News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The better you eat, the better you'll feel. What you eat plays a big role in making you stronger, healthier and more energetic.
But in a fast-paced world where convenience is king, it's often easier to eat poorly than it is to eat well. Luckily for folks in Sisters Country, there are many eateries, food stands and shops where you can get quality food at competitive prices. And there's also a lot of expertise on the art of "clean eating."
"Clean eating, to me, is food that is locally grown - it has not been shipped from who-knows-where," says Sarahlee Lawrence of Rainshadow Organics, a Sisters Country farm. It's organically grown and not genetically modified. It's close to nature - you know what it is; there are no mystery ingredients.
Whether it's vegetables, beef, chicken or pork, it's raised naturally.
"It tastes clean," Lawrence says.
Clean eating means eliminating processed foods from the diet and going with whole foods at every opportunity. But each person has to determine what's good for them.
"It's different for everybody," says Angeline Rhett, of Angeline's Bakery & Café. "It would be really different for you and for me."
That means you need to be mindful of what you eat and determine which foods make you feel good when you eat them, Rhett says. You can usually feel it when certain foods make you feel healthful and energetic.
"I think vegetables are where it's at," says Angeline.
It's all a matter of balance - and eating what makes you feel "in balance." Choosing healthy alternatives for things like cheeses, muffins and pizza isn't enough.
"Whether you're a vegan, a raw-foodist or an omnivore, you can eat too much of things that put you out of balance," Angeline says. "You can be a junk-food vegan. There are people who gain weight as vegans."
What you drink matters, too. Avoid sodas and sugary drinks and - gasp - go easy on that caffeine. Stay well-hydrated. Water is the elixir of life.
Clean eating is a key component of athletic performance - just as important as your physical training. Sara Schmidt and Tami Jones, who are training for figure competition (see story, page 15), are very focused on eating really good food. It's not about denial - they eat six meals a day - it's about quality. Their food is the fuel that their training runs on.
Even if you're not training for a major event, you'll find it hard to meet any fitness goals if you aren't eating well - and conversely, eating "clean" will make those goals much easier to achieve.
For Lawrence, there are other benefits to clean eating - benefits that transcend the personal.
Eating locally grown products reduces your carbon footprint, reduces the use of chemicals and supports biodiversity.
"Organic food ensures a certain biological diversity that I think is important in the world," she says. "You're doing your job as an eater. You know what you're eating and you're taking part in preparing your own food."
While many outfits in Sisters are helping make eating well convenient - with packaged sandwiches and healthful snacks and meal components - there's nothing wrong with letting your meals slow you down a bit. Thoughtfully prepared meals shared with friends and family are a great way to reconnect and to resist the frantic pace of life. For many people, "clean eating" becomes a way of life - and their life is fuller and healthier for it.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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