Is There a New Definition for “Fresh”?

When Mark and I travel, we always bring along healthy snacks—AKA real food—to keep us satisfied. Favorite snacks include raw almonds, Lara Bars, 70% dark chocolate, and dehydrated bananas (which look disgusting and taste divine).

It’s so easy, when you’re traveling, to slip into starvation mode and then devour anything in sight, no matter how unhealthy you know it is.

And the system is designed that way. Just look at the picture here. Do you consider a bag of chips to be a “fresh” snack? Well, someone does . . . actually, I imagine a lot of people do.

It's not just snacks, of course. Each of the three meals can fall victim to bad food choices. On our way to New York, Mark and I made a quick stop at a rest area. While we walked around, we couldn’t keep our eyes off the masses who were lined up for a chance to inhale some fast “food.”

And while we were in Manhattan—an island with dozens of good-for-you restaurants like Atlas Café, Pure Food and Wine, and Candle 79—I overhead a little boy whining for lunch.

“Are we going to McDonald’s?” he asked.

“Yes,” his mother answered.

There was a pause and then he said, “It’s funny. We go to McDonald’s every day for lunch.”

I wanted to tell him there was nothing funny about it, but I didn’t think he'd get it, and I honestly wasn't sure his mother would either. Sometimes it's easier to be fooled.

Question of the blog: Are you as outraged as I am over the chemicals and preservatives that pass as real food?

Who is That White-Bearded Guy?

Take a walk around almost any health food store and you’ll probably pass a photo of a smiling man sporting a white beard on some of the products you see: It’s Dr. Weil.

Who is Dr. Weil? Here’s how his website (http://www.drweil.com/) answers that question: Andrew Weil, M.D., has devoted the past thirty years to developing, practicing, and teaching others about the principles of integrative medicine. Dr. Weil combines a Harvard education and a lifetime of practicing natural and preventive medicine to provide a unique approach to health care which encompasses body, mind, and spirit.

Harvard sounds impressive but, for me, there’s something you can trust in the Doctor’s eyes.

Stay with me for a minute. I was recently in New York City for Go Green Expo (www.gogreenexpo.com) with Debby from Real Green Goods (www.realgreengoods.com) and I was telling Debby about my favorite raw snack bar: Lara Bars (www.larabar.com) and Debby, my green guru, asked me: Is it organic? I admit . . . I hadn’t looked. When I did, here’s what I found: They are six natural ingredients or less and there’s no added sugar or GMO and they’re gluten-free, dairy-free, soy free, kosher, and vegan without fillers, supplements, flavorings, or sweeteners but they are not organic.

Later that weekend, Debby and I were getting breakfast at Whole Foods Market (www.wholefoodsmarket.com) and I saw that Dr. Weil has raw snack bars of his own: Dr. Weil's Pure Fruit & Nut Bar. They are just like Lara Bars, but—this time—they are organic. His banana bar has just three ingredients and has a strong banana flavor (that is real banana, nothing imitation). I bought an entire box.

Question of the blog: If you’re a fan of Dr. Weil, what’s your favorite part of the Weil lifestyle?