So, I'll be honest: I struggle with food quite a bit. I don't know where it comes from, and it certainly hasn't always been there, but I have terrible willpower in the face of food. If I'm at a party or buffet or if some food baddie has made it into the house, I just want to eat and eat, totally forgetting about all my beliefs around food. Even simply eating out can be a challenge: I have a tough time saying no to french fries.
Now, to be sure, doing this blogging and thinking more about where my food comes from has helped immensely. Having a set of criteria by which to analyze my food has helped keep my on track, to some extent. Even so, I find it too easy to slip back into old ways of eating absolute junk.
Weekends are the worst for me. During the week, I can be a total paragon of healthy living eating only whole foods and eschewing sugar. I feel so high and mighty on those days, it's really a little embarrassing. Then, the weekend rolls around and I find myself pawing through the cupboards in search of chocolate or taking seconds at the party buffet. It's a little Jekyll and Hyde-ish to tell you the truth.
So, my goal for the next few weeks is to make it a seven-day-a-week goal to eat better. Less sugar and white flour (which I'm already way down on). More water. Continuing the fruits and veggies. Less eating out and definitely less Starbucks. I can do it, I'm sure, and I'll feel much better about myself. My body still looks and feels great, but I need to snap out of the cycle of low willpower-bad eating-lower willpower.
Sorry this got so personal, but this has been a struggle for me lately and I want to surface it. I'm working so hard in the gym and I really want to see the results, and being so Type A, I'd like to get this one area of life under control.
So, if you see me out and I'm reaching for seconds at the buffett, I give you permission to smack the plate out of my hand!
Showing posts with label sweeteners. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sweeteners. Show all posts
Monday, November 1, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Veggie Week suits me...
... and so it's turning into Veggie Two-Weeks! Jeremy is out of town again this week, which means that I don't have to worry about making things that he will eat. So, more veggies and whole grains it is!
This week has actually been a breeze. During the week, I just ate the stir-fry and eggplant parmesan leftovers that I had, and I had A LOT! This weekend was a bit of a test, with going out to restaurants twice. I was nervous I wouldn't find something to eat, or that I'd have to settle for something really lame. At the first place, I ate nachos that I had ordered without the chili, which aren't the healthiest, but boy, were they delicious. Today I ordered the Caprese sandwich and had them leave off the chicken and proscuitto. Again, delicious. Actually, both were way more delicious without the meat, I think.
I felt really great this week too, which adds to my enthusiasm about all of it. I just felt clear-headed and clear-stomached, if there is such a thing. I just find meat heavy. The only blockade I ran into was when I way overdid eating the peanut butter cookies Lauren and I made together: I suffered the most epic sugar crash. It really does affect your body badly, especially when you're not used to it! So, no sugar for me this week. As soon as I finish this cookie...
I ran across an article that makes me angry, one about a family farm that's being sold after 378 years. Essentially, the 11th generation of this family can no longer support themselves with this farm due to the proliferation of large factory farms and U-pick-type businesses, and so they are selling their farm that their ancestors have lived on since the 1600s. Instead of subsidizing the large farms that keep pumping out more and more corn (and therefore HFCS), why not support the little guys just trying to make a living? Sadly, the small family farm seems to be a dying art form.
This week has actually been a breeze. During the week, I just ate the stir-fry and eggplant parmesan leftovers that I had, and I had A LOT! This weekend was a bit of a test, with going out to restaurants twice. I was nervous I wouldn't find something to eat, or that I'd have to settle for something really lame. At the first place, I ate nachos that I had ordered without the chili, which aren't the healthiest, but boy, were they delicious. Today I ordered the Caprese sandwich and had them leave off the chicken and proscuitto. Again, delicious. Actually, both were way more delicious without the meat, I think.
I felt really great this week too, which adds to my enthusiasm about all of it. I just felt clear-headed and clear-stomached, if there is such a thing. I just find meat heavy. The only blockade I ran into was when I way overdid eating the peanut butter cookies Lauren and I made together: I suffered the most epic sugar crash. It really does affect your body badly, especially when you're not used to it! So, no sugar for me this week. As soon as I finish this cookie...
I ran across an article that makes me angry, one about a family farm that's being sold after 378 years. Essentially, the 11th generation of this family can no longer support themselves with this farm due to the proliferation of large factory farms and U-pick-type businesses, and so they are selling their farm that their ancestors have lived on since the 1600s. Instead of subsidizing the large farms that keep pumping out more and more corn (and therefore HFCS), why not support the little guys just trying to make a living? Sadly, the small family farm seems to be a dying art form.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Cold Turkey
As I've wavered in my resolve to avoid things that I know are bad for me, I've definitely discovered that I have next to no willpower when it comes to sweets. Especially chocolate and very especially chocolate ice cream. I've tried to eat them in moderation, but just can't seem to. I have a bite of something sweet and suddenly I'm craving, and indulging in, more. So, back to avoiding refined sugars again. It wasn't that hard before, and I just need to stick with it.
Tonight for dinner we had the Hearty Vegetarian Stew from the Weight Watchers Turn Around cookbook. This is one of our old favorites: it's so easy and delicious. It's #19 here.
I paired it, sort of randomly, with a curried quinoa from the Moosewood cookbook.
Very easy to make, and quite tasty. The second Jeremy tried it, he said it reminded him of biryani, and I agree!
Tonight for dinner we had the Hearty Vegetarian Stew from the Weight Watchers Turn Around cookbook. This is one of our old favorites: it's so easy and delicious. It's #19 here.
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| From Drop Box |
I paired it, sort of randomly, with a curried quinoa from the Moosewood cookbook.
Very easy to make, and quite tasty. The second Jeremy tried it, he said it reminded him of biryani, and I agree!
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| From Drop Box |
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The first taste is free...
I admit it: I'm slipping a bit. It just seems to be part of my personality that I will get a new project or topic I'm super passionate about, go full bore on it for a while, and then slowly let it go. I would be embarrassed to show you the number of unfinished craft projects around the house. Surely, some of you can identify with that. Right? Please?
Add on to that that work has been crazy busy lately and with the two half marathons I've done and the travel to them... I may have bitten off more than I can chew in terms of time and energy. My eating lately has been mostly in line with the principles I've been learning about; I've kind of been in survival mode with cooking and food prep. Not that I like admitting that, but there it is. I'm kind of a control freak if you haven't noticed.
This is something I care greatly about, though, and so I will persevere. I am continuing to plan healthy menus and cook the great, great majority of food at home. When I do eat out, I'm thinking carefully about what I'm ordering to make sure it's adhering to the principles in Food Rules. I plan only to be stricter with this this summer when I have more time to spend on it. Hopefully the learning and planning I do then will help me get through the more hectic times in the future.
