Food - The Smell Test

It has been over a year now since I picked up a book from the library with the tantalizing title of Eat Fat Lose Fat.  This book led me to finding a whole section of the population who eat and live an alternative path that smacked deliciously of common sense.  I began making changes in our home as I learned more and as I found them to be a practical fit with our family's time, money, and structure.  My hat is off and across my proverbial breast to those who sprout and grind their own wheat and can things fermented and otherwise; I have not quite crossed those bridges.  But we do soak our oatmeal and nuts, and buy things from sprouted bread to raw milk, butter, eggs, and cheeses.  I hope to make more changes in the coming year with a goal of greater knowledge and health.  At present I am waiting with anticipation for the arrival of Real Food On A Real Budget - a late Christmas gift from one of my sons.  The aspiration of this title is probably my number one resolution for 2011 and I am hopeful of finding solid nuggets of help and wisdom within its pages.

Some moments of learning come from movies (Food Inc. and Super Size Me) or reading blogs, others are highlighted in books, still more are found in the conversations with those more experienced than I.  And then there are those humble Eureka moments where light dawns in a moment of common sense.  We have greatly reduced our stops at fast food joints, and when we really have to (primarily due to a lack of pre-planning, I confess) it is with a good dose of misgiving.  Well, the other day my husband had a hankering for a burger from one of the local drive-thrus and stopped there for dinner with a couple of our boys.  One son left half of his burger and some fries in the car to eat once they'd returned from a movie.  I know, yuck.  But it was a cold night, and he's nineteen.

Anyway, when they returned to the car and opened the doors it .... well, to put it quite bluntly, it stunk!  As my husband relayed this story, I nodded my head in connection.  We all really love this one fast food place, it is very popular and beloved in our area of the States; but as soon as we are finished, I can't wait to get all the trash out of our car.  I find the smell intolerable.  " In fact ", I said to M, " it smells like garbage."

That sentence just sort of lingered in the space between us.  Our other food, what we make for ourselves, doesn't smell like that.  Hmmmmm...... light bulb.

This has further encouraged us to make sure to be prepared on outings with a piece of fruit, a homemade sandwich, even a granola bar (store bought - another of those things I desire to conquer.)  Undoubtedly, we will probably stop by a Jack-In-The-Box or Chik-Fil-A from time to time; but we have added one more step of greater motivation in maintaining good health on a daily basis.