Here's the thing: start cooking. By cooking, I mean REALLY COOKING, not pouring can o' whatever into a pot and adding water. Cook everything from scratch. It doesn't take long at all and you won't feel like complete shit afterwards. It's an uphill battle in the states because EVERYTHING people cook comes from a mix these days. Find interesting recipes and if they say, "stir in X pack/can/mix of Y", then find another recipe. If you have to add some pre-made crap into whatever you're cooking, then you're not cooking. You might as well microwave some bullshit frozen dinner. Cream of mushroom soup is not supposed to keep for months...it's fucking bescamela and mushrooms, that's all it is. The fact that it keeps for so long should send warning sirens through everyone's mind, yet it doesn't. Americans focus so much on trans fats and carbs and other bullshit so much, and in the end those aren't even the things that will kill you; it's all the preservatives and modified shit they put into food that kills you. A spoonful of butter is better than that Starbuck's muffin and candy water. I'm not saying you have to go live in a tree and eat organic everything, just prepare everything yourself. It's so easy once you know how.
VERY TRUE!
I suggest reading "In defense of Food" by Michael Pollan, for anyone who has no clue what "real" food is. Coming from a country on the Mediterranean that has everything fresh, and as a daughter of a chef who grew up on "everything from scratch" I struggled in the US when I first moved here... Everything here is processed, full of chemicals (that are illegal in other countries...) full of preservatives, and don't even get me started on your live stock... I am amazed by anyone who eats regular meat from the grocery store; you're eating garbage, crap (often literally) and shortening your life every-time you take a bite, not to mention ethically wrong, but I digress...
The US though, is also full of amazing food products: fresh, organic, fantastic! You'll just have to go look for them a bit more because they will not be present in your local WalMart... The way I see it though: what's better way of spending your money than eat really good things that are beneficial to you? In my book, there is no cutting corners when it comes to food: it's my body, I only have one, I only live once, and I sure damn well eat amazing while I'm here.
Eat fresh, wholly, and try to avoid crap like: "skim milk" or "sweetener" - whole milk and pure sugar isn't going to make you fat.
The thing about the US is that so many people exercise so much just to work off the massive amount of garbage they put into their systems. You don't have to work out every single day to lead a healthy lifestyle. In fact, you really don't have to work out AT ALL. Just eat correctly and walk places.
WRONG.
You do need to exercise. Granted, in Europe you walk a lot and have a less "lazy" lifestyle, but the fact that people are generally in better health over there, is due to sooooooo many factors (food habits, portions, ingredients, education about food, weekends activities etc... ) If you ask me, I say the majority of Europe probably need to exercise **more**
Just to give you an idea: in the US and UK pregnant women are given enough pills to choke a horse in order to maintain a healthy pregnancy. They don't in Europe. Why? Because those pills were invented due to the increasing number of unhealthy pregnant women living on fast food, Campbell's soup, and Applebee's. Here, women already eat a normal diet and don't need a litany of pills to "get healthy" for their pregnancy.
It's perfectly fine to eat like shit every now and then, but every now and then means like once a month or so, not once a week. All those "restaurants" in the US like Applebee's, TGIFriday's, Chili's, etc. are all just fast food places with different entrees. They're not really restaurants and the food is pre-made crap that's heated up in the oven. They're made for quantity, not quality. Stop eating at those restaurants. Stop eating at fast food joints. Again, just buy your own food, prepare you own food, and cook your own food. You will be amazed at how much better you feel even without exercising.
^ TRUE AGAIN!
Except the part about exercising. By definition, you'll feel better without inserting all that garbage into your body, but if you exercise regularly, you'll feel like a million bucks, instead of like a grand...
Also, DRINK WATER. You should have a big bottle of water at your side 24/7. You should be drinking water even when you're not thirsty because when you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated. You should drink at least half a gallon of water per day...at the very LEAST. Just plain 'ole tap water in a big bottled water jug kept in the fridge should suffice; I've got four of them. Don't buy water, use a filter if you have to...I don't even use a filter. Water is water. Granted, the water here is pristine so it's not needed, but I've been to Texas and the southwest and the desert water tastes like SHIT, so buy a filter if you have to. Water cleans your system out, staves off sickness and disease, keeps your belly full and negates those hunger pangs. It's good for circulation, keeps your breath fresh, keeps your teeth clean, and will give you energy like coffee, only less spastic. Water is your best friend.
YES YES AND YES!
I drink only water, coffee, tea, and wine. (and beers at shows/festivals etc)
No soda, never store-bought juices, Gatorade or Vitamin Water shit, stay away from those corn-syrup liquids: ONLY WATER.
Good post indeed, Chris!
