A "beef" with American food

About a year ago, I made a pretty significant change in my habits that also helped me lose weight and keep it off. No, it's not the new diet magic bullet, but it certainly wouldn't hurt you in that department: I stopped drinking pop every day. The best part is that I didn't give up my lunchtime caffeine bump. Instead, I switched to bottled sweetened iced tea -- this brand, to be exact.

I stopped with the pop (regular Coke had been my drink of choice) mostly to avoid the high-fructose corn syrup that pervades our food system. I also had heard anecdotal evidence that Coke and the like can cause you to crave sweets and actually eat and drink more than you would otherwise. So, I substituted the tea -- with real sugar, mind you -- and not only did I enjoy something more natural, but I lost weight! About 12 pounds. Let me repeat that: I consumed a decent amount of sugar on a regular basis and still managed to lose and keep off weight. I think that's a testament to how insidious high-fructose corn syrup is to the American diet. (The only downfall to all of this is that the tea may have been an accomplice to my problems at my recent dentist visit)

Speaking of the American diet, a while back I read the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. It is a non-fiction story of how her family vowed to eat locally for an entire year -- winter and all. The book is wonderfully written and engaging, and it also changed my perspective on our food system and habits. I have consciously made an effort to eat more locally and in season so as to support local farmers and conserve fossil fuels used to deliver our food nationwide. Our local farmer's market, grocery stores and even many restaurants also have responded to this call and offer a big array of locally grown foods.

Also as a result of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (and an excellent episode of Morgan Spurlock's 30 Days), I have decided to eat only beef that has been grass fed. Cattle were not made to eat corn and all the other by-products we feed them. Ever hear people joke about cows' flatulence? That's mostly due to their inability to digest the corn feed -- we just feed that to them because it's cheap. They were designed to eat grass, and the nutrients in grass affect the composition of the meat and actually make it healthier for us. Grass-fed beef contains significantly less saturated fat than traditional beef, as well as significantly more omega-3 fatty acids. Not to mention the cattle are raised more humanely than mass-fed cattle on the factory farms.

Locally raised grass-fed beef is available in our local grocery stores, so it is easy for me to find for all my cooking needs. I don't plan to eat the other kind of beef because as a consumer I want to send the message that factory-produced corn-fed cattle are unacceptable for my family and me. I hope to be a part of changing our agricultural system for the better, and I'm voting with my dollars.

(By the way, I now have ranted against high-fructose CORN syrup and CORN-fed beef. I don't have anything against CORN per se -- I just wish we could limit its uses as a substitute for better ingredients.)

Boy plans

It is a fact that men make social plans differently than women. I'm not man-bashing; it's just true. My husband has told me, and he has proven it many times over.

Take last week, for instance. Our neighbor invited L to play guitar one night. So, that was the extent of my knowledge. "Fine, you're going to play guitar. That should be fun!"

Just making conversation, I asked, "Where are you going? Like a studio or someone's house?"

L: "Don't know. Boy plans."

Me: "Is it a big group or small group?"

L: "Don't know. Boy plans."

You get the idea. So the next day, L told me it was even bad by boy plan standards. They were going to a guy's house, and they didn't have directions or his phone number, and they only barely knew where he lived.

I bring up boy plans right now because I'm living in the midst of yet another set of boy plans tonight. L's buddy from law school, John, is in town for the night because he has some business here tomorrow. I didn't know for sure until this afternoon that he was coming (it had been a possibility for a couple weeks), and I (we) didn't know any details of his visit.

L and John are out on the town now after John had dinner with us. The only question remaining is whether John is staying the night here. L invited him to do so a couple weeks ago when we found out about the potential visit. L has not asked him since then if he is actually staying. That must violate some tenet of the boy planning.

So I guess I will find out in the morning if we have a houseguest or not. I'll make sure to wear my long pajamas tonight just in case.