Q&A

Two days left, and I figured I'd answer a few of the questions I've gotten.

1.  Why are you doing this?

As I mentioned before, it was kind of a whim, a challenge to myself.  I assumed Husband would think it was crazy and that would be the end of it.  He didn't though, and here we are.  My idea came from a bunch of different sources.   Recently I have been more curious about what goes into the food we eat, and I grew more so when I read that Americans get 90% of their sodium from processed food, and only 10% from the salt shaker (pretty much regardless of how much you use it).  I was shocked.  I like my salt shaker.  So it made me wonder what else was buried in food. 

The other reason is that I truly think we can pull it off.  I like to cook, and I enjoy a challenge. I think we can do it, inspire other people to cook more of their own food rather than relying on pre-made stuff, and only kill each other a little in the process. I'm partially doing this for the other people out there like me who don't buy into every "healthy idea" and just want to read about this from someone who isn't trying to push them into one fad diet or another.

Oh yeah, and Husband thinks Slurpees burn holes in my brain. 

2.  What is your agenda?

This is another reason I think we are the perfect people to do this experiment.  We don't have one.  I  nap with my eyes open when people blather on about toxins.  I snicker on the inside when people tell me they shop at farmer's markets because everthing there is organic (only if it's an organic farmer's market folks!).  "Supersize Me" made me crave a Big Mac.  I have no problem eating animals, and we're not health-food-junkies by a long shot.  I think most organic products cost more than they are worth.  We are a normal family who eats an average North American diet.  I likely cook from scratch more than the average, but I love me my KD, and my ketchup chips and movie theatre popcorn (I even get the mystery butter). 

Because of our lack of motive, I think we are the perfect people to try this.  I'm not trying to find an excuse to beat the rest of society into thinking my way, I was just curious, plain and simple (hmmm, curiosity DID kill the cat....).  I wanted to know if it would change anything in our lives, health, finances, energy levels, time, etc.  And who knows, it might be interesting.


3.  Isn't this going to cost you a lot more?

That's a question I'm setting out to answer.  Remember I'm not eating an organic diet.  I will likely only buy processed organic products if they follow my plan of only real, normal ingredients.  (If I can't make it in my kitchen at home, I can't buy it.  This also goes for non-organic products.  I can buy canned corn because it only has salt, water and corn in it.  If it had xanthan gum and monodextrose sodiphite, it's OUT.)  This means that the vast majority of what we eat will be made here at home, using plain ingredients.  Salt and sugar are cheap.  I can make a loaf of bread cheaper than I can buy it.  My partially educated guess with be that it will take more time but less money, but we'll see. 


4.  What are some of the other radical ideas you had that Husband shot down?

Chicken farming.  Swimming the English Channel and Professional Eating.   Heh.  To be honest, Husband doesn't actually shoot down my dreams, he's usually just my sober-second-thought.  The person who thinks logically while I'm wrapped up in a wonderful idea.  I have a lot of ideas and Husband is a great support.  Some of my ideas are great, and some are crazy.  Unfortunately, I secretly hoped he'd deem this one crazy.


So, there you go.  Other than a few questions, I have had overwhelming support.  Some, I'm sure, by people who wish they could try it, others from people who are curious and waiting to see how this all shakes out (I'm with you).   Thanks for the support.  I'll try to be as detailed as possible so you can make your own decisions.