Jenn Turner calls it the “Apparently I DO Have the Sense God Gave a Goose” Diet.
The AIDHTSGGAG Diet follows two fundamentals that are easier to remember than its acronym.
1) Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup, partially hydrogenated oil and any litany of unpronounceable ingredients
2) Portion control.
Turner, co-director of Bucketworks, started abiding by these simple principles after years of yo-yo dieting sent her weight careening between 100 and 135 pounds (she’s 5’2”). A desk job wreaked havoc on her figure and she was pushing a size 10. She even fell asleep on her desk after crashing from dipping a nutty bar in her malt for lunch.
“Yes, I did do that,” she admits. “For shame.”
By the time she hit 30, she had enough.
“I don’t think I ever had a healthy relationship with food even at my thinnest,” she says. “I decided to take a different approach. I think it’s enough to take the time to consider what you’re putting into your body.”
Why did you decide to cut HFCS completely out of your diet?
As I started cooking more, I started reading more and decided to go halfsies on a vegetarian diet (I can’t seem to give up sweet, sweet seafood or poultry). The more I read the more I realized that anything – in general – that comes out of a box or can is not good eats. It tends to contain heroic amounts of sodium, partially hydrogenated oils and HFCS. None of which our bodies were meant to process on a meal-to-meal basis. Once you start reading, your whole perspective on food changes – especially the mass-produced sort. I don’t consider that food. That’s food-like substances.
What’s the most unexpected item you’ve found to contain HFCS?
Bread. I couldn’t believe it was in bread.
Any other dietary adjustments?
I try to eat vegetarian as much as possible. But I cannot imagine giving up seafood. And once in a while a girl wants a nice piece of chicken or a big ol’ turkey meatloaf. I also try to be a “locavore,” meaning I get as much as I can out of the regional food economy. Places like Beans & Barley and Outpost are immensely helpful.
Has it been harder or easier than expected?
It started out difficult. I had to read every package and look for things to replace things that contained HFCS. Like Yoplait. I loved Yoplait. But I had to trade it in for
What sort of changes have you seen in yourself?
I feel better, the weight I lost stayed off despite stress, strain and a decline in my workout schedule. I don’t believe that would have happened if I hadn’t made those adjustments to my diet.
What’s your background with food like?
I grew up in a household where soda was not allowed. When I was a child, my parents had a HUGE vegetable garden we ate from all year long. We ate whole wheat bread (which was weird in the early ‘80s in suburbia). When I was in high school, my father took on the role of family chef. He was obsessed with feeding us a weight-lifter’s diet. We ate things called Pumping Iron Special. Exercise was part of the landscape, so when I started having to battle my weight, I was surprised. Honestly, I was one hell of a skinny kid. My dad used to bring home milkshakes from Kopp’s hoping I’d put on weight. This battle began in high school. But in high school they made things available to us like HUGE cookies, nutty bars and milkshakes. What a horrible idea. Here, have a bunch of processed ingredients and a massive dose of sugar.
What do others say about your success?
When I talk to people about how I achieved and exceeded my goal they say “Yeah, but when I go on diets I don’t feel full.” What they don’t know is that feeling full is your body telling you that you’ve eaten too much! This view, along with dependency upon pre-packaged meals, is a huge problem for many people. Extra weight affects your sleep, your breathing and I honestly think the chemicals in mass produced food change your body chemistry – and not in a good way. I recently shared a box of macaroni & cheese [insert embarrassed face here] with a friend. Weird dreams and an unsettled stomach abounded. That’s not how food is meant to interact with your body.
Anything else to add about the AIDHTSGGAG Diet?
READ EVERYTHING. Seriously. You’ll be shocked. You’ll be appalled. You’ll eat less. The best advice I’ve found is from Michael Pollan’s “Unhappy Meals“ article in the New York Times: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”
