A Twinkie Is Not Food
I caught an interesting report on Nightline a few weeks ago. In it, Michael Pollan talks about the difference between food and Edible Food-like Substances. Pollan says:
The segment was particularly relevant to me because, I have to admit that I'm a sucker for the convenience foods. It's so nice to be able to toss a cereal bar in my purse for a "healthy" after-school snack.
Now add nut allergies or multiple food allergies to this dilemma... what is a harried parent to do?
Cook!
No seriously.
People who actually know me will be impressed because I was the "eat-out-six-out-of-seven-nights-a-week" gal. Ever notice that I don't contribute much in the way of RECIPES to the blogosphere? If you want recipes, go to Rachel's Recipe Box or Food Allergy Queen!
I started to think about "convenience foods" in particular. What are the things that I bought just because they were easy to toss in the toaster or microwave to serve my kids: frozen mini pancakes and breakfast biscuits.
Sorry, doughboy! Now I make big batches of my own healthy versions, freeze in serving sizes, and heat up on demand! (I know the packaging isn't the most appetizing. But the whole family loves them. Really!)
"These are things we've invented in the last 50 years or so that, you know, smell like food, taste like food, look like food, but they're very different than the kinds of things people ate a hundred years ago."Pollan's main message is to stop listening to food marketers regarding what is healthy and nutritious. He claims that food marketers make their profits from "processing" real food into Edible Food-like Substances. We are handing over our money when we agree to outsource our food preparation.
The segment was particularly relevant to me because, I have to admit that I'm a sucker for the convenience foods. It's so nice to be able to toss a cereal bar in my purse for a "healthy" after-school snack.
Now add nut allergies or multiple food allergies to this dilemma... what is a harried parent to do?
Cook!
No seriously.
People who actually know me will be impressed because I was the "eat-out-six-out-of-seven-nights-a-week" gal. Ever notice that I don't contribute much in the way of RECIPES to the blogosphere? If you want recipes, go to Rachel's Recipe Box or Food Allergy Queen!
I started to think about "convenience foods" in particular. What are the things that I bought just because they were easy to toss in the toaster or microwave to serve my kids: frozen mini pancakes and breakfast biscuits.
Sorry, doughboy! Now I make big batches of my own healthy versions, freeze in serving sizes, and heat up on demand! (I know the packaging isn't the most appetizing. But the whole family loves them. Really!)
posted by Ria at 9:09 PM
5 Comments:
You are to be commended for "just cooking." It really is as simple as that. We can find the time and werewithal to take better care of ourselves if we just do it. Years ago there was a woman on a program who'd lost a lot of weight. She chided herself for having been to lazy to peel an orange and instead just grabbing potato chips. It really struck me because sometimes I was too lazy to make a salad.
For the past four years, I've cooked most of the time and I feel better, know that I eat better, and have saved money in the process.
I just finished Michael Pollan's book and it's great and a call to action. I devoured the book in a day and a half.
Congrats!
I work in the food industry and honestly wasn't aware of the truly life threatening nature of food allergies until I started working on our documentation. This is the stuff that ends up on labels saying, "Contains: Peanuts."
My son is only allergic to Sulfa, but several of his friends have allergies much more severe. A lot of parents are frustrated and struggling to feed their children (with or without allergies) healthy foods.
While cooking your own food is an answer to the problem, a lot of parents don't have the time it takes to do the job right. I applaud you for taking such an active role in dealing with your son's allergies. You're doing far more for him than preventing life threatening allergic reactions. Thanks to the fact that you cook at home, he'll grow up with a healthy view of food and eating as well as the knowledge to deal with his allergies on his own.
Thanks, Sandie and Candelaria! I used to think similarly, that it took more time and effort to cook. But as I compare the couple of weeks I've had of eating at home more, I really don't think it does.
In the time that it takes to go somewhere and order something and wait for it to be prepared, I can have dinner on the table for my kids. And they enjoy it more because I'm not pestering them to behave at a restuarant.
We had dinner on the patio the other night and my sweet boy (4 years old), came out with a fruit salad that he and his cousin made together. He was so proud, "I picked the stems off the cherries by MYSELF!"
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Indeed, it takes a lot of practice to concoct up your own healthy meals in assuring you and your family a healthy lifestyle. There is one ingredient, flax seed, that I know of which is boosted with all the needed nutrients to keep major diseases at bay, while being that flexible component in any kind of delicious meals...
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