across anyone who is the same as me in Wisconsin… too many brat and sausage lovers here. Generally speaking I tell people if it comes up I am a pescaterian and leave it at that. If someone asks I say I only eat fish- no meat. I don’t pretend to be vegetarian, because most cheese is made with rennet and the wines I like are fined with animal products too. I would like to go veg again- and I could give up fish, but I don’t know about the cheese and wine. :0)
It’s sad that so many people are hands-off and on eggshells over food and diet. For example, you’ve stressed throughout that these are “just your choices” and “not for everyone.” Isn’t that true for EVERYTHING you write??? There’s nothing more personal about food than all of the other daily choices highlighted in your blog. I wish that we could speak, as a culture, more bluntly about food and the resulting impacts of different choices. There are right and wrong things. There are healthy and less healthy choices. Red meat is unhealthy, period. Eating factory-farmed meat is unethical, period. I dare anyone to watch one of the dozens of videos online about factory-farmed cows and chickens essentially being tortured from birth until death and arguing that it’s “right” to eat that way. There are ways of eating that are destroying our environment, which we have no right to do. And the list goes on…
Hello, all! I missed the other discussion on food; like Rose on the first comment, I’m subscribed to RSS and I missed the comments… I should visit the blog directly, but somedays I’m a bit busy and still want to read the new posts…
Regarding food, I’m also a ‘kind of’ vegetarian… I don’t eat anything cute either, never tried or had the intention to try, since I used to have a rabbit as a pet…
I don’t drink milk although I can enjoy a nice yoghurt every now and then… Very very rarely I eat meat because I’ve realized that it’s not easy for my body to digest meat… after I eat meat, I’ve noticed that I feel very tired and sleepy and heavy… I think it’s because my body it’s not used to processed meat and takes all my energy to do it…. I prefer to eat fish , specially salmon, although not too often… so I tend to eat more vegetables, always steamed!! I always steam my veggies and we love to eat them like that, very simple…
I still have a crave for sweet things… like cookies or a piece of chocolate… it’s hard for me to stop that… it’s not that I eat a lot of them, but I’ve realized that’s the ‘not healthy’ habit I have…
Oops… I feel hungry now… after reading and writing about food… :)
one of my things since moving to NZ is to buy as much from NZ as possible. So far, that’s everything except bananas that come in our organic delivery box — which are fair trade/organic. While i’m not fan of bananas myself, and my husband could care less, the 3 yr old loves them. So, he gets bananas.
beyond that, we have transitioned into seasonal and we are now transitioning into compost/garden/low packaging. we are setting up a worm farm, first, and then setting up herb pots for both culinary and tea herbs. Then, i’d like to move into lettuces, tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers — very expensive veggies here in NZ, but something that we really enjoy. we just love green salads all year round, and I can grow microgreens pretty well if I do say so myself. :)
for low packaging, we are transitioning from grass fed/local and prepackaged (ready for freezing) to a local butcher who specializes in the grass fed/local and also told us a great deal about the different agricultural issues facing many ranchers here. One is how hard it is for them to get organic certification, even though most of them run organic farms, and have for two generations now. Still, it’s near impossible to get certified! So, i have some farms to visit in the coming months (once lambing season is over), and away we go to learn more about our sources of foods.
but also, this butcher uses compostable paper — perfect for our worm bin — and tells us that if we eat the meat within 7 days, it’s fine in the fridge for that long (and even up to 10 or more depending upon the type of meat, the fridge, etc). Thus, the paper is the best option for us to buy meat and be low impact.
I’m not one to get involved in comment “back-and-forths” but will say that having been raised by a second generation vegetarian certainly affect my preference for lacto-ovo veg living. I have and do eat most anything, but prefer, like you, a pesca-vegetarian diet. Local, seasonal, organic – as much as possible. But I had a carnivore for a dad, so will on very special occasions have top-quality beef. Anyway, I’ve been experimenting with one-bowl eating, too, so another “kindred spirit” here, I guess!
;)
btw…thank you for the Pinterest invite!
I’m (newly) vegan and – like Ruthie – I find life simpler for it. I eat more healthily, and function better with fewer choices.
As we all know, minimalism is a journey. My journey towards more minimalistic healthy eating has been a slow one. I was a child of convenience foods. My mother’s idea of cooking was opening a box of fish sticks, a can of green bean and a box of mac n cheese. I have done better as I raised my family, moving more towards fresh and frozen vegetables and cooking more from scratch. Now that my children are grown and my husband and I are looking to eat more healthy, we have begun planning our meals more around fresh vegetables. We definitely still eat meat, eggs, dairy, but try to get it from better sources along with the produce. Just learning to not use any convenience foods has been an experience for someone who doesn’t love to cook! My husband has also been encouraging me to not only cook, but to eat more fish and less beef, so we are making progress!
Great post!
Bernice
Are you overwhelmed?
I wish I had your love for vegetables! I’m a carb & sweets addict. I’m an almost vegan…no dairy due to allergy and no meat of any kind (similarly feel guilty about eating ‘friends’). I’m trying to pare down on the processed and eat locally, but with my carb addiction, it can be rough. Always looking for new recipes!
Having read both The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food, I have become even more convinced that organic and local foods are simply best. I’m fortunate to live in SoCal where our farmers markets are open year round. Thanks for sharing your views. I think my favorite was ‘minimal angst’.
Hi just popping by from Be More With Less :D food& nutrition r a passion of mine having once been an overweight & unfit child. I LOVE how eating well makes me FEEL :) i think u r incredibly brave to share such an intimate discussion with a worldwide audience given the nature of humans is to judge…
For me awareness informs & guides, so instead of analysing food choices from my head i try as much as possible to listen to& honour what my body truly whispers for…
Body wisdom is an incredible thing& sometimes we cannot know y we feel we need something we wouldnt usually eat or judge as ethically wrong….