Also, I had to return a couple of the books to the library unread since I ran out of time. As always happens to me, they all came in at the same time and I was drowning in reading material. Nice problem to have, though. I still have Bitter Harvest by Ann Cooper and have put the others on the hold list to come around again.
So, getting to the point, I originally wanted to make...
I was struck the other day by just how powerful the lure of sugar is for me, and probably for most Americans. I've been avoiding refined sugars almost entirely and using other sweeteners in moderation. While it was tough at first, I've adjusted to it and haven't really missed it.
The other day, I was at lunch with a couple of coworkers and they ordered Diet Cokes and on a whim, I did too. Drinking it reminded me of why I don't need it, but it did complement the meal (Mexican) nicely. What amazed me was how, instantly, I wanted more sugar. I wanted chocolate. I wanted more pop. I couldn't stop thinking about it and my body seemed to be crying out for it. It literally was instantaneous. I had heard that the Standard American Diet is essentially addicting and this demonstrated how true that is!
Not only did the effects last that day, but over the last two days, I've continued to crave sugar. I would kill for a cupcake right now. I don't like the idea that control freak me can be so controlled by food, but it's there. This is exactly why I don't keep that stuff in the house; I'd eat it all, all time!
Off to eat a piece of fruit to soothe the beast...
Add on to that that work has been crazy busy lately and with the two half marathons I've done and the travel to them... I may have bitten off more than I can chew in terms of time and energy. My eating lately has been mostly in line with the principles I've been learning about; I've kind of been in survival mode with cooking and food prep. Not that I like admitting that, but there it is. I'm kind of a control freak if you haven't noticed.
This is something I care greatly about, though, and so I will persevere. I am continuing to plan healthy menus and cook the great, great majority of food at home. When I do eat out, I'm thinking carefully about what I'm ordering to make sure it's adhering to the principles in Food Rules. I plan only to be stricter with this this summer when I have more time to spend on it. Hopefully the learning and planning I do then will help me get through the more hectic times in the future.
Also, I had to return a couple of the books to the library unread since I ran out of time. As always happens to me, they all came in at the same time and I was drowning in reading material. Nice problem to have, though. I still have Bitter Harvest by Ann Cooper and have put the others on the hold list to come around again.
So, getting to the point, I originally wanted to make...
I was struck the other day by just how powerful the lure of sugar is for me, and probably for most Americans. I've been avoiding refined sugars almost entirely and using other sweeteners in moderation. While it was tough at first, I've adjusted to it and haven't really missed it.
The other day, I was at lunch with a couple of coworkers and they ordered Diet Cokes and on a whim, I did too. Drinking it reminded me of why I don't need it, but it did complement the meal (Mexican) nicely. What amazed me was how, instantly, I wanted more sugar. I wanted chocolate. I wanted more pop. I couldn't stop thinking about it and my body seemed to be crying out for it. It literally was instantaneous. I had heard that the Standard American Diet is essentially addicting and this demonstrated how true that is!
Not only did the effects last that day, but over the last two days, I've continued to crave sugar. I would kill for a cupcake right now. I don't like the idea that control freak me can be so controlled by food, but it's there. This is exactly why I don't keep that stuff in the house; I'd eat it all, all time!
Off to eat a piece of fruit to soothe the beast...
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Remember When Eating Was Easy?
Okay, so maybe it never was truly easy, but ignorance is bliss, perhaps? The more I learn about what we eat as a nation and the multitude of effects that diet has, the more confused and concerned I am. As my friend Marci said, "Sometimes it's exhausting to give a crap..."
Today's dose of irritation comes courtesy of the New York Times.
The first article I read was about the new growth of Round-up resistant weeds in our farmland. Basically, farmers have been using these "Round-up ready" seeds for years, ones that will allow you to spray a field with Round-up to get rid of weeds without affecting the crops. Farmers will do anything for a big yield, and this seemed just a gift from heaven. (Or Monsanto. Whatever.) Of course, Nature is smarter than we and has now begun growing these behemoth weeds that Round-up can't kill. Farmers are having to use even meaner, scarier weedkillers and old-school techniques of plowing and (gasp!) pulling weeds by hand. We've genetically engineered ourselves into a bit of a corner, haven't we?
I'm being flip, but it is sad that in our quest to produce more more quickly, we've messed with nature and it's fighting back. The even more ridiculous part is that we really don't need all the corn and soybeans being produced, so as I mentioned yesterday, we're doing all these unnatural things with the products. Hence the next article:
My second read is called,"For Corn Syrup, Sweet Talk Gets Harder". The gist of it is that corn syrup has gotten a bad rap in the media as of late and the corn industry is seeking to deal with that. For example, they're creating a new version of Hunt's ketchup that uses actual sugar, with a prominent banner on the bottle, I'm sure.
My irritation with this article was twofold. First, the article was one where I couldn't quite put my finger on what side the author was on, but I'm thinking they come down as not anti-HFCS, if that makes sense. There was an attempt to appear balanced, though it largely failed. They kept citing studies and quotes that say that HFCS is no worse than sugar. They also had more quotes of folks from the corn industry saying, "It's not us!!11! The consumers are just begging for it!!1!" (That's a direct quote, clearly.) Also, it's interesting that the header on the browser says "For High Fructose Corn Syrup..."
My second irritation is the underlying message. We are all so hung up on whether HFCS is bad or sugar is good that we're missing the big point: no sweetener is good for you in large quantities! Sweeteners have no business being in 90% of the foods they're in, much less in the quantities we're receiving. Instead of panicking over whether they should be eating Stevia or pure cane sugar or HFCS, people really need to just slow down, look at labels and really think about what they're putting into their bodies. If there's too much of something that's questionable, don't buy it! There are always alternatives. In fact, buying things that don't need labels (e.g., fruits and veggies) is always the best route.
Rant over. I'm going to go clutch my copy of Food Rules now and do some slow breathing exercises.
Today's dose of irritation comes courtesy of the New York Times.
The first article I read was about the new growth of Round-up resistant weeds in our farmland. Basically, farmers have been using these "Round-up ready" seeds for years, ones that will allow you to spray a field with Round-up to get rid of weeds without affecting the crops. Farmers will do anything for a big yield, and this seemed just a gift from heaven. (Or Monsanto. Whatever.) Of course, Nature is smarter than we and has now begun growing these behemoth weeds that Round-up can't kill. Farmers are having to use even meaner, scarier weedkillers and old-school techniques of plowing and (gasp!) pulling weeds by hand. We've genetically engineered ourselves into a bit of a corner, haven't we?
I'm being flip, but it is sad that in our quest to produce more more quickly, we've messed with nature and it's fighting back. The even more ridiculous part is that we really don't need all the corn and soybeans being produced, so as I mentioned yesterday, we're doing all these unnatural things with the products. Hence the next article:
My second read is called,"For Corn Syrup, Sweet Talk Gets Harder". The gist of it is that corn syrup has gotten a bad rap in the media as of late and the corn industry is seeking to deal with that. For example, they're creating a new version of Hunt's ketchup that uses actual sugar, with a prominent banner on the bottle, I'm sure.
