There are a few greater pleasures in this world than a plate of food when you are hungry. Such is the simplicity of the human psych. We are like animals with basic needs, but complex feelings. My name is Astrid Leutert, and I am many things: I am a student, I am a long distance runner, and I am a foodie! What is a foodie you are probably asking yourself? Well, for one, it probably isn’t even a word, given that my automatic smell checker does not recognize it. But put simply, a foodie is someone with a special interest in all things food, and I really love good food. This is obviously quite an abstract proclamation, because I mean, what does good food mean?? For me, good food is more than taste, texture and a means for satisfying hunger; good food may have obscure health benefits, it may satisfy an addiction, it may be the combination of two or more magical ingredients. Good food may serve some greater purpose – perhaps sustaining a community or representing good old, organic, Mother Nature! Don’t get me wrong! Every once in a while, I crave bad food too. I am a runner and I burn many more calories each day than the average person – I mean consider this, I run between 70 and 80 miles a week, bad food is obviously necessary sometimes! And we all know what bad food is. I think it is fair to say, whatever your persuasion, McDonalds is bad food. Candy is bad food. Bad food is food that satisfies us, but does not necessarily nourish us and does not contain much nutritional value! My vice is pastries! Oh, and not to forget McDonalds! I do not make a habit of eating these foods, but every once in a while, after a long hard run, the shortest path to replenishing lost energy is sometimes these fast, convenient, calorie-dense foods!
Now, lets get back to who I am! I am Astrid Leutert - a student athlete attending Florida State University. I am from Switzerland though, and food culture is one component of American culture that has gained my intrigue over the three years I’ve been here. Bad food can be found everywhere in the US, and it seems there is less hesitation about consuming it among the people I have met, and the people I see sitting in fast food outlets, with each gluteus muscle sitting wide and low over chairs! Luckily, I have found solitude in many of my like-minded, health-driven runner friends, and I don’t feel so awkward about loving good food. Places like Whole Foods Market have been a haven for me! I want to talk about food in this blog – my opinions and experiences with food in the US. I want to share what I know about good food, and offer possible solutions for the health problems that are caused by bad food in the US. Read a head, and wet your appetite (pardon the pun). As we say in Switzerland, Guten Appetite!!!
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