I eat several meals a day and spent time considering, planning, preparing, and cooking meals for my family. Early this year, Tim and I started to change our diet for health reasons related to long-term stress and related hormone imbalances (see this previous post for more info). In the past couple weeks, we've also been watching a few other new-to-us programs on similar issues: Food, Inc. (a documentary on where food comes from in the US) and Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution (a tv show on ABC about changing the way America eats).
I can't believe how few veggies most Americans eat! Ok, I can. I never used to eat veggies myself, unless you counted the pea/corn mixture that would garnish my plate at dinner times throughout my childhood. But for breakfast? Or lunch? No thanks-- I'll stick to my meat/carbs/dairy combinations, thank you very much! I counted potatoes as my veggies-- mashed, boiled, roasted, or fried. I wish I could blame this entirely on my parents, but honestly I didn't cook many veggies (other than potatoes) in my first years out of the house, either. Maybe some frozen corn/peas, some potatoes, or a can of green beans, but not fresh real ingredients. It's only really in the last few years (probably since moving to TZ in 2007 and not having access to the same foods!) that I've learned to cook and prepare a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. And it's probably only in the past couple months that I've actually started to enjoy the fruits and veggies more than the processed foods. Why is that? My theory is that my body was literally addicted to food-related pleasures-- fats, sugars, refined flours, and a whole host of preservatives and chemicals! It has taken removing them from my diet to actually see that there are better options. And now, I'm just starting to really appreciate the whole, real foods for what they are-- high quality fuel for my body!
I'm thankful for the new USDA Food Guide, which emphasizes filling half your plate at every meal with veggies (and fruit). According to the CDC via this website, less than 1/3 of adults eat the recommended servings (2 fruit/3 veggies) every day. Healthy eating takes intentionality. It is an investment of time and money. Eating equal amounts of veggies/fruits as carbs/protein really does take discipline and planning. In addition to getting myself healthy, I also want to be a good example of healthy eating for my daughter. I want her to grow up with healthy perceptions of food and to learn these healthy-eating principles now rather than having to re-learn them later. How amazing would that be to grow up with an immune system that's built up by consuming nutrient- and antioxidant-rich foods?? That's an investment! And if I can get healthier while helping my family grow stronger, then that's a real win-win!
-JLR
Are Our Headlights Out? (July 26, 2021)
5 years ago
Posts
5 comments:
I'm totally with you on this, Jeana! Recently, our family has made similar changes to our diet - incorporating LOTS more veggies and fruit and switching to primarily brown flour (PTL that I can find that at a few places here!) - and we are feeling so great. It's such a blessing that produce is so cheap here in TZ too. :)
Here's to healthy eating!
Thanks for the reminder...we go round and round on this one, and I am so glad the new food pyramid highlights that half the plate should be veggies. I am definitely addicted to my fats and carbs, and get lazy about the veggies. They take more time to prepare, and I get more whining when I do prepare them. But it is definitely worth the investment long term. We did a vegetable coop a few years back, and I was inundated with many different fruits and veggies each week. I learned how to prepare and enjoy so many more things, and we spent less money on the other items on our plate...I loved it and miss it.
I'm thankful to have such like-minded friends!! Katie, I definitely hear you on there being a laziness cycle. It really is more work to do the veggies. More expensive, too. I think that was the part that broke my heart from the Food,Inc., documentary. How sad is it that a fast food burger is cheaper than a head of broccoli?? Mmm....veggie coop... was this in KC? Do you have the contact info?
Melissa-- I'm hoping that we'll have access to whole grain flour in Mpanda!!
I'm becoming addicted to 'concealing' veggies in all things these days just to know that we're getting a healthier diet. (Deceptively Delicious- cookbook) Ex: corn bread muffins with cauliflower and zucchini, pancakes with spinach and blueberries... not that I don't want Silas to have REAL veggies as a side dish, but this way I KNOW he's getting more veggies. Try some of their recipes out! Or "Sneaky Chef" same concept- and weelicious.com has some really healthy veggie recipes. =)
Thanks for the cookbook/website recommendation, Shannon!! I've heard of this type of approach, but we've never really had trouble getting M to eat veggies. I think it's more psychological than anything else, and I'm going to chalk this up as a pro to living in TZ in M's early years. :) by the way, the cauliflower/zucchini corn bread muffins sound wonderful!!
Post a Comment