Crickets, silkworms and grasshoppers

Did you know that in Beijing, China at the The Night Market they sell these and 97 other deep fried and otherwise ‘deliciously’ prepared delicacies? I learned that tonight in my International Business Class - and it got me to thinking, as I watched the reporter feast on a crunchy starfish, silkworm, sea urchin and other carefully prepared local morsels. As I struggle with loosing weight on a daily basis - would I loose weight faster if I lived somewhere that had different types of food, or would I never have gained weight in the first place? Hmmmm.... interesting question you say? Yesterday I also watched Michael Pollen, author of The Omnivores Dilemma, and other books about the food industry, on The Oprah Show talking about all the preservatives and chemicals in our processed food, a subject I have read much about. You would think I’d be a perfect size 8 with 14% body fat by now with all the books on healthy eating I have read! He is also featured on the video Food, Inc., which explores where the food on our table actually comes from. Awful to think about!! I rarely eat beef, never eat pork, lamb or veal already after reading Skinny Bitch (well actually before that, but that book solidified it for me). No, this isn’t a book about snobby, skinny Beverly Hills girls. It is a book about the food industry and eating healthy. But, not eating beef can still lead to eating a host of other unhealthy food items from questionable sources. Oh yes it can!! All that said, now I am asking myself "why in the HELL do I eat the crap that I know is crap?" I know the answer to that question - because it tastes good. Or shall I say my misguided taste buds think it tastes good. Even though I have read many books about all the stuff in our food, and how food is grown, processed, etc., I still eat processed junk – not all the time – but enough of the time. I’m not talking McDonalds either – I haven’t been there in probably 10 years, but I have been to a multitude of other seemingly healthy fast food places – Subway, Rubios, Quiznos, not to mention processed foods from the grocery store. I’m not even sure where I am going with this, except that with all my food knowledge – why do I still eat unhealthy things? I realized today that 99% of loosing weight for me is mental – I can’t say I don’t know what to eat, or what is good or bad for me because I do. I know there are other people out there that really don’t know how many calories in this or that or where foods come from, and how bad certain chemicals in processed for are for a person, but that’s not me. I do know!! Maybe it is the chemicals in the food making me crave the unhealthy and not stop at just one. Some say it is. But whether it is or not I still need to work more on my mental state – my love of self – my belief in myself! Weigh in tomorrow, not today. I jumped the gun yesterday in saying weigh in was today. More tomorrow.