The happiness diet.

This week while I was traveling I began reading a book that I originally got for Christmas last year but has been sitting on my shelf for over a year now.  It's something that I had heard about and specifically requested as a Christmas gift so I'm not sure why I didn't read it yet.

It could possibly be because it is somewhat paralyzing.  The book explains the changes that have taken place in the Modern American Diet (MAD, as they call it) over the past 50-100 years.  Which, if you've heard about this at all, essentially chronicles how pesticides, nutrient-void crops and meats, sugar, and complex carbs have entered into our diet in mass capacities.  It is not only making us overweight, but also depressed, anxious, cancerous, and full of all sorts of other maladies that plague Americans like never before.

Its paralyzing because it sort of tells you that everything that you eat on the regular is so terrible for you.

I'm still in the process of reading and learning and figuring out how to fit this new information into my life.  It makes a really compelling argument that some of what I have read has literally left me with my jaw dropped and angry at the world for making these foods accessible and so prevalent.  I'm definitely going to share some of what I am learning on the blog, so get ready for that.

I'm already trying to may more attention to the labels of what I eat, avoiding processed foods where I can, cooking with fresh ingredients, cutting sugar and carbs, and just all around being more diligent with what I'm eating.  Literally, I dumped out the 2 bottles of diet soda I had in my fridge.  This is BIG for me people!  For the first time I actually feel like I have an understanding of why I should work harder to cut diet soda out of my life.  So far I am 3 days diet soda free.  We'll see how this goes!

It's so ridiculous that I can read this book and clearly learn how bad things are for me... yet still be tempted to eat them!!  What's up with that?

Anyways, some of what I've been eating lately includes a really delicious cereal bowl I put together with vanilla almond milk, blueberries and bananas.

Some roasted sweet potatoes and asparagus with some olive oil, along with some grilled lemon and pepper chicken.

And fresh brewed tea from an adorable little place called The Whistling Tea Kettle nearby where I live.  My meal also included some great quiche, soup, and a scone.  It was really yummy, but the tea was killer.

I may or may not have bought a butt load of loose tea and tea envelopes to try.  I've officially brewed and am about to enjoy my first cup of loose leaf home brewed tea!  I've been a much bigger tea drinker for a while lately but have never gotten into the loose leaf thing.  I am super excited and wish there was smell-o-vision or something because... let me tell you... it smells DELICIOUS!!!

And finally, one other thing that I've been eating a heck of a lot lately.  Tangerines.  Or "Cuties" ("Cuties" are for kids!)  I've really never been an orange person but I bought a heck of a lot of them for my Orange-themed festivities and have been eating them since.  And ya know what?  They taste pretty darn good!  I'm hooked!

Well, this concludes my riveting Saturday evening good eats post.  I hope that you are all having an exciting evening!