Unprocessed at 30,000 feet

 Contrails - one October morning

Life unprocessed has been going pretty well for me. I have not given up unbleached white flour completely, there are too many lovely things – real pasta, real sourdough and homemade cupcakes that require unbleached flour. There I said it.

I have been Doritos free for two weeks.

How do I feel?

I feel pretty awesome. I think before I put food in my mouth.  I think of the food’s origins, the preparation and what it will taste like when I savor what I am eating.  It is a way of becoming mindful.  I don’t even miss the daily Hershey’s kiss I would pick up from our security guard’s candy dish.  I think I can do this forever.

I also haven’t traveled by plane in three weeks.

Travel, my friends, is the hardest thing for me. I travel a lot, some work, some for pleasure.  Mindful eating and full body scanners do not go together. Mindful eating and TSA regulations do not mix. Eating on planes is not what it used to be. Choices are nil if you are offered food, and often times what you are given is not recognizable.  Plane boredom brings on the munchies, being trapped on the plane brings on anxiety, putting boredom and anxiety together is a recipe for eating disaster.

I spent a year trying to avoid eating on planes. I flew about 140,000 miles that year and either ate my own food or something from the airline lounge beforehand, but avoided eating on the plane if at all possible. The unprocessed challenge has given me a new thing to strive towards – building the best arsenal of unprocessed food options for flying.

Savory/Salty
Nuts, dry roasted salted almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds that are already shelled
dried Hazelnuts
Natural beef or turkey jerky

Sweet
Lara Bars –best unprocessed bar option out there that is not crushable
Dried fruit – I love unsulfured apricots, dried cherries, dried pears, peaches and raisins
Dark Chocolate – the good stuff, great with dried fruit

Protein
Tuna in a pouch, in water – no other ingredients, nab a lemon and a few salt and pepper packets to season, add some whole crackers for a meal – best eaten in the boarding area
String cheese – can withstand a cross country trip and be edible
Nut butter sandwiches – will hold for a while
Cheese – cheddar is your best option, holds up for a while
Edamame – good at room temperature, holds for a few hours
Individual prepackaged portions of hummous – will pack in TSA approved baggie, skip bringing the conditioner, use the hotels, you’ll have more room for your hummous.

Breakfast

Oatmeal packets – unsweetened. Buy milk or half and half at airport, or pick some up when you are getting your coffee at the Starbucks, Peets or whatever near your gate.

Granola

Five a day – pick fruits and vegetables that will hold up to bumping and jostling.
Cherry tomatoes
Carrot sticks – eat with hummous
Celery sticks – eat with hummous
Satsuma oranges
Apples


To the tenth

I am honored to have a guest post on Andrew's Eating rules blog - please check it out.

Unprocessed - A month long challenge

I love the month of October for the fact that it brings a yet again,  a chance for a new year, a fresh start. A fiscal year for those who work on that kind of stuff. This year I am applauding all opportunities I have been granted for a do over. It has been that kind of year.

This month I am part of a challenge put forth by Andrew Wilder.  He challenged all to spend the month of October to try and eat unprocessed foods.  The terminology is a bit strange - does that mean raw food? Nothing in the cuisinart? No, it means eating whole foods-unrefined if you can. High fructose corn syrup or corn sugar as it is now marketed, go out the window, as does anything with an ingredient you can't pronounce nor spell. His take on unprocessed can be found right here.  So far over 200 food bloggers and others have taken up the challenge.

In my case, it means being more mindful about what I put into my body.  It means giving up diet dr. pepper, my now not secret vice.  Halloween candy, forget about it.

Eating unprocessed takes some planning and since I will not be struck down if I snarf down minute bag of chex mix that they throw you with your orange juice on the plane, I think I will make it. You just have to have a plan of attack.

For the most part, we eat close to the "unprocessed" way. We eat mostly whole foods, eat organic foods, whole grains and are mindful. I grew up eating this way - Persian food did not come from the frozen food section of the QFC. My mom spent a goodly amount of time preparing our meals with wholesome ingredients including fresh herbs, vegetables and meats. Every Iranian family had a thing for Kentucky Fried Chicken and I'll admit that more than one bucket was consumed at a family picnic, but for the most part, things were pretty well unprocessed.

For me, the biggest challenge will be travel. This is the biggest challenge for me on a regular basis, to eat healthily and within my calorie needs on the road. Part of my fun of travel be it work or pleasure is seeking out the best "fill in the blank" of my destination, be it bagels in Montreal or fried asparagus in Prosser.  Ditto for plane food, yes, plane food. That is a different subject all together... We'll talk later.

So, here we go. One month. Unprocessed.

Stay tuned, I get to do a guest post on Andrew's blog! I can't wait...