My irritation with this article was twofold. First, the article was one where I couldn't quite put my finger on what side the author was on, but I'm thinking they come down as not anti-HFCS, if that makes sense. There was an attempt to appear balanced, though it largely failed. They kept citing studies and quotes that say that HFCS is no worse than sugar. They also had more quotes of folks from the corn industry saying, "It's not us!!11! The consumers are just begging for it!!1!" (That's a direct quote, clearly.) Also, it's interesting that the header on the browser says "For High Fructose Corn Syrup..."
My second irritation is the underlying message. We are all so hung up on whether HFCS is bad or sugar is good that we're missing the big point: no sweetener is good for you in large quantities! Sweeteners have no business being in 90% of the foods they're in, much less in the quantities we're receiving. Instead of panicking over whether they should be eating Stevia or pure cane sugar or HFCS, people really need to just slow down, look at labels and really think about what they're putting into their bodies. If there's too much of something that's questionable, don't buy it! There are always alternatives. In fact, buying things that don't need labels (e.g., fruits and veggies) is always the best route.
Rant over. I'm going to go clutch my copy of Food Rules now and do some slow breathing exercises.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sneaky, sneaky!
Running has been a large part of my life for the last two years, ever since a friend asked me to join a relay race team. I never thought I'd be a runner, but I find so much enjoyment in pushing myself and doing new things. I also find it very relaxing and a great way to relieve stress. One major reason I'm doing this eating overhaul is to improve my running, and I'm finding that it's working! Ever since I started eating this way, I've been getting faster and feeling so much better while running. Of course, that's not the only cause, but it certainly helps!
Today we were at a 5k race, and they had quite a spread at the finish line: carrots, apple slices, 100% fruit juice, yogurt, water... it was great. And then, there was this cookie. I won't name it, but it has the word 'power' in the title and says it's "naturally flavored." Right. Here's the ingredient list:
Rolled oats
Rice flour
Corn syrup
Maltodextrin
Sugar
Water
Dextrose
Fractionated palm kernel oil
Soybean oil
Fructose
High fructose corn syrup
Nonfat milk
Flax seed
Honey
High maltose corn syrup
Brown sugar
Rice bran
Nonfat yogurt powder (cultured nonfat milk)
Natural flavor (what could that possibly be?
Cinnamon
Salt
Calcium carbonate
Soy lecithin
Titanium dioxide (added for color)
Ferric orthophosphate
Niacinamide
Thiamine mononitrate
Riboflavin
What a list for a 1.76 oz. cookie, huh? Especially one that's supposed to be marketed for atheletes! Notice the bolded words? All EIGHT of those are kinds of sugar! That little cookie has 3 teaspoons in it! It'll give you energy for sure, but then you'll crash and burn in an hour. How sneaky of them to pack the cookie with all that sugar! Most people today picked it up, didn't even think to look at it and just wolfed it down. No more of that for me!
Tonight's dinner was Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Rabe. I couldn't find the exact recipe, which I got from Food Matters, but this is close enough. I added just a few sun-dried tomatoes and put in much more broccoli rabe. On the side, we made some green garbanzo beans that we found at Costco. We just put a little olive oil, sea salt, and garlic, and microwaved it for 2 minutes. Totally easy dinner and very yummy!
Today we were at a 5k race, and they had quite a spread at the finish line: carrots, apple slices, 100% fruit juice, yogurt, water... it was great. And then, there was this cookie. I won't name it, but it has the word 'power' in the title and says it's "naturally flavored." Right. Here's the ingredient list:
Rolled oats
Rice flour
Corn syrup
Maltodextrin
Sugar
Water
Dextrose
Fractionated palm kernel oil
Soybean oil
Fructose
High fructose corn syrup
Nonfat milk
Flax seed
Honey
High maltose corn syrup
Brown sugar
Rice bran
Nonfat yogurt powder (cultured nonfat milk)
Natural flavor (what could that possibly be?
Cinnamon
Salt
Calcium carbonate
Soy lecithin
Titanium dioxide (added for color)
Ferric orthophosphate
Niacinamide
Thiamine mononitrate
Riboflavin
What a list for a 1.76 oz. cookie, huh? Especially one that's supposed to be marketed for atheletes! Notice the bolded words? All EIGHT of those are kinds of sugar! That little cookie has 3 teaspoons in it! It'll give you energy for sure, but then you'll crash and burn in an hour. How sneaky of them to pack the cookie with all that sugar! Most people today picked it up, didn't even think to look at it and just wolfed it down. No more of that for me!
Tonight's dinner was Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Rabe. I couldn't find the exact recipe, which I got from Food Matters, but this is close enough. I added just a few sun-dried tomatoes and put in much more broccoli rabe. On the side, we made some green garbanzo beans that we found at Costco. We just put a little olive oil, sea salt, and garlic, and microwaved it for 2 minutes. Totally easy dinner and very yummy!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
The Science Experiment
I'm almost at three weeks of eating more consciously: looking at labels; eating more whole foods; increasing my fruit and veggie intake; eating organic whenever I can; and at almost two weeks of cutting out sugar. I've been feeling really great in this time; I haven't missed anything, haven't had major cravings for anything specific, and have felt like my energy level is really stable during the day. I've even lost a pound or two. All in all, this has been a great experience.
So, what do I do yesterday and today? Mess with the formula. It's an experiment of sorts, you see. Going to restaurants, parties, and other gatherings is inevitable and I'm going to have to figure out how to eat, right? This weekend so far has presented a couple of these opportunities, so it seemed like a good test. A good test of both my willpower and also of how my body will react when I reintroduce some of the old things.
The result so far:
Willpower = 4/10
Body = 7/10
Yesterday after work, I had drinks with a couple of friends. I chose vodka tonics because I knew no sugar would be added and there's no artificial colors and flavors in there. So, good willpower. 8/10. It is still alcohol, after all. While everyone else shared appetizers, I chose a quesadilla. Mostly whole foods, though the tortillas were very likely white flour. I felt good throughout and was pleased with what I could find. Willpower = 9. I didn't cave and eat the garlic fries.
Here's the interesting part: A couple hours later, I was still a little hungry, so I went to PCC for some sushi. (I ended up getting white rice. Not great, but the rainbow roll looked so good! Willpower = 7) Since I had friends coming other, I got a four-pack of cupcakes (Willpower =3). They're sweetened with florida crystals and have all organic ingredients, so not a horrible choice. They're still cupcakes, though. The interesting part was that a) I opted to only have half, which has never happened in all of my nearly 32 years, and b) it wasn't that good. I mean, it tasted fine and definitely better than most of the store-bought cakes out there, but it's like my taste buds have turned off. I enjoyed the first bite or so, but it really didn't do anything for me. I never thought the day would come when I said that about cupcakes!
