Friday, March 4, 2011

Food and well-being

I often patronize our local food co-op, Kent Natural Foods, where I am a member, which entitles me to 5% percent off. I don't buy everything there, because I often think our family can't afford it, even with my discount.  In fact, the whole organic thing is a big, huge, major conflict in my head. I think we should all be eating only organic. We should all be putting only organic shampoos on our heads next to our brains. We should be using oils to polish our furniture instead of chemicals, etc. But organic is so much more expensive; I have never been able to get my head around financing.

Recently, the co-op's Sheila Harko asked me if I'd be willing to be the volunteer photographer for the co-op! Every month, I'll shoot promotional photos, baskets of food that I put together, etc. For every hour I work, I get an additional percentage off for a month. And so for the month of March, I get about 9 percent off all purchases!

This offer happened right about the time I decided I can't take the conflict in my head anymore. I am going as organic as I can. I can justify this by knowing I will be better off as a result, and so will my family, when they eat what I eat. As for money, I imagine myself taking an organic PB and J on organic wheat to a soccer game from now on, instead of buying a Burger King veggie burger. I imagine myself preferring to make myself a cup of organic green tea, with steamed rice milk, which I can make here, instead of buying at Starbucks.

And so yesterday, I spent more than I've ever spent!

One hundred dollars, knocked down from $107, because of my discount!! Ta da!

I bought LOTS of avocadoes, lots of greens and veggies, a big bag of barley. I bought soy milk, firm tofu, tamari in bulk (rich-with-vitamins substitute for soy sauce and organic, which is very, very important for soy, as commercial soy is often genetically modified and heavily pesticide-d). For sweets, I bought dates and a bag of locally produced vanilla almond bars (sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, honey, apricots, tofu powder, almonds and vanilla extract). I bought organic yogurt and bread. AND I bought coconut milk ice cream. OMG. A little dab'll do ya'. I normally want to eat half a carton of commercial ice cream before I feel satiated. After a few tablespoons of this last night, I was done.

This, indeed, is the funny byproduct of healthy eating that I wasn't expecting.

Overall well-being. Not just physical.

I got up this morning and peeled back a tiny avocado that I ate along with a small bowl of barley. And I was completely satisfied!

And I think it was because my psyche and my body were in tune.

It was a strange feeling, leading me to think about eating disorders and bad eating habits.

Is this conflict half, if not most, of the reason we in our culture struggle with eating?
Hm. 

Also, yum. 

I feel happy today.