Calorie Killers Intense Fitness, Honest Advice

Cut the Bulls*it.

Ever taken a glance at a pre-1950s cookbook?  You'll find that most meals are made "the hard way" i.e. from scratch.  Very little processed garbage, lots of REAL food like fresh meats, vegetables, fruits, spices, dairy, and grains.  Many times, cookbooks gave a variety of techniques for properly preserving fruits and vegetables through canning, pickling, dehydrating, and freezing.  I grew up in a household that planted a garden and used canning, freezing, and pickling as a means to keep foods for the off-season.  The foods were simple, preserved with simple methods, and were wholesome.  Not quite as good as the vegetable straight out of the garden, but close enough.  I also grew up with a family that hunted.  I don't grow pale at the site of a deer skinning.  Amazing that I was a vegetarian for a year, eh? 

I didn't really appreciate the value of this sort of childhood until now.  I eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, and meats and am open to trying new foods all the time.  I try to stay away from "Franken-foods" better known as the garbage that occupies the majority of today's grocery store.  For some time, I bought a lot of Franken-foods.  I bought a lot of soy Franken-foods as a vegetarian.  Bad idea (although I did open myself to a whole new array of veggies, so it wasn't a completely bad gig).  I can't say I particularly felt any better nor did I feel very healthy.  Quite honestly, I think most of these foods should simply be cut from our diet entirely.  Unfortunately, they keep becoming more an more popular and more and more a staple of a so-called "healthy" diet.  They even enter my diet at times, even though I try my darndest to avoid them.  Simply put, they're BULLSHIT and I, you, and most others shouldn't rely on them as a daily diet.  Consider this my grass roots movement to cut the bullshit.  Consider this also my pledge to stop buying crap at the store.  I'm just as guilty of this sometime, so don't consider me perfect by any means.  Better nutrition is certainly a journey, and I'm prone to fucking up from time to time, but I continue and improve!  :)

Here's some simple steps to stop buying and consuming bullshit...try em out!

1.  If it's produced by an agra-conglomerate, read the label before buying.  Notable exceptions to this are frozen veggies (buy them PLAIN...wtf is this pre-made sauce crap?), coffee, tea, some organic products, and some preserves.

2.  If it's in the center of the store, be wary.  If it's boxed, makes silly health claims, or has a list of ingredients 20 items long...ermm...make sure to examine it well.

Shop at your local market!

3.  If it's canned or frozen, make sure it's not full of additives and sugars.  A lot of brands are pretty good about skipping the crap and leaving the good ole veggies for you.  Again, just read the label.

4.  Funky meats.  I don't like my meats pumped full of antibiotics.  Buy those that pledge not to when possible.

5.  Eggs.  I need to get back to just buying straight up eggs in the shell.  Cage-free varieties work well.  Check your local market - local farmers often sell them there.

6.  Butter.  I'm going to go back to using the real deal in moderation.  No margarine crap.

7.  Buy lots of fruits and veggies.  Try to buy at your local market in season or US-sourced, when possible.  I understand bananas are the anomaly.  It's sort of a necessary evil for me, to be honest. 

8.  Ditch refined sugars and starches.  I've been doing this for some time.  It's a great way to boost your health and energy.  If I give in and eat candy and other sugary delights...I feel crappy afterward.  Better deal for me is just to avoid them.

9.  Flavor with lots  of spices!  I love spices.  Check your local bulk foods store for good prices on these.

10. Drink in moderation.  Stick with wine and microbrewed beer.  Luckily the US is a hotbed of microbrewed wine and beer choices.  Red wine, 4-6 oz, is a fantastic choice loaded with antioxidants.

11.  Enjoy your dark chocolate.  70% dark or darker is my rule of choice.  It's a bit bitter like coffee but really hits the spot for me.  It's also a good source of antioxidants.  It may have a bit of added sugar.  Just make sure there's no added dairy.

12. Trail mix.  It's a very portable snack choice, easy to make at home, and naturally good for you.  Our ancestors, hunters and gatherers, would approve.

Okay, I'm going to get off my soapbox for today.  These are MY goals.  You can plagiarize and make them yours, too.  I give you my approval!