Overtime my body guides me to a much simpler & more ethically aligned pattern of eating :)
No room for rules& rigidity in my life; life is quite simply too short to be too serious :)
Love ur work & thx for sharing
Xx
BridgetJane
Anna D. said, “We have incisors and molars for a reason”
Yes, the reason we have molars is to chew plant foods. And as for our incisors, do you really think those puny little things could tear flesh like a real carnivore (as in tear through the skin and rip meat raw and uncooked off the bones)? If you don’t have a pet dog or cat, find someone who does and open their mouth and look inside.
Hey Francine!
My 2 cents. The year I was vegan was the healthiest year of my life. My weight balanced out completely, I had tons of energy and I felt divine. I’m slowly working towards getting back to it. I’m currently a strict, minimalist and fat ovo-lacto vegetarian. :) How’s that for a label!
I’ve been a vegetarian since my 21st birthday, so, it’s been a bit over 15 years now. I do it for personal reasons and don’t mention it much (at least not in an evangelical way). Everyone needs to do their own thing. For me, I had an experience where my spirit guide expressed the reasons I shouldn’t eat meat in this lifetime. (That’s the less woo-woo way of explaining the experience.) Doesn’t matter if anyone else believes something, I know I’m not supposed to eat meat this time around, so I don’t.
Hey, it’s kind of fun to say that in public! Usually I avoid all the conversations about food choices. :)
Thanks for broaching the difficult subjects Francine. I hope to someday be as balanced as you are about diet. It sounds like you’ve got moderation in spades.
I went vegetarian in 1967 and vegan later. When I became a vegetarian, I was thinking about animal rights–not about money or getting old.
Well, I got old anyway, and when I got old I started thinking about money. I have followed a sort of “food plan” for many years. Living vegan can be inexpensive, and does not require many kitchen implements and supplies.
I only glanced through the comments on this post, but from my brief look it appears I have a COMPLETELY different diet than you and most of your readers. I did, however, just want to comment and say how much I enjoy your view on things and the way you portray yourself and your life on your blog. I have only read a little but am already looking forward to reading more. Thanks!
How our society deals with ‘animals’…please watch http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6361872964130308142#…
shalom,
Salomão
I agree that store bought meat is hardly fit for human consumption. But I don’t agree that all meat is bad for you. We eat animals fed a natural diet, not in cages, nor fed pelleted foods, and no hormones, antibiotics etc.. found in the meat. The animals are not tortured to death either.
Your website by the way is a great inspiration to me in paring down my possessions.
My best friend in elementary school wouldn’t eat anything that she “could be friends with.”
I’m having to re-examine my diet right now, somewhat begrudgingly, due to some serious health woes. I like your suggestion to steam veggies, I never do & it’s a great idea.
I’m with you on eggs – there’s a world of difference between farm fresh and store bought.
Where I live, there is incredibly delicious local produce. You can even taste the difference in a veggie stock made with food scraps from the farmers’ market versus the grocery store.
I also agree with you about the farmers’ market – I love those colours and shapes.
I was just reading articles on chocolate and child labor/slavery on the internet. I’m giving up chocolate.
Oh that sounds absolutely delish!
I like the idea of cold tofu, never heard of it before! I’d really like to try it once it gets warmer!
I really like the way you eat it sounds so refreshing and yet simple. :)
I’ve been trying slowly to implement some minimalistic ideas into my life and often we don’t really think of food in such a way… It sounds wonderful!
MM, enjoying your blog immensely! I’ve bounced around the minimalist community for close to a year now, appreciating many of the different forms of minimalism and personalities
(all male actually) but none have quite captured my attention as has yours. It seems we share many of the same views of life and contentedness, even down to the diet that we enjoy. No guilt, no shame, no specific rules, just do your best create a life that is simple, comfortable and fulfilling. That’s the message I’m feeling. Thanks so much for sharing. I look forward to reading more. By the way, do you have an identical twin? ;)
I know this is an old post but I searched it out to read again because I love your calm approach to food. I am so “black or white” that I feel if I decide to not eat meat, I should never have another piece of meat touch ever again. Such rigid practices aren’t realistic to me at this point in my life and sets me up for failure.
Unfortunately, I do crave sweets and carbs! I’m trying to steer my diet away from those things and have it centered on fresh, whole foods, lots of veggies but right now I’m trying to fight that hump of strong cravings because sugar really is addicting and I’ve eaten too much of it for a long time!
Thanks for making me feel more at ease, less black and white, more peaceful. Reminds me to enjoy healthy foods and enjoy how they make me feel but not to get too worked up.
I loved reading the discussion. I need to make better choices and eat like the minimalist I try to be. Thank you all for contributing.
I have GERD, and IBS. Both my father and grandfather had these and were in a lot of pain and took a lot of medicine. I’ve learned to avoid raw vegetables and not eat a lot of grain. I also avoid any fruit with acid in it, chocolate, mint and caffeine. I do very well on mainly fruit- apples, bananas, peaches, melons- a little chicken or egg- I am also lactose intolerant, and a little cereal. I find a baked potato with nothing on it to be very filling. I am thankful there is nothing worse wrong with me and like I said, I am avoiding the pain my father and grandfather had.
Our health insurance pays for a yearly visit from a nurse practitioner. She said the biggest health complaint at our ages–67 and 70– was constipation!! Since fruit and vegetables and whole grains are a large part of our diet, it made me wonder what other people eat.