Overall, I felt like yesterday went fine. I dipped my toes back into the Standard American Diet and survived, though I did have a headache when I went to sleep.
Today, I went off the deep end into the crappy eating pool. My birthday is Monday and Jeremy wanted to take me somewhere special for lunch. He let me know ahead of time that it was NOT going to be compatible with my diet, so I knew going in. You only turn 32 once, right? Once we arrived, I realized just how not compatible it was going to be: Five Guys Burgers and Fries. It's a new restaurant to the NW, but I've had it when eating with family in the South. You can tell from the name what it was, right? Now, they get credit for having 100% beef, made into patties fresh each day. They also hand-cut their fries each day and fry them in peanut oil, so again, not as bad as it could be. (I recognize that that's like saying Vlad the Impaler was really nice to his mom sometimes, but I've got to make myself feel better about it, okay?) I consumed about what you'd expect and had my first Diet Coke in weeks. Willpower = 0.
Just like the cupcakes, I enjoyed the first few bites but then it wasn't so good. If they could make a three-bite burger and a super-mini fry, I would have been fine. Of course, if companies did that, we wouldn't be in the epidemic we're in today.
But, oh, it gets worse. We had a kids' birthday party this afternoon. Talk about artificial colors and flavors and sugar and... ick. I don't know if there's a technical term for it, but I suffer from Party Guilt. If the hostess has lain out nice spread of food and no one's eating, I feel compelled to eat something. If she went to all the trouble to buy a cake, I'll have a piece. (If she made it, two.) I just don't like people feeling bad at their own party, so I eat, much to my own detriment. Willpower = 0.
Now I can't say the same thing about the cake as I did about the cupcakes and the burger. Store-bought, colored frosting is just gross. I even just got a little bit of the red on my fork and it ruined the whole bite. Of course, Lauren ate the whole thing. And of course, she's now bouncing off the walls of the living room.
I still have dinner and a drink with a friend yet to go, but I'm going to tone it way down. A) I'm not very hungry, B) I have a 12-mile run in the morning, and C) I don't know if my digestive tract can take much more. I feel okay physically, but definitely not as well as I have been. I'll probably have a sugar-fueled crash in about two hours. I'll let you know how it goes.
Call it my own Super Size Me experiment in miniature. I don't know how he did it for 30 days; I'm back on the wagon tomorrow.
So, what do I do yesterday and today? Mess with the formula. It's an experiment of sorts, you see. Going to restaurants, parties, and other gatherings is inevitable and I'm going to have to figure out how to eat, right? This weekend so far has presented a couple of these opportunities, so it seemed like a good test. A good test of both my willpower and also of how my body will react when I reintroduce some of the old things.
The result so far:
Willpower = 4/10
Body = 7/10
Yesterday after work, I had drinks with a couple of friends. I chose vodka tonics because I knew no sugar would be added and there's no artificial colors and flavors in there. So, good willpower. 8/10. It is still alcohol, after all. While everyone else shared appetizers, I chose a quesadilla. Mostly whole foods, though the tortillas were very likely white flour. I felt good throughout and was pleased with what I could find. Willpower = 9. I didn't cave and eat the garlic fries.
Here's the interesting part: A couple hours later, I was still a little hungry, so I went to PCC for some sushi. (I ended up getting white rice. Not great, but the rainbow roll looked so good! Willpower = 7) Since I had friends coming other, I got a four-pack of cupcakes (Willpower =3). They're sweetened with florida crystals and have all organic ingredients, so not a horrible choice. They're still cupcakes, though. The interesting part was that a) I opted to only have half, which has never happened in all of my nearly 32 years, and b) it wasn't that good. I mean, it tasted fine and definitely better than most of the store-bought cakes out there, but it's like my taste buds have turned off. I enjoyed the first bite or so, but it really didn't do anything for me. I never thought the day would come when I said that about cupcakes!
Overall, I felt like yesterday went fine. I dipped my toes back into the Standard American Diet and survived, though I did have a headache when I went to sleep.
Today, I went off the deep end into the crappy eating pool. My birthday is Monday and Jeremy wanted to take me somewhere special for lunch. He let me know ahead of time that it was NOT going to be compatible with my diet, so I knew going in. You only turn 32 once, right? Once we arrived, I realized just how not compatible it was going to be: Five Guys Burgers and Fries. It's a new restaurant to the NW, but I've had it when eating with family in the South. You can tell from the name what it was, right? Now, they get credit for having 100% beef, made into patties fresh each day. They also hand-cut their fries each day and fry them in peanut oil, so again, not as bad as it could be. (I recognize that that's like saying Vlad the Impaler was really nice to his mom sometimes, but I've got to make myself feel better about it, okay?) I consumed about what you'd expect and had my first Diet Coke in weeks. Willpower = 0.
Just like the cupcakes, I enjoyed the first few bites but then it wasn't so good. If they could make a three-bite burger and a super-mini fry, I would have been fine. Of course, if companies did that, we wouldn't be in the epidemic we're in today.
But, oh, it gets worse. We had a kids' birthday party this afternoon. Talk about artificial colors and flavors and sugar and... ick. I don't know if there's a technical term for it, but I suffer from Party Guilt. If the hostess has lain out nice spread of food and no one's eating, I feel compelled to eat something. If she went to all the trouble to buy a cake, I'll have a piece. (If she made it, two.) I just don't like people feeling bad at their own party, so I eat, much to my own detriment. Willpower = 0.
Now I can't say the same thing about the cake as I did about the cupcakes and the burger. Store-bought, colored frosting is just gross. I even just got a little bit of the red on my fork and it ruined the whole bite. Of course, Lauren ate the whole thing. And of course, she's now bouncing off the walls of the living room.
I still have dinner and a drink with a friend yet to go, but I'm going to tone it way down. A) I'm not very hungry, B) I have a 12-mile run in the morning, and C) I don't know if my digestive tract can take much more. I feel okay physically, but definitely not as well as I have been. I'll probably have a sugar-fueled crash in about two hours. I'll let you know how it goes.
Call it my own Super Size Me experiment in miniature. I don't know how he did it for 30 days; I'm back on the wagon tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
On to Fat Week!
I wrapped up my week of cutting out sugar on Sunday and sat down that night to read up on what's next: caffeine. I honestly wasn't sure what to do about this one, since I don't consume much caffeine. I've stopped drinking pop because of the aspartame. I've stopped eating chocolate. My one last vice is my Earl Grey Tea Lattes in the morning (just tea and milk, no more vanilla syrup), and Earl Grey is black tea which has caffeine. I love my morning drink, though, so I wanted to go without giving it up if at all possible.
