According to the Urban Dictionary, a tree hugger is:
“An environmentalist or one who believes trees and all living things should not be cut down or harmed. Someone who works to protect the environment from destruction or pollution.”
Historically, I did not pay much attention to tree huggers. My cause has always been curbing obesity and childhood obesity, which I felt had nothing to do with nature or the environment. This naive view has recently changed and I now see “the light.”
The Beginning
This change began to happen after reading an article in my favorite magazine, Men’s Health. The article entitled, 15 Ways to Change the World (and Your Life)…, presents a well researched argument of why we all should consume more organically grown foods.
This subject matter typically would not resonate with me. However, my life is currently in transition. On August 14th, 2010, I will be getting married. My usual selfish thoughts of ME are slowly being replaced with thoughts of WE.
I now think about the children we will hopefully have. I think about how what we do, what we eat, and what we feed our children, will effect their lives and health.
Tree Huggers Journey
Reading the Men’s Health article, sparked a flame that lead to me reading and watching:
- The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan,
- Organic Manifesto by Maria Rodale,
- In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan, and
- Food, Inc. directed by Robert Kenner
These resources shed an even brighter light on to how foods are produced. They also enforced the fears I had about how I was living my life and what my future wife and I would be feeding our family.
Where am I going?
There are still some more books and documentaries that I would like to read and watch, such as:
- Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
- The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite
- Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think
- Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition, and Health, Revised and Expanded Edition (California Studies in Food and Culture)
- Real Food: What to Eat and Why
- The Future of Food
- King Corn (Standard Packaging)
In the meantime, I will begin acting on the knowledge I have gained.
Pseudo Tree Hugger
In the next few years, I will focus on maintaining the health of my family. I can best accomplish this by limiting the amount of “unnatural” foods and drinks we consume. These “unnatural” foods include:
- Non-organic foods
- Genetically modified or engineered foods
- Foods grown with the aid of ionized radiation or sewer sludge
- Foods grown with the aid of pesticides
- Meats raised with antibiotics or growth hormone
Some argue that eating organic foods is better for the environment. That would make my family environmentalists. The Chinyere Family of Tree Huggers. I am not sure the title would fit. However, if I can improve the health of my family and the planet at the same time, then I am all for it.
The Don’t Go Broke Diet
If you have been following me, then you know I am a big fan of inexpensive weight loss. That’s why I wrote the Don’t Go Broke Weight Loss Plan. Organic foods tend to be more expensive than non-organic foods. However, weight loss can still be relatively inexpensive while adding organic foods. To help you in this process I’ll be designing an inexpensive organic weight loss plan. In the meantime read this post: Organic Foods and Where to Find Affordable Prices.
Get a copy of Dr. Kal’s free weight loss plan the Don’t Go Broke Diet. The Don’t Go Broke Diet is your guide to inexpensive and permanent weight loss. The new you is waiting. Get started now!