Changing Supermarkets

After a year, I found that I was unsatisfied with the selection I was given at my local supermarket. I passed a Fresh Market on my way home from work and decided to check it out. I FELT AS IF I WAS IN A NINTH DIMENSION OF LUXURIOUS PEOPLE WHO SIP FAIR TRADE COFFEE AND NIBBLE ON FRENCH CHEESES WHILE SHOPPING FOR GROCERIES. I was impressed!
So I decided to pick up something, anything.
I was like a kid in a candy store. There were so many things I had never seen or even heard of before, it was so cool.

So I get home to my roommates and gush about the lavish experience I had just had. Luckily, we were all somewhat interested in health (on different levels) so we decided to head out there together for choice items.

Long story short, we began to do our grocery shopping solely at Whole Foods, Wild Oats, and Fresh Market. Before long, our kitchen was absolutely over 75% Organic.

This was the next step to a healthier me: changing to a whole food grocer.

Try it,

~Turmeric

Going Organic

After about 2 years of being conscious that I had been an unhealthy person, I had controlled my fast-food addiction and soda consumption. I had read some information on foods in the supermarkets and the chemicals used to raise them. I read the effects said chemicals had over time on the health of humans, animals, plant life, and soil. I have always been environmentally conscious. In my decision to begin buying some produce and food organic, it was more for Mother Earth than for me.

I deduced that the most important products to buy organic was Dairy and Meat; and so this is how I began my Organic journey. I told myself that I would never buy non-organic meat or dairy from a supermarket every again...and I never went back on that. There are many many many reasons why I decided this is where my organic path should start. Some of those reasons I have spoken of in earlier blogs.

The second group of foods that I decided to only buy organic at all costs were berries: Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries. The reason: 1- Berries are extremely important to health, so I eat a lot of them, therefore I need them to be good for me which leads me to 2 - Their thin skin. Berries have extremely thin and pourous skin that allows the pesticides to permeate the fruit. When tested for chemical residue, berries are amongst the highest in concentration. Thicker skinned fruit like oranges and bananas score lower.

If you are following my story, this is 2 years into actively becoming a more healthy human being that I began to buy all my Meat, Dairy, and Berries organic.

~Turmeric

Getting Started

I had nasty food habits. I was a fast food junkie who's favorite drink was Cola. When I got my license, I lived at the drive thrus. I ate fast food at least 4 times a week. I was also a gluton. I was told this since the age of 6. I ate so much and adored food. I ate good things too, but I had a food obsession. My day revolved around when I was eating and what I was going to eat.

In 2004 I found myself with no medical insurance and it suddenly clicked for me. I may not be able to control if I get hit by a car, but I can control my health. I did not even know where to start, but I started somewhere. I began to research and research and research. I read articles, books, magazines, journals, you name it. I found out a lot, which is the reason for this blog. But let me tell you how I started and maybe this may give you some ideas.

The first chore was breaking my addiction to fast food. This took me about 1 year. I was still going after a year, but more like a normal person. I began with just completely not going, but 3 weeks later, I would ferociously tear up fast food for a week. I then decided to go 6 days on (meaning not eating fast food), 1 day off. This worked best for me but everybody is different and it may not work best for you. I am just throwing out ideas and what I went through.

Along with breaking my fast food addiction, I found it pertinent to halt soda consumption. I stopped carrying it in my home which was a big help. I didn't miss it at home because I love other drinks to. At parties and such, I would feel bad for drinking it, but I rationalized to myself that I was going slowly and it was okay. I stopped drinking it at home, but I allowed myself (initially) to drink if it was available at a gathering.

Guys, this took a year of work for me. It was not easy. Do not beat yourselves up ever. Find your pace and go with that.

Next week I will go through the nitty gritty of the next step I took.

~Turmeric