So, I decided to conduct a little science observation. On Monday, I drank my tea as normal in the morning and paid extra attention as to how I felt throughout the day. I felt pretty even-keeled all day. None of the ups and downs of caffeine that Alex Jamieson writes about in her book. So, I think I'm going to keep the caffeine in for now. Just the one cup a day, and I'm steeping it less than before. Once I run out of these tea bags, I'll just buy decaf from now on. I'm drinking the tea for the delicious warmth in the morning, not for the jolt.
That means, then, that I'm on to fat week! The gist of the week is to try to eliminate the bad fats and bring in more of the good. I finally learned what hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils are and why they're bad for you. Ditto on trans fats. Basically, they're just harder for your body to process and can end up just sitting in your liver, diminishing its function. Never mind it clogging your arteries. The disturbing thing is how much those trans fats are hidden and so how much we're eating them. Ick.
To counteract that, I'm trying to eat more healthy unsaturated fats. Nuts, fish, avocados, and certain cooking oils (especially olive oil) are all good sources of healthy fats, as long as they're eaten in moderation. Did someone just tell me to eat more guacamole?!?! Okay!
And by the way, I'm still cutting out refined sugar and most sweeteners as a whole, and it's going great. I feel really well and am not suffering any cravings. I haven't had chocolate in a week and a half, which is likely the longest I've ever gone in my life. People have been really nice about not offering me treats at work and I've been keeping my hands in my pockets a lot. Besides looking like a weirdo, it's going well. Ditto on the drinking more water. I read somewhere that if you're feeling a little tired in the afternoon to drink more water and take a little walk, and that's really helping!
Finally, I've been following the recipes in The Great American Detox Diet for almost three weeks now, so I'm practically living as a vegetarian, with the exception of a little ground turkey and some fish. You know what? It's really not that bad and actually quite doable. Something to think about...
So, I decided to conduct a little science observation. On Monday, I drank my tea as normal in the morning and paid extra attention as to how I felt throughout the day. I felt pretty even-keeled all day. None of the ups and downs of caffeine that Alex Jamieson writes about in her book. So, I think I'm going to keep the caffeine in for now. Just the one cup a day, and I'm steeping it less than before. Once I run out of these tea bags, I'll just buy decaf from now on. I'm drinking the tea for the delicious warmth in the morning, not for the jolt.
That means, then, that I'm on to fat week! The gist of the week is to try to eliminate the bad fats and bring in more of the good. I finally learned what hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils are and why they're bad for you. Ditto on trans fats. Basically, they're just harder for your body to process and can end up just sitting in your liver, diminishing its function. Never mind it clogging your arteries. The disturbing thing is how much those trans fats are hidden and so how much we're eating them. Ick.
To counteract that, I'm trying to eat more healthy unsaturated fats. Nuts, fish, avocados, and certain cooking oils (especially olive oil) are all good sources of healthy fats, as long as they're eaten in moderation. Did someone just tell me to eat more guacamole?!?! Okay!
And by the way, I'm still cutting out refined sugar and most sweeteners as a whole, and it's going great. I feel really well and am not suffering any cravings. I haven't had chocolate in a week and a half, which is likely the longest I've ever gone in my life. People have been really nice about not offering me treats at work and I've been keeping my hands in my pockets a lot. Besides looking like a weirdo, it's going well. Ditto on the drinking more water. I read somewhere that if you're feeling a little tired in the afternoon to drink more water and take a little walk, and that's really helping!
Finally, I've been following the recipes in The Great American Detox Diet for almost three weeks now, so I'm practically living as a vegetarian, with the exception of a little ground turkey and some fish. You know what? It's really not that bad and actually quite doable. Something to think about...
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Sneaky HFCS!
Day 6 of no refined sugar and I'm still going strong! I managed to make it through the baby shower last night and the bridal shower today without breaking into tears over not being able to have cheesecake or a scone. Actually, it was really quite easy. Tonight was really the first time that I wanted just a little taste of something sweet, so I just defrosted a few raspberries and ate those. I'm really looking forward to being able to do some U-picks this summer and freeze lots and lots of berries. Thank goodness for our extra freezer!
I did have a little bit of HFCS tonight, and it was in the sneakiest of place: the breadcrumbs I used on the chicken! Since I've started reading labels, I've found it all over the place: "maple" syrup, yogurt, granola bars, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, tomato soup... pretty much anything that's sweet these days and some things that aren't! It's amazing that it's going into our food and into our mouths without us being aware. Most people don't even know why it's not good for them, much less take the time to read labels and try to eradicate it from their diet. I've been telling as many people as I can about it, so hopefully they'll tell more people and so on.
(I have many more preachy thoughts, but I also have a throbbing headache, so I'm going to wobble off my soapbox and get into bed.)
Tonight's dinner was an easy Chicken Picatta (from Weight Watchers, esentially just chicken dredged in eggs blended with dijon mustard and then rolled in breadcrumbs, cooked in sherry and lemon juice) and Italian-Style Crispy Cauliflower. The cauliflower recipe is from The Great American Detox Diet and it was delicious! The flavors all worked really well together and it was easy to cook. Another winner from that book!
I did have a little bit of HFCS tonight, and it was in the sneakiest of place: the breadcrumbs I used on the chicken! Since I've started reading labels, I've found it all over the place: "maple" syrup, yogurt, granola bars, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, tomato soup... pretty much anything that's sweet these days and some things that aren't! It's amazing that it's going into our food and into our mouths without us being aware. Most people don't even know why it's not good for them, much less take the time to read labels and try to eradicate it from their diet. I've been telling as many people as I can about it, so hopefully they'll tell more people and so on.
(I have many more preachy thoughts, but I also have a throbbing headache, so I'm going to wobble off my soapbox and get into bed.)
Tonight's dinner was an easy Chicken Picatta (from Weight Watchers, esentially just chicken dredged in eggs blended with dijon mustard and then rolled in breadcrumbs, cooked in sherry and lemon juice) and Italian-Style Crispy Cauliflower. The cauliflower recipe is from The Great American Detox Diet and it was delicious! The flavors all worked really well together and it was easy to cook. Another winner from that book!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
I've Bought the Farm
Okay, not the whole farm, but a share of it. A tiny, tiny share, but it makes a big difference to my family! More about that in a minute.
Day 4 of no refined sugar, and I'm doing really well. I've had temptations all around and have avoided them all. I was out at a school and was offered cookies that I didn't take. I had sushi for lunch and decided not to eat the spicy tuna after seeing HFCS in the spicy sauce (!). I love spicy tuna, so that's huge. At a late meeting, I was offered cookies and other sweets for snacks, and I didn't eat them. I'm figuratively keeping my hands in my pockets, and I'm proud of myself. I've been feeling really good, too. No mid-afternoon sleepies. Now I just have to keep going.
