As I’ve been reading “Fitness Over Forty’s” post yesterday about craving greasy fast food and watching Running Kate post her daily diet, I’ve started thinking a lot about what we put into our bodies.

Off the bat, I’ll tell ya’, I really don’t spend a ton of time worrying about what I eat. I do try to eat mostly whole foods that are grown locally and ideally organically. If they come out of my own garden, all the better. Still, I will buy a papaya from South American from time-to-time, and Kettle Salt & Pepper chips are my own personal Crack Cocaine. But, what are some of these things we’re eating? What are power bars, really? How do those golden greasy fries turn out perfectly every time?

A few years ago, I read Michael Pollan’s Botany of Desire. Sure, it talks about tulips and pot, but one of the most interesting sections was about potatoes. After reading the chapter on potatoes, particularly the section on the perfect fast food french fry, I swore I’d never eat a non-organic french fry or potato chip again. I followed my information in-take on genetically modified foods by watching The Future of Food, which put me off non-organics even more. Plus, as a horticulturist, I realized that root vegetables like beets, potatoes, carrots, etc…are the storage systems of the plants; this is where the plants store everything they take up. This is where the fungi, bacterium, etc…that are used to induce genetic modification would be stored — as well as any pesticides. Yuck, right?  Well, staying off fries & chips only lasted a couple of years & now I’m back on Crack (see above for definition of “Crack”). Heck, I even watched Super Size Me & the lab experiments on the fries, and that hasn’t stopped me from indulging in a salty, greasy fry or chip now & again. Okay, I don’t eat at MacDonald’s for so many reasons, but how much better is my consumption of Kettle Chips?

And what about these protein shakes and bars? Sure, they give us pinpoint-engineered energy. Plus, they’re fast & convenient. But, are they really good for us? Where are the protein powders derived from? How processed are they? Are their flavors real or were they invented in a chemical plant? I don’t really know. I know I used to eat a lot of Zone bars & not really think about it. Now I rarely eat bars. Heck, the 2nd ingredient in the Lemon Yogurt Zone bar is high fructose corn syrup. (Don’t get me started on corn syrup in our diets or just corn or Monsanto or any of that geeky environmentalist horticulturist stuff. ) 

So what’s my point? I guess its really a question — if we’re all so concerned about how much we exercise and balance our lives, are we balancing that out with what we put into our bodies? Does anyone know about the production of protein powders & bars? Does anyone care? Does anyone else have a “Crack” of their own?

Think of this as coffee talk…there’s your topic…now talk amongst yourselves…