Feeling Like A New Man

When I first learned of the Food Rules Challenge, I must say I was a bit apprehensive in terms of my level of commitment and skeptical of the benefit that the assignment would provide. As an avid runner and general fitness enthusiast, I understand the importance that diet and nutrition has on the overall quality of health. I also have a medical history with a predisposition to high cholesterol, and desperately needed to make some personal life changes. Being the competitive person that I am, I decided to arm myself with the new text, and forego the challenge; I had nothing to lose. Mr. Pollan's simplistic writing style made navigating through the material an effortless task and I quickly read through all the book in one sitting. Although the content seemed a bit elementary in the science, I had realized that solid nutrition wasn't such a complicated process when stripped down to its most essential components. It reminded me of those days when parents and teachers would tell you to eat fruits, vegetables, and the daily three squares a day. I began to get excited about the assignment, and began to modify my eating habits by first incorporating more carbohydrates, particularly more vegetables or plant based foods at each meal. I avoided the products labeled with high-fructose corn syrup and high levels of sodium. Within days, I have noticed a tremendous difference in the way I feel physically, as I am not as sluggish and dragging through the work day. I am getting better quality sleep, and it has enhanced my running performance. I am taking the modification approach to dieting, limiting my intake to the forbidden foods to a few times a week and I try and treat myself to a cup of coffee and an occasional cookie in the early hours. I anticipate that in the latter part of this experiment I will be able to eventually wean myself of the evil, overly processed and heavily market foods. But for now, I am happy with my progression and I am interested to see how this diet may alter the course for the rest of my life in terms of the way I feel and deal with food.