In addition to kicking the sugar and drinking much more water(much, much water), we've been eating all whole foods for the last week. That's going really well. It's all been easy: buying the food and fixing the recipes really hasn't taken me more time. Plus, given that it's all so filling, I'm finding that I'm eating a little less. Tonight I made a gorgeous Corn and Kidney Bean Chili with a Lemon Chickpea salad (both from The Great American Detox Diet) and could barely eat half. It's so good, too!
Back to the farm thing, I've decided to try buying a box of fresh produce from a local farm every two weeks. I was able to get all the produce I needed from our local PCC market, but for quite a high price. Plus, not much of the food was local. Organic is my priority, but I'd like to do what I can to support our local farmers too. After a chat with a friend, I've narrowed it down to two: Full Circle Farm and Klesick Family Farm. Spud.com is an online service from which you can order organic produce as well as other groceries, but not enough of it was local for my taste. I might come back to that, though. I think of my two final choices, I'm going with Full Circle because they actually grow most of their own produce on site and I really like that. I'm going to order my first box this weekend, so we'll see how it goes! I don't get to choose the mix, but can tailor what we eat each week based on what's in the box. Also, because the market is so close, I can also supplement. Another piece is clicking into place!
Jamie Oliver's third "Food Revolution" is available now. He gets the high schoolers involved and it's just heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. A must watch! Just be prepared to cry.
Day 4 of no refined sugar, and I'm doing really well. I've had temptations all around and have avoided them all. I was out at a school and was offered cookies that I didn't take. I had sushi for lunch and decided not to eat the spicy tuna after seeing HFCS in the spicy sauce (!). I love spicy tuna, so that's huge. At a late meeting, I was offered cookies and other sweets for snacks, and I didn't eat them. I'm figuratively keeping my hands in my pockets, and I'm proud of myself. I've been feeling really good, too. No mid-afternoon sleepies. Now I just have to keep going.
In addition to kicking the sugar and drinking much more water(much, much water), we've been eating all whole foods for the last week. That's going really well. It's all been easy: buying the food and fixing the recipes really hasn't taken me more time. Plus, given that it's all so filling, I'm finding that I'm eating a little less. Tonight I made a gorgeous Corn and Kidney Bean Chili with a Lemon Chickpea salad (both from The Great American Detox Diet) and could barely eat half. It's so good, too!
Back to the farm thing, I've decided to try buying a box of fresh produce from a local farm every two weeks. I was able to get all the produce I needed from our local PCC market, but for quite a high price. Plus, not much of the food was local. Organic is my priority, but I'd like to do what I can to support our local farmers too. After a chat with a friend, I've narrowed it down to two: Full Circle Farm and Klesick Family Farm. Spud.com is an online service from which you can order organic produce as well as other groceries, but not enough of it was local for my taste. I might come back to that, though. I think of my two final choices, I'm going with Full Circle because they actually grow most of their own produce on site and I really like that. I'm going to order my first box this weekend, so we'll see how it goes! I don't get to choose the mix, but can tailor what we eat each week based on what's in the box. Also, because the market is so close, I can also supplement. Another piece is clicking into place!
Jamie Oliver's third "Food Revolution" is available now. He gets the high schoolers involved and it's just heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. A must watch! Just be prepared to cry.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Holding On
Today was day 2 of eliminating refined sugar and it went pretty well. I had the same breakfast as yesterday, which was nice and filling. For lunch I had leftover halibut and pasta with veggie. For snacks, I had a cheese stick and an apple. For dinner, I had a little tomato soup and some grilled cheese. I know there was some sugar in the soup, but not too much. I avoided the chocolate bunny and the jelly beans in the staff room, so I feel like I'm doing okay. It hasn't been too hard yet, but I have two showers to attend this weekend and that may be a test!
Can't say that I'm not feeling too different yet, though I have notived that I'm not as tired in the afternoon as I have been in the past. This may be because I just came off Spring Break, but maybe not. I'll keep you posted.
A small victory was had with Lauren today. She had a healthy tomato soup with grilled cheese and strawberries for dinner and practically licked the bowl clean. While I'm proud of that, it's not the best part: she hasn't asked for nuggets in several days! Perhaps the addiction is lessening? Now if I could just get her to eat that veggie loaf!
The other small victory? I can't remember the last time we ate red meat as a family. I know we had burgers Monday of last week, so it must be since then that we've either had chicken or just veggies. Not bad for this meat-eating family! I'm trying to get us down to having red meat no more that twice a week and lessening our reliance on chicken.
Can't say that I'm not feeling too different yet, though I have notived that I'm not as tired in the afternoon as I have been in the past. This may be because I just came off Spring Break, but maybe not. I'll keep you posted.
A small victory was had with Lauren today. She had a healthy tomato soup with grilled cheese and strawberries for dinner and practically licked the bowl clean. While I'm proud of that, it's not the best part: she hasn't asked for nuggets in several days! Perhaps the addiction is lessening? Now if I could just get her to eat that veggie loaf!
The other small victory? I can't remember the last time we ate red meat as a family. I know we had burgers Monday of last week, so it must be since then that we've either had chicken or just veggies. Not bad for this meat-eating family! I'm trying to get us down to having red meat no more that twice a week and lessening our reliance on chicken.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Don't Pour Some Sugar On Me
Not a moment too soon, just post-Easter, is my week of limiting sugar from The Great American Detox Diet. After how crappy and tired I felt last night after consuming my body weight in attractive pastel candies, I couldn't be more thrilled about this.
In reading the chapter to get ready for the big day, I learned quite a bit about sugar that I didn't know. I mean, I always knew that my body felt sluggish after a large amount of sugar, but learning about the whole process of your body making insulin and then not being able to keep the balance was really interesting. It makes me sad that so many people in the U.S. are keeping themselves on this scary cycle of sugar highs and lows that are just wrecking their bodies. No wonder Type 2 diabetes is on the rise, especially in the younger population! That adult disease isn't just for the over-30 crowd anymore!
I also finally learned why High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is bad for you. I mean, I've always heard that it's bad but didn't know why. Turns out it gets stored directly as fat when it goes into your body, unlike regular sugars that are used as energy first. Also, HFCS doesn't trigger the "I'm full" feeling that we all should have, so it's actually tricking us into eating more of those nasty things. Shun!
I was amazed by how many other names for sugar appear on food labels. No wonder we eat it all the time without knowing! I even noticed that florida crystals aren't even on this list, and I'm sure others are missing. Plus, the artificial sweeteners: aspartame, xylitol, saccahrin...we're awash in empty calories!
So I woke up, all strident and ready to go! I'd already kicked most of the sugary stuff out of the cabinets and was feeling all empowered. Until I realized that I really hadn't thought through breakfast. I usually eat instant oats, but those have artifical sweeteners. The Honey Nut Cheerios are sugary as well. I didn't have time to make steel cut oats. So, after I stood there for a couple of minutes, I decided to make an English muffin with some natural peanut butter. I was thinking the combination of the protein and carbs would get me through the day, and while there is some sugar in the English muffin, I do like them and anyway need to finish the package. Down they went. I even made my morning tea latte without the vanilla syrup and could definitely get used to that in the future.
