Final Reflection

Overall, learning about food and changing my diet has had a large impact on the way I eat. In my last blog post I discussed how I tried going back to my old way of eating. In doing so, however, I realized that I no longer wish to eat the way I once did. For example, I may drink a soda every once in awhile, but not every day. In addition, this project truly helped me to see how I can incorporate vegetables into my diet on a more regular basis instead of having french fries serve as my primary "vegetable." I definitely plan to maintain the changes I have made over the past few months, however probably not in such a rigid manner. For example, I may have the occasional soda or processed food, however, these things will certainly not make up a significant portion of my diet. Because I am a person who likes routines, I believe that I simply fell into a routine of eating what is known, easy, and accessible. By changing my eating habits, however, I have found a new routine that I am sure I will continue.

For others who are looking to eat in a healthier manner, I would recommend a few suggestions:

1) Like Pollan said, try to stick with foods that do not have too many ingredients.
2) Try to eat as much unprocessed food as possible. You will probably find that by following this recommendation you will start eating more fruits and vegetables as well.
3) Find a way to incorporate vegetables in every meal.
4) Stay away from products with added sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

I know that some of these changes will be difficult at first, but after about the first week, eating this way will become routine. I also have to caution that you will probably not always be able to follow these directions perfectly, but I believe that if you are doing your best 90% of the time, the other 10% won't hurt too much. The way in which we receive food in today's society does not always allow us to follow Pollan's suggestions perfectly. For example, you probably will have to eat foods with more than five ingredients, and there may be times when you are unable to incorporate as many vegetables into your meals as you would like. By remembering these key guidelines and making them habits, however, I think you will quickly see that not only do you enjoy food more, but you also feel better.

Overall, this has been a very rewarding project, and I hope that others will be able to see that while making these changes can be somewhat challenging, doing so is certainly worth while. In the long run, your body will thank you!

Back to Old Habits

In my original proposal, I discussed that I would be returning to my old ways and discuss the changes that I observed as I made this change. After eating following Michael Pollan's guidelines for about a month, I could see a clear change.

When I went back to eating the kinds of foods I had eaten before, I realized that they did not taste as good as I previously thought. I also found that I could not eat sweet foods or drink soda in the quantity that I did before starting this experiment without feeling a little bit sick. I also noticed that I felt sluggish after eating foods packed with sugar. I really do think that by eating healthier, I not only had more energy, but a more steady flow of energy.