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Joe’s Journal: Day 33 – Juice over Hot Dogs



There were tourists from all over the country and the world in Washington D.C. during my visit, and i was able to talk to a true cross-section of people. I found that once I shared a little of my story, people were often surprisingly open with me about their own eating habits and health issues. I always thought Americans are generally a very friendly bunch, and now I had my proof. I was also beginning to observe a pattern, although it was one that didn’t surprise me by any means, since I knew that the United States was ground zero in terms of the obesity epidemic, with Australia running a close second.

Americans love their fast food. the people I spoke to mostly agreed that they ate it routinely because it was tasty, cheap, and easily available. Like me, they had a lot of rationalizations for their eating habits and were not about to give up their freedom to eat whatever they wanted in exchange for a longer, healthier life without fast food. I was struck, though, by the fact that whatever their explanations, everyone seemed to take the responsibility for their own conditions and behavior.

The unhealthy eaters all knew and acknowledge that they were committing to a form of slow suicide, but that wasn’t prompting them to make a change. Many of the young people I met felt they didn’t have to start worrying about what they ate until they get older. They seemed to have no concern whatsoever that their diets might be laying the groundwork for future bad health and obesity.

In front of the National Museum of Natural History, I met two women in their early twenties who stopped to talk with me about their diets. When I told them what I was doing they seemed receptive to the idea. though this didn’t distract them from their mid-morning quest to get a hot dog. For me though, that smoky aroma of hot dogs being grilled by a street vendor had lost some of its appeal, which is one of the benefits of the Reboot. You actually, really do begin to stop craving the foods that aren’t good for you and begin appreciating the taste of the simple fruits and vegetables in your daily juice.

Have you been following my past journal entries? Make sure you catch up here.  I’m sharing these thoughts with you as part of the 2nd Anniversary celebration of Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead so I hope you are either able to relate or be inspired by my journal entries. Don’t miss out on the other pieces to this celebration:
Win a Breville Juicer
Be Someone’s Joe and nominate your loved one to attend Camp Reboot.