Food films fill me with lots of ambition and little to eat

Recently, because it seems that my body needs a rest from the same old dietary routine I have followed for decades, I’ve been gorging on “healthy foodie” films. Or let’s just call a spaetzle a spaetzle here: these are horror movies.

To wit: Food Inc. shows that cows, pigs and chickens raised on corporate farms, or on farms that serve corporate meatpacking companies, are abused and unhealthy animals (you see lots of dead birds being dragged out of chicken coops, and screen text showing that the corporate executives in charge refused to appear in the film or answer questions). Super Size Me (2004) says fast food is addictive and renders us malnourished (yes, even the fish sandwich and the grilled chicken). Forks Over Knives (2011) teaches that most dreaded diseases can be traced to the ingestion of animal products and processed foods.

Meanwhile, Subway sandwich shops built a multimillion-dollar ad campaign around a guy who lost weight on a daily diet of their gluten-laden bread filled with nightmarish quantities of processed deli meats. But from the movies I’ve been watching, I now know that my favorite Subway selection—tuna salad on Italian parmesan bread with toppings of olives, jalapeños and dill pickles—is not only fattening, but probably toxic, as most of its ingredients come from a can, and we now know that aluminum is a no-no for food storage because it has been linked to Alzheimers disease.

Most recently, my partner and I watched the Joe Cross documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. The film makes a compelling case for cleaning out the system through short-term fasting (taking nutrients through liquids instead of solid food) and for cutting processed foods out of our diets. At my age, it’s time.

I made a grocery store run the other day, and after circulating through each of 18 food aisles, I came out with one rotisserie chicken, one head of broccoli, half a dozen apples and a bunch of green bananas. Oh, and soy milk. But now that is controversial, too, because so much of the soybean crop is grown from genetically modified (GMO) seed, and disclosure is not required in labeling.

It’s getting scary to shop, and even scarier to put fork to mouth. However, I cannot unsee those food films. I cannot unlearn how bad 80 percent of the American diet is, even for those of us who thought we were paying attention.

I want to be sharp of mind in my old age. I want to walk an 18-hole golf course without pain. I don’t want to wait for a heart attack to change my ways. But I like bacon-wrapped scallops. I like cheeseburgers and chocolate malts. I’m going to have to find a compromise.

Things I’m cutting out entirely:

  • all processed meat products
  • as much wheat gluten as possible
  • Coca-Cola (have done this already and no longer crave it)
  • anything in a can
  • vegetable oil
  • refined table salt

What I’ll start adding to my shopping cart:

  • organic everything
  • almond milk or dairy skim (organic) instead of soy milk
  • coconut oil or grapeseed oil for cooking
  • mineral-rich sea salt

To rid my body of the vestiges of old Subway sandwiches, microwave popcorn and gummy bears, I’m going to try a seven-day juice fast. That’s one bite I know I can chew (er…slurp). I’ll make juices from organic fruits and vegetables, which are expensive, but not as expensive as Lipitor and all the other pills people are popping these days.

This isn’t some lark I’m on here. I may not look fat or sick or nearly dead, but how do I know what’s going on inside until I start having symptoms of disease? How do I know I’m not close to the tipping point, where bad habits overpower good? How do I know it’s not urgent?

Even though I pay attention to my health, I’ve been a food zombie, mindlessly reaching out for foods that sufficed in my teen years but which no longer nourish the body I have now. I may not want to act my age, but I certainly need to start eating my age, and that means making changes. (In fact, Washington D.C. fitness instructor and nutritionist Greg Raleigh is writing a book called Eat Your Age, and I’m eagerly awaiting its arrival.)

The foodie horror flicks have awakened me. I’m grateful for that. Raising a glass of green juice: those toxins better run! This zombie has come back to life!

Some good resources:

The 9 Foods You Should Never Eat”

Heart surgeon Dr. Dwight Lundell on what really causes heart disease