Repost — Chew: Real Food
Sparked by a conversation I had with the Wellness Manager at New Seasons Market today and with my upcoming cookbook — Shop, Cook, Eat: Outside of the Box, I felt this was worthy of a repost…
You can trust what I’m about to say. After all, I use to live inside the box — the processed food box. Now, that I happily live outside of the box. I can tell you the truth: Real food tastes better, is better for you, and it makes you feel satisfied sooner and longer.
Yesterday, I sat down to eat the gorgeous salad I made for myself: Baby spinach leaves topped with wheat berries, sliced red and orange peppers, feta cheese, and drizzled with a freshly made lemon vinaigrette. Yum! After about five good bites I was full. Probably because I had to actually chew. Raw spinach is roughage. Wheat berries are whole grains (the germ, endosperm, and bran) little chewy kernels that require you to really chew. BTW, I’m in love with wheat berries.
When I use to eat boxed, processed food I could chow down and eat tons of that crap. Most of the time I would eat way more than the recommended serving. Yet, never feeling satisfied. I just ate and ate. The more I ate, the more crappy and sleepy I felt. At my heaviest — 388 pounds I use to fall to sleep while driving. Ticking time bomb, for real. But at the time I didn’t realize what was happening. Now, I see that I was drugged from all the crappy processed food. The more I ate, the more I craved. I was trying to feed a hunger that I could never satisfy. It was a hard addiction to break, but I’ve successfully done it. I’ve changed my eating patterns, and I prepare and eat fresh whole food.
I love the way I feel. I never feel tired and crappy like when I gorged on boxed, processed food. Food is suppose to fuel our bodies so that we have energy to perform not make us feel crappy and tired. And, we shouldn’t have to eat large portions of food to reach satiety.
Though, I’m a journalist by trade right now I’m acting as a blogger. Sometimes I feel bad because I throw heavy issues out here and don’t fully explore them. I hope I pique your interest enough where you want to seek more information.
Go forth, chew real food and seek more information. You’ll see, I’m right.
Chrisetta Mosley
I am a product – and now a survivor – of childhood obesity. As a child, my family always told me that my extra weight was merely baby fat and I’d eventually grow out of it. I never did. Instead, my childhood is filled with memories of not being able to ride a bike, flattening its training wheels from being over the recommended weight, and avoiding P.E. classes by any means necessary. For years, I wore my fatness like a wounded soldier wears a Purple Heart - with pride. I owned the look. I dressed it up. I worked the room. There wasn't a skinny girl who intimidated me. I made sure my hair was laid just right. Nails polished. Outfits coordinated to the tee. Accessories to compliment every outfit. But everyone has a breaking point, and mine came in the spring of 2004 when I tipped the scale at nearly 400 pounds 388 to be exact. I was MISERABLE trapped inside of that body. I no longer wore my Purple Heart with pride. Rather, I was ashamed and frightened. Ashamed that I had allowed food to become my everything – frightened I would die because of it. Drastic times called for drastic measures... Today, I’m bound and determined to live a better, healthier, active lifestyle. I realize I’m no longer a passenger in my life, I’m the driver. I’m overcoming my inhibitions and I’m slowly but surely saying farewell to my old childhood nemesis, obesity. For once and for all, Farewell Fatso!