Hungry For Change

On rest days, I like to spend the time I’d otherwise be working out on either education or planning. Today I watched (well, I haven’t quite finished it) Hungry for Change. It’s a documentary that is a very good introduction to how the whole food approach can help you get and stay healthy. It really focused on how dieting – something that we typically think of as temporary and seeks superficial results like looking good – is different from having a good diet – something that we will do for the rest of our lives and as a result will feel good and be healthy. You can guess which one they advocate. (If you aren’t sure or just want to learn more, you can stream it on Netflix.)

Now, I have a pretty good diet. I get lots of fruits and vegetables, although I know I need (and want) more. But I’ll admit I’m totally under the spell of sugar. I’ve had a sweet tooth for as long as I can remember. But one of the topics the filmmakers covered is how much sugar we consume. Now, I will have a soda maybe three times a year. I do not eat sugary cereals. I generally do not eat as much processed food as the typical American. But one of the things I was challenged to do from the film was to widen my understanding of sugar. It’s not just the white stuff (or brown stuff, which I adore equally); all simple carbohydrates including your plain white bread is turned into sugar right away when consumed. And it’s not that I didn’t know that – I did pay attention in more than a few of my biology classes. But what that means for you body is this: your body has to do something with it. So really, when you’re thinking about the sugar your body can handle, you need to include white flour intake. Changing to whole wheat and other whole grain sources is a good start. So I got to thinking about all the carbs I eat in a day.

In related news, I bought a rice cooker.

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