Rules To Live By

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light Pure Fitness.

Last year, Michael Pollan posted a request for readers' "food rules" on the NY Times health blog. I completely enjoyed reading the "rules" people live by--how they decide what they will and will not eat. Here are a few of my favorites: "If you're not hungry enough to eat an apple, you're not hungry," “it’s not food if it comes to you through the window of a car,” and "it's better to pay the grocer than the doctor." Aren't these great food rules?

I have two of my own rules, which I try to live by:

Rule No. 1: If you can't pronounce it, you probably shouldn't put it in your mouth

I try to mainly eat foods with recognizable ingredients. It's easy to tell whether a food is natural--simply, take a look at the ingredients. If it sounds like it was concocted by scientists in a lab someplace, it's probably not something good to eat. Usually such discerning is an easy task. Polysorbate 80? What IS that? I tell you what it's not: food. And yet we eat it. Isn't that weird? We have to be careful because some of these "foods" have become part of our vernacular (read: high fructose corn syrup and xantham gum, for example); this does not make them okay. Remember the old maxim, you are what you eat? So are you a sweet strawberry or are you disodium guanylate? And, what is disodium guanylate anyway? I definitely don't want to be disodium guanylate, whatever it is.

Rule No. 2: Shop at the farmers' market

About two years ago, my husband and I decided to become vegetarians. This soon came to mean we sought the selection of a wide variety of high quality foods, not just an absence of meat. Variety: it's fun and healthy. When we moved to Davis, one of the most fantastic aspects of the town, we soon discovered, was the excellent Farmer's Market. Getting out and walking through the market, perusing the vendor offerings, became a bi-weekly treat. Choosing new combinations of colorful, flavorful, and robust fruit and vegetable options has changed shopping from an oft perplexing chore to a fun, family-oriented routine we love. As a result, we've lost weight, gained energy and health, and have loads of fun doing it.

Most importantly, the food we bring home is natural, organic, and fresh. It's easy to shop at the farmers' market because there are no end caps full of delicious-yet-completely-unnatural treats trying to jump into your cart. No bright pink cereals or cookies loaded with hydrogenated oils or "fruit" snacks with zero actual fruit in them. Everything offered by the local growers is food, for real.

Crystal Light Pure Fitness is the first Crystal Light to be made without artificial sweeteners and colors. So what's sweetening it? Cane juice (i.e. sugar) and stevia (i.e. a plant from the sunflower family). Isn't that refreshing? It totally is, both figuratively AND literally.

For a chance to win $100 from Crystal Light Pure Fitness, tell me: do you have a rule that helps you eat more natural products?

Rules:

• No duplicate comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to US Residents aged 18 and older
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

Check out BlogHer's Crystal Light Pure Fitness exclusive offers page for four more chance to win $100 and an opportunity to win a $1000 sweepstakes!

Comments

[mami2jcn]

I try whenever possible to have water instead of soda.

[Jessica P]

I try to eat more fruits when I want something sweet.

[Kirsten]

Buying locally helps the environment, my family and my community.

I love eating fresh produce.

[Kristy]

I try and stay away from processed foods.

[Anne]

I try to only snack on fruits and veggies, that help a lot.

[Anne]

http://twitter.com/lunaj1456/status/17340239531

[aprilsmith]

I LOVE to snack on almonds when I am tempted!!

[Lisa]

I do not eat anything with sucralose or aspartame. Making a rule to avoid helps me to avoid other artificial additives.

[Susan]

I don't really have a "rule" but I try to get in-season fruits whenever I can. :)

[PomJob]

I have an incurable sweet tooth, so I try to limit myself to one treat a day. And I eat lots of fruits and veggies to make up for it. I'm looooving that it's fresh fruit season on the east coast.

[Katey]

I gave up all carbonated soft drinks several months back. (And caffeine too!) It's bee great!

Sorry that I don't have a bear story to go with this one...

[June]

We're trying to incorporate local produce into our meals.

[Leah]

My rule is to know what's in it and avoid hidden stuff. That is to say, I normally avoid high fructose corn syrup or weird preservatives -- why should my ice cream have that junk? But I am okay with occasionally having HFCS if I know that's how that product is made. For example, the occasional gummy worm or other little treat is fine, because that's how it is made. But no junk in my bread or ice cream or stuff like that.

It's a long rule but a good one :-)

I also have a garden, and my rule is to grow more stuff every year. It's still pretty small, so I have room to grow.

[Nicole]

My rule is that I don't buy (much) processed food. If I don't keep it in the house, I don't eat it. Though my husband manages to sneak some in every once in a while...

[Sean]

Name: Sean
Email: Zelpuz77@yahoo.com

We have a garden with some fruit and herbs, so that's natural

[Melinda]

We buy veggies from a local farm stand, to incorporate more fresh foods!

[Linda]

We are growing our own strawberries :)

artisticbaker@gmail.com

[Joy]

I like to use honey when I bake as a natural sweetner vs processed sugar
mjharvey26 at yahoo dot com

[Blue Girl]

With every lunch that I pack I try to make sure that we have one or two fruits (from a product store or farm) - apple, grapes, mandarin oranges, pineapples, banana etc.
for dinner I like to make sure that we have 1 to 2 veggies like carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, broccoli, squash, green beans, asparagas or salad.
It helps us keep a healthy balance

[Jessie C.]

My rule is to make sure we add veggie/fruit either from our organic garden or Farmer's Market into each meal

[Jessie C.]

tweet.http://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/17508908215

[Jessie C.]

Blogged.http://tcarolinep.blogspot.com/2010/07/giveaway-slice-of-pink.html

[steph]

Start at the basics! Use ingredients that only have one ingredient (bananas, broccoli) and use more veggies than meat.

[terri]

We try to drink more water so we stay away from soda. We have a baby in the house now and we are trying to keep her away from carbonated drinks and drinks with artificial colors.

[VickieB]

I can't say I have any rules, but we try to eat more fresh fruits and veggies and drink lots of water

[VickieB]

tweet https://twitter.com/vlbsweeps/status/17717281448

[Tracey Byram]

I don't have rules for myself but I have switched from sweet iced tea to unsweet. I eat more baked meats rather than fried.
traymona[at]aol.com

[b]

I would like to say yes, but I don't eat as many as I should!

[Scott]

I don't have a rule....but, I try to eat more fruits and try to eat more healthy when I am getting ready for a run in the near future!