My Truce with Oprah

Oprah and I made a truce yesterday.  I agreed to watch her show as long as my girl Alicia Silverstone was on there.  I have to give Oprah credit - she got it right yesterday. 

She started off with a quiz on the audience's food knowledge.  Feel free to take it here:
http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Test-Your-Food-IQ

Surprised by anything?  I have to admit that she stumped me on quite a few of those, and I consider myself to be pretty knowledgeable with this stuff.  Goat as the number one meat in the world...seriously?

Then she had author and journalist Michael Pollan on the show.  You may recognize him from the book The Omnivores's Dilemma  or from being featured on Food, Inc.  He's a man worth listening to.  It's hard to be a skeptic after listening to what he has to say about chicken reengineering (mmm...sounds tasty, huh?) and about the fact that most of what Americans consume today is not real food.  He says that we are spending less on our food than ever, but there is a cost to it that...and that is our health.  Read about the entire interview here:  http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/The-Truth-About-Food-with-Michael-Pollan/1

Of course, the next section consisted of an interview between Oprah and Alicia Silverstone.  It focused on Alicia's new book The Kind Diet.  If you haven't read it yet, please do.  It is full of so many truths about our health that people need to know.  It will change the way you look at eating.  Even though I was already committed to the vegan lifestyle, it gave me more support as to why my choice is best for my health and the planet, and it encouraged me to eat healthy.  Yes, it is possible to be vegan and not healthy!  If you haven't visited Alicia's website, it is http://www.thekindlife.com/.  Well worth your time.  Read her blogs, visit the forums, get support. 

I liked what Alicia stressed in her interview:  Not everyone is ready to just jump in full blast.  She just wants people to flirt with the idea of veganism.  Take baby steps, make slow changes, and know that you can't do it overnight.  I can attest to this.  It took me over two years to get to the point I am at right now, but if I had made all of these changes overnight, I truly believe I wouldn't have stuck with it and would still have migraines today.

Finally, Oprah featured the movie Food, Inc on the show.  I have to admit that although my husband and I have had the strong desire to watch it, we just haven't yet.  Luckily, Amazon is offering the movie for $9.99 (it comes out to about +/- $12.99 with shipping.)  PLUS you can get it digitally right away while you wait for it to come in the mail FOR FREE with your purchase.  So get on over to Amazon and purchase it, watch the movie, and share your thoughts about it!  I know that my husband and I purchased it, and we are really excited about watching it!

My challenge to you?  Get informed about what you are putting in your mouth.  Read books, watch documentaries, and do research.  You owe it to yourself to do that.  If you do so, you will increase your chances of not only living longer but living a HEALTHY and longer life.