March is Omnivory Month!

Updated March 4, 2008:  I do know how to spell “omnivory.” 

This idea has been kicking around in my head, spurred by a number of things.  First, I finally read Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, in which he comments on the irony of an omnivorous species like humans relying almost solely on corn for food.  Then I noticed that Tracy, who operates the brave and informative Fear and Loathing in the Kitchen blog , participated in Carnivory Month, the point of which was to thrive on nothing but animal products for a month.  (Take that, Campbell, Ornish, and Brody.)  If we can have a month devoted to carnivory, how about one in which omnivory is celebrated?

Finally, there’s a widespread misperception that cutting grains, potatoes, and caloric sweeteners out of one’s diet leads to boring meals.  I think this must be propaganda from the processed food industry, which manages to disguise corn in thousands of different costumes and therefore wants us to believe that removing corn removes all the variety from our diets.  I want to show that it is possible to have a varied and interesting diet without starches and sugar.  (Take that, Brian Wansink!*)

My resolve was cemented this morning by two excellent blog posts, one from Anna at Against the Grain about transparency in the food supply, and one from Richard at The Free Radical about the disappearance of choice in the supermarket.  So, a teensy bit late, I am declaring March 2008 to be Omnivory Month at the Migraineur.  My challenge to myself is to see how many different species of plant and animal I can consume in a month.

Here are the rough ground rules.  They may seem arbitrary, but hey, it’s my challenge.  I can make the rules.

• One point for each different species of plant, animal, and fungus consumed.
• Double points for pastured meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products; and also for wild seafood.  (Since this challenge was inspired by Pollan’s observation about the ubiquity of corn, animals not fed on corn and soybeans get extra points.)
• Unfortunately, beef, cow’s milk, cow’s milk cheese, cow’s milk butter, and cow’s milk yogurt, while very different foods, all come from the same species.  One point of the challenge is to show how, underneath the outward appearance, a lot of stuff in our food supply comes from the same source.
• One point for each organ meat consumed.  Even though chicken livers come from the same animal as chicken thighs, one point of the challenge is to show the great diversity of food available if you limit concentrated carbohydrates.  (Yes, this contradicts the previous point.  I’m trying to persuade myself to track down what our friends across the pond call “offal.”  My challenge, my rules.)
• Very limited amounts of grains, potatoes, and caloric sweeteners (sugar, honey, maple syrup, etc).  If I do consume any of the above, the species from which they come may be counted.
• When in doubt about what constitues separate species (are red raspberries the same species as black raspberries?), I will consult Wikipedia.  If Wikipedia is no help, I will make a judgment call.
• Hybrids like tangelos and Meyer lemons will be considered separate species from their parent species.  That is, if I eat a tangerine, a grapefruit, and a tangelo (a cross between the two), that counts as three species, not two.
• Things concocted in a lab do not count, no matter what the raw materials.  This means artificial sweeteners, natural and artificial flavors, hydrogenated oils, and supplements do not count.

I will post my final list on this blog near the beginning of April.  I’m hoping I can garner more than 100 points this month!

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*In Mindless Eating, Wansink claimed that Atkins works because it is “boring.”