Eat Food, Mostly Plants

"Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants" -Michael Pollan

---

This post, unlike others I have written in the past, was sparked by comments coming from you guys asking questions about my IG name @eatfoodmostlyplants. You may have even noticed that I added "not a vegetarian" to my profile bio! This was to clarify that I am not, in fact, a vegetarian! Because I have been receiving so many questions about this, I figured it would be a great time to elaborate on where I came up with my Instagram name and talk a little bit about my philosophy on food and how it relates to health and wellness.

@eatfoodmostlyplants

What started out being a spontaneous new instagram profile that I could post food pics without annoying my friends, quickly grew into a space in which I could not only share my love for food and knowledge of nutrition, but I could delve deeper into my creative mind to capture the food's pure beauty. I do not view myself as an "artsy" person at all, however, through my @eatfoodmostlyplants IG account I have found a creative outlet that I never knew I needed!

Naming my account was probably the most difficult part of starting a successful IG account, and it has not always been eat food mostly plants. At one time it was @juicingwithbriana, @loveyourmindloveyourbody, and for a short time it was @brianabanana I think.. haha. That being said I went through quite a few names before I found one that matched my overall message and that was consistent with the content of my profile. Honestly, at the beginning of all of this I didn't really even know why I started my account. Was it to guide people to do juicing cleanses? Was it for my own personal success in trying to stay on a diet plan and be held accountable? Was is to project healthy messages to friends, family and even absolute strangers on social media? I didn't know! But the more I posted and the more I shared with everyone, the more I found my own way. My intentions became clearer with every post and they continue to guide me in the right direction. I wish I could tell you that after a year or so of posting on @eatfoodmostlyplants I had it all figured out and I knew exactly what my message was, but I can't. I am still trying to figure that out daily; and I think that's okay : )

So, one day I was reading In the Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan and I read a line that made me stop dead in my tracks. It read, and I quote, "Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants". I looked up from my book, stared into space for a moment, looked back down and read it what felt like 100 more times. Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants. Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants. Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants. Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants! It hit me like a ton of bricks. It made so much sense. Those three phases, when combined, were absolutely revolutionary.

Eat Food: If you have read any of Michael Pollan's other books, such as the Omnivores Dilemma, or if you have seen him in food documentaries such as Food Inc. you've heard him speak of "edible food-like substances". This is what makes up almost 80% of the contents of our grocery stores, if not more. Food that we are told is food but only contains small amounts of the substances that resemble food... kind of. Foods like Doritos, cereal, energy bars, microwavable dinners, chips, pretzels, bread, granola, etc. To simplify it, almost anything that comes out of a package or a wrapper. So, you're probably thinking, then what the heck do I eat? Well, it's easy. Food. Anything else. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, and legumes. ( I also add grass fed or locally sources animal products). Just Food.

Not Too Much: In our society, it is no secret that our portion sizes have grown exponentially in the past 20 years, and unfortunately, so have our waist sizes. It is also not a secret that there is a direct correlation between the steady increase in our waist circumference and the decline of our societies health and wellness. The more food we eat, the more weight we gain, the more sedentary we become, the more diseases we develop, the more medications we receive, the more unhappy we become AND the more sick we get. Overeating, and now overeating the wrong "food-like substances" has made our society sick, unhappy, and unhealthy. That being said, I can't say I don't fall victim to this. I am a Registered Dietitian. I have spent the majority of my adult life studying food and how it interacts with the human body and I still overeat. Is it an issue of willpower? self control? or is the food we eat physically addicting?

Mostly Plants: "Don't eat anything incapable of rotting" -Michael Pollan

Plant (noun): a living organism of the kind exemplified by trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses, ferns, and mosses, typically growing in a permanent site, absorbing water and inorganic substances through its roots, and synthesizing nutrients in its leaves by photosynthesis using the green pigment chlorophyll.

If that definition alone doesn't make you want to eat plants, i'm just not sure what will! : ) Plants are the building block of our ecosystem and are capable of nourishing our bodies from the cellular level. The micronutrients and minerals found in plant products are some of the most powerful inorganic substances that are capable of fueling our bodies and keeping them alive and functioning to their highest potential. They may also be used to heal the body of disease and illness caused by environmental factors.

So, as repeated numerous times above, it is simple. Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants. Or at least that is a really great place to start! : )

Many people get confused when they read my Instagram profile name because they assume because it reads "mostlyplants" that I am a vegetarian or a vegan. I am here to tell you, I am neither. But I am going to give you a quick spiel on why I choose not to be!

I want to begin by clearing the air! I have the utmost respect for vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians, ovo-lacto vegetarians etc. and everything that they believe in. Everyone has the right to make the decision about what goes into their bodies and what does not. It is truly no different than choosing to not eat sugar because you do not believe the sugar cane should be refined down to a white crystalized powder. There is validity in everyone's own thoughts and feelings and although I am not willing to give up meat, I appreciate and understand why people chose to do so! I would be lying if I said I did not think about becoming a vegetarian at times in my life. Especially after watching documentaries such as Food Inc., Super Size Me, The Omnivores Dilemma, Forks Over Knives etc. It is no secret that as a society, we are in trouble. The view from the inside of the meat packing and slaughter houses in this country is an absolute horror film. There are not many sights scarier or more gut wrenching. However, that does not mean that the inside of every slaughter house looks the same. There are farms in our country that are still doing the right thing, they are just more difficult to find and unfortunately vastly more expensive. When I choose to eat meat, fish, and dairy products I not only first look to purchase locally but I look to see if I can find animal products that ensure the animals were grass fed and pasture raised, and were not injected with harmful hormones. I am not going to candy coat the process, it is not always easy to find and I am not always successful. Luckily, living on an island makes fresh local fish an easy find, but chicken and beef are a different story. I also choose to spend $5 per can of tuna fish to ensure it was caught using a line and pole in the United States. To me, it is worth it. I completely understand that not everyone is able to spend that much money on their meats as well, but I recommend making an effort to buy the "grass fed, pasture raised" option every other week if you can swing it. You'd be surprised at what a huge impact a small change can make :)

This was really fun to write and I hope this was interesting for you guys to read! I appreciate you guys showing interest in my page and my philosophy! There will be more where this came from : )