I took my lunch with me (leftover halibut and pasta with veggies) but Carol the lunch lady had my favorite salad today: Strawberry Spinach. Damn the siren call of that salad! I ended up ordering it, but realized that the dressing probably had sugar in it. There really wasn't any good alternative, so I lessened the impact of the sugar by just dipping my fork into the dressing before each forkful. That worked well and I felt cool.
Dinner was easy (see below) and my book group without knowing my sugarfreeness assembled a delcious dinner that had little to no sugar involved. I did have a pint of beer, which does contain sugars, but overall I avoided refined sugars for the most part today. I think the main thing is changing my mindset that stress = sugar or that sugar = treat. That's going to be the harder work.
Incidentally, I learned that 1 teaspoon of sugar is about 4.2 grams. That's quite a lot when you start looking at the labels! By the end of breakfast, for example, I'd already had a teaspoon and a half, and that was eating something that was reasonably healthy. Just imagine what a Pop Tart would have been!
Tonight for dinner I made a delicious Veggie Loaf with mashed sweet potatoes and a green salad on the side. I was very pleasantly surpised with the Veggie Loaf, which comes from Alex Jamieson's book. It was pretty labor-intensive but enjoyable to make and the flavor was great. Even Jeremy the meat-eater said it was great. Lauren the picky toddler of course refused to eat it, but it's a process, right? The mashed sweet potatoes (with just a bit of flaxseed oil, maple syrup, and chili powder) were divine! I think I could get to liking this.
Oh, and I'm still drinking water. I think I need a bigger bottle at work, as the trips to refill are pretty distracting. At least it's a healthy distraction!
In reading the chapter to get ready for the big day, I learned quite a bit about sugar that I didn't know. I mean, I always knew that my body felt sluggish after a large amount of sugar, but learning about the whole process of your body making insulin and then not being able to keep the balance was really interesting. It makes me sad that so many people in the U.S. are keeping themselves on this scary cycle of sugar highs and lows that are just wrecking their bodies. No wonder Type 2 diabetes is on the rise, especially in the younger population! That adult disease isn't just for the over-30 crowd anymore!
I also finally learned why High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is bad for you. I mean, I've always heard that it's bad but didn't know why. Turns out it gets stored directly as fat when it goes into your body, unlike regular sugars that are used as energy first. Also, HFCS doesn't trigger the "I'm full" feeling that we all should have, so it's actually tricking us into eating more of those nasty things. Shun!
I was amazed by how many other names for sugar appear on food labels. No wonder we eat it all the time without knowing! I even noticed that florida crystals aren't even on this list, and I'm sure others are missing. Plus, the artificial sweeteners: aspartame, xylitol, saccahrin...we're awash in empty calories!
So I woke up, all strident and ready to go! I'd already kicked most of the sugary stuff out of the cabinets and was feeling all empowered. Until I realized that I really hadn't thought through breakfast. I usually eat instant oats, but those have artifical sweeteners. The Honey Nut Cheerios are sugary as well. I didn't have time to make steel cut oats. So, after I stood there for a couple of minutes, I decided to make an English muffin with some natural peanut butter. I was thinking the combination of the protein and carbs would get me through the day, and while there is some sugar in the English muffin, I do like them and anyway need to finish the package. Down they went. I even made my morning tea latte without the vanilla syrup and could definitely get used to that in the future.
I took my lunch with me (leftover halibut and pasta with veggies) but Carol the lunch lady had my favorite salad today: Strawberry Spinach. Damn the siren call of that salad! I ended up ordering it, but realized that the dressing probably had sugar in it. There really wasn't any good alternative, so I lessened the impact of the sugar by just dipping my fork into the dressing before each forkful. That worked well and I felt cool.
Dinner was easy (see below) and my book group without knowing my sugarfreeness assembled a delcious dinner that had little to no sugar involved. I did have a pint of beer, which does contain sugars, but overall I avoided refined sugars for the most part today. I think the main thing is changing my mindset that stress = sugar or that sugar = treat. That's going to be the harder work.
Incidentally, I learned that 1 teaspoon of sugar is about 4.2 grams. That's quite a lot when you start looking at the labels! By the end of breakfast, for example, I'd already had a teaspoon and a half, and that was eating something that was reasonably healthy. Just imagine what a Pop Tart would have been!
Tonight for dinner I made a delicious Veggie Loaf with mashed sweet potatoes and a green salad on the side. I was very pleasantly surpised with the Veggie Loaf, which comes from Alex Jamieson's book. It was pretty labor-intensive but enjoyable to make and the flavor was great. Even Jeremy the meat-eater said it was great. Lauren the picky toddler of course refused to eat it, but it's a process, right? The mashed sweet potatoes (with just a bit of flaxseed oil, maple syrup, and chili powder) were divine! I think I could get to liking this.
Oh, and I'm still drinking water. I think I need a bigger bottle at work, as the trips to refill are pretty distracting. At least it's a healthy distraction!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
The Trouble with Schedules
As I mentioned in my first post, one thing I'm worried about is fitting all this in our schedule as a family. Both Jeremy and I work 40 hours a week and we both run in the evenings. I do already cook at home most nights of the week, but I'm worried about the added time of cooking even more fresh foods and the added time for shopping. I'll definitely be trying to find ways to make this easier.
It hit home tonight one consequence of all of this juggling: Lauren is a huge fan of the convenience foods. She needs to eat around 6, which is right around when Jeremy gets home. Usually, one of us is going running in the evening and doesn't eat right away. So, what's happened is that I often feed Lauren before us, and she eats something different than we. I hate to even type this, but her range of foods is really small: pizza, fish sticks, nuggets, eggs, peanut butter and jelly. At first, she'd eat whatever we put in front of her, but now she requests these things. Not only requests, but refuses others. (In my defense, she always has a fruit and vegetable as well, and she always eats those.) Tonight, I made a gorgeous stir-fry and she refused to eat, calling it "yucky." I instantly had flashbacks of the kids on Jamie Oliver's show, the ones that eat pizza for breakfast. I've got to change things now for her before it's too late. Now, toddlers are notoriously picky and I don't expect that she's going to adore tofu and sprouts, but I can improve the range of things she eats and hopefully get her into trying new things.
I get Runner's World daily news in my email and they just sent me a link to the best foods for runners. I had no idea that green garlic existed!
Jamie Oliver's second Food Revolution show is available here. The part with the chicken nuggets was... just... blech.
He also posted a link to a list of the 10 sugariest 'health' foods. What's interesting was that I was going through the cupboards today, trying to prioritize what things I need to replace most. High on my list? Granola bars and cereal, just like on this list. I'm mostly concerned about the use of HFCS, but sugar content will be something I'm paying attention to.
