I define "low-" , "-free" and "no-" food as "zero food" in my post. Source: Google
The Veggie Burger’s New Dream reveals that sales of “meatless meat” reached $276.7 million in 2011, 10% more compared to three years earlier. The number intrigues me: how do makers of meat substitutes win over consumers? Who purchases fake meat packages: vegetarians/vegans who never touch meat or flesh-eaters who love real meat? The only group of fake meat consumers I come up with is “health-conscious” people who enjoys meaty sensation while hesitate to take in fat. (Some people choose meat substitutes due to concerns about environment and slaughter of animals, but this topic would be another post.)
Can we become healthier if we are clear of meat?
I started thinking about my diet: during a typical day, morning starts with a muffin completed by a cup of fresh-brewed coffee, or some cereal doused with milk followed by a boiled egg. Around 10 o’clock when my energy drains away, a latté is necessary. My lunch is falafel on rice or a sandwich with tuna (or avocado and cheese), shredded lettuce and a creamy dressing, hidden between two triangles of bread . By 4 o’clock, a chocolate chip cookie or a chunk of brownie seasons my afternoon. Dinner is home-made Chinese/Italian cuisine or French pastries. Peanuts, marshmallows and red wine keep my roommate and me occupied until bedtime.
I realize I have became a “vegetarian except for tuna” or “flexitarian.” (In the words of the WSJ article, “flexitarian” means a group of people who share similar characteristics with vegetarians, but eat meat sometimes). I could not help smiling in dry amusement: I have gained much weight since I came to New York City while I’m becoming a “semi-vegetarian.” Given that my servings are slight, I feel meat is blameless in my case.
Mulling over my eating habits, I realize that I don’t take food seriously. Though I’m not a big flesh-eater, I’m addicted to the endless variety of sweet choices in New York City and spoiled by my roommate who often brings me authentic French pastries. Then, is sugar being blamed for my extra calories rather than meat? Not necessarily. My roommate who never goes to gym and has a carnivorous diet served with sweets is in good shape.
Perhaps food by itself is blameless in terms of a healthy diet; instead, how much we eat counts. However, today it’s fashionable to give up natural food and make unnatural alteration in our diet: remove animal fats, sugar and other nutrition from dairies, bread and snacks, then use synthetic vitamin pills and fake food to replace them. We’re intoxicated with the placebo effect: “meatless” meat, sugar-free chocolate and skim milk, to name a few, make us feel healthier.
I think healthy eating demands a sense of proportion: to taste a proper portion of anything natural, no more, no less. What we need is a balanced diet: any possible real food proportionally served. Bon appetite:)!