Looking forward to heading to the store and doing some comparison shopping this week!
It hit home tonight one consequence of all of this juggling: Lauren is a huge fan of the convenience foods. She needs to eat around 6, which is right around when Jeremy gets home. Usually, one of us is going running in the evening and doesn't eat right away. So, what's happened is that I often feed Lauren before us, and she eats something different than we. I hate to even type this, but her range of foods is really small: pizza, fish sticks, nuggets, eggs, peanut butter and jelly. At first, she'd eat whatever we put in front of her, but now she requests these things. Not only requests, but refuses others. (In my defense, she always has a fruit and vegetable as well, and she always eats those.) Tonight, I made a gorgeous stir-fry and she refused to eat, calling it "yucky." I instantly had flashbacks of the kids on Jamie Oliver's show, the ones that eat pizza for breakfast. I've got to change things now for her before it's too late. Now, toddlers are notoriously picky and I don't expect that she's going to adore tofu and sprouts, but I can improve the range of things she eats and hopefully get her into trying new things.
I get Runner's World daily news in my email and they just sent me a link to the best foods for runners. I had no idea that green garlic existed!
Jamie Oliver's second Food Revolution show is available here. The part with the chicken nuggets was... just... blech.
He also posted a link to a list of the 10 sugariest 'health' foods. What's interesting was that I was going through the cupboards today, trying to prioritize what things I need to replace most. High on my list? Granola bars and cereal, just like on this list. I'm mostly concerned about the use of HFCS, but sugar content will be something I'm paying attention to.
Looking forward to heading to the store and doing some comparison shopping this week!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
It Begins
I woke up still on a tear, so that's a good sign. I'm a notorious non-finisher of projects, but this is really interesting and very important to the health of my family. If I can just survive all the scary and gross information...
I'll get to that in a minute, though. I need to do a little before photo-taking. Here is my refrigerator and kitchen pantry in its current state (Yikes! A little messier than I'd like, and why does Lauren have four sippy cups in the fridge?):
You'll note that I have a decent stash of frozen veggies, nestled right up next to the Mickey Mouse Chicken Nuggets. In the fridge, I have two kinds of milk sharing space with a massive container of ranch dip (for the nuggets, of course!) There's low-fat yogurt (which I'm now feeling dubious about) and some string cheese, which according to the ingredients is actually decent. In the pantry, I have all my baking stuff, the granola bars with High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), Gatorade powder and not one but three kinds of oatmeal. Like I said, I'm not starting off horribly, but I can definitely do better.
What you're not seeing is our other pantry downstairs that has most of the canned tomatoes (which I'm also feeling dubious about), broths, pastas, and extra juices for Lauren. We also have a large freezer in the garage: we buy half a cow's worth of meat every year and a half or so and it's all wrapped up in its pretty white paper in there. This is one choice I feel really good about. We buy the meat from a family friend in Idaho and we know exactly where the cow has been. Plus, it's a great deal. We have that, at least.
I just feel like I have a ton of learning to do. I don't know enough about local resources, what sweeteners are best, whether organic is worth it... It's going to be quite a learning process, and I just have to be patient.
I did start my learning today, though all the books I want to read are on hold at the library. Behold the power of the Internet! Without yet picking up a book, I've already learned a bunch of interesting things about the food we eat and the business of food.:
- Half the people that helped to develop the food pyramid had ties to agribusiness.
- 70% of the antibiotics consumed in America are consumed by animal husbandry. Those antibiotics given straight to us through the meats we eat.
- Every American gets the equivalent of a 5 lb. bag of pesticides each year. (That literally made me shiver to write!)
- We spend about $500 a year per student feeding the children in the schools in the United States. Given all the payroll costs and other overhead, it ends up being about $1 a day per child.
- One out of every four meals is eaten in a car. (Are they counting snacks, you think? What about when I'm wolfing down some of the groceries I just bought because I'm starving?)
All of these facts come from a couple of TED talks I listened to today:
Mark Bittman, "What's Wrong with What We Eat"
Ann Cooper, the "Renegade Lunch Lady"
Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" page has lots of interesting and disturbing facts and figures here
The good news at the bottom of the page? Congress is looking at creating new standards for all food at schools, including vending machines. $4.5 billion over 10 years is a small payment towards the improved health of our children!
See the story here.
I'll get to that in a minute, though. I need to do a little before photo-taking. Here is my refrigerator and kitchen pantry in its current state (Yikes! A little messier than I'd like, and why does Lauren have four sippy cups in the fridge?):
You'll note that I have a decent stash of frozen veggies, nestled right up next to the Mickey Mouse Chicken Nuggets. In the fridge, I have two kinds of milk sharing space with a massive container of ranch dip (for the nuggets, of course!) There's low-fat yogurt (which I'm now feeling dubious about) and some string cheese, which according to the ingredients is actually decent. In the pantry, I have all my baking stuff, the granola bars with High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), Gatorade powder and not one but three kinds of oatmeal. Like I said, I'm not starting off horribly, but I can definitely do better.
What you're not seeing is our other pantry downstairs that has most of the canned tomatoes (which I'm also feeling dubious about), broths, pastas, and extra juices for Lauren. We also have a large freezer in the garage: we buy half a cow's worth of meat every year and a half or so and it's all wrapped up in its pretty white paper in there. This is one choice I feel really good about. We buy the meat from a family friend in Idaho and we know exactly where the cow has been. Plus, it's a great deal. We have that, at least.
I just feel like I have a ton of learning to do. I don't know enough about local resources, what sweeteners are best, whether organic is worth it... It's going to be quite a learning process, and I just have to be patient.
I did start my learning today, though all the books I want to read are on hold at the library. Behold the power of the Internet! Without yet picking up a book, I've already learned a bunch of interesting things about the food we eat and the business of food.:
- Half the people that helped to develop the food pyramid had ties to agribusiness.
- 70% of the antibiotics consumed in America are consumed by animal husbandry. Those antibiotics given straight to us through the meats we eat.
- Every American gets the equivalent of a 5 lb. bag of pesticides each year. (That literally made me shiver to write!)
- We spend about $500 a year per student feeding the children in the schools in the United States. Given all the payroll costs and other overhead, it ends up being about $1 a day per child.
- One out of every four meals is eaten in a car. (Are they counting snacks, you think? What about when I'm wolfing down some of the groceries I just bought because I'm starving?)
All of these facts come from a couple of TED talks I listened to today:
Mark Bittman, "What's Wrong with What We Eat"
Ann Cooper, the "Renegade Lunch Lady"
Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" page has lots of interesting and disturbing facts and figures here
The good news at the bottom of the page? Congress is looking at creating new standards for all food at schools, including vending machines. $4.5 billion over 10 years is a small payment towards the improved health of our children!
See the story here.
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