A sobering book I read recently is Lunch Lessons. It speaks to the abundance of processed food in our children's diets and the resulting health problems that are rampant in our society. I am appalled at the hot lunch program at Eldorado, even in the healthy "Republic of Boulder" school system. Nachos for lunch? COME ON! It's easy enough to pack a lunch for my kids but it's the REST of the kids I'm thinking about. I went to school every day with a healthy lunch (+ a fun dessert) every day. Always a healthy sandwich and a fruit. And I always drank my milk first, followed by my sandwich (egg salad was my favorite), then any extra fun foods. At home, even when a busy high school student, I had to tell my mom if I wasn't going to be home for dinner, because she prepared meals per person. There was ALWAYS a vegetable...every time. How can people spend tons of time and money researching the best car or carseat or specialty clothing but feed their children junk every day? I don't mean to get up on a high horse-my kids eat their fair share of (fake) chicken nuggets and french fries, but not every day! I think we may join the Boulder Co-op, so they can really see where food comes from (OJ does not come from the grocery store; it comes from an ORANGE!). The problem with co-ops is the overabundance of ONE seasonal product (radishes, for example!) but I may give it a go. There has to be a better way to educate kids about eating healthy foods because they are GOOD. Just had a bite of my loaf and it's really yummy-better than the last one, but then, I love lentils and sunflowers seeds, so that's easy. The broccoli is good too, but I'm happy with it steamed with a squeeze of lemon; this sauce is a bit too...goopey for my taste. I also added a "Labels" section, on the right beneath the Archives. I labeled all posts beginning in 2007. Gradually, I hope to label all posts, as I find that very helpful in other peoples' blogs. Hope it's helpful!
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I,too, agree with you on the massive amount of junk food that kids are exposed to today. I call it plastic food. There was a news show I watched this past year that addressed childhood obesity. The "expert" said that this generation of children will be the first one that will not outlive their parents due to diabetes and other diseases related to obesity.
My husband and I are not vegetarians but started eating unprocessed/organic food when I was going through infertility treatments. I was trying to get my body in the best place it could be to get pregnant. It didn't work out for us like we had hope but I was amazed at how differently my body behaved with unprocessed foods. We have eaten this way for 2 years now and it is amazing how I can taste the chemicals in foods that have been processed--a cake made from a box has an overwhelming "off" taste compared to a cake made from scratch.
I adopted a few rules for myself for grocery shopping. One, I try to purchase food as close to its original state as I can. Second, I read the label on everything I buy. If I don't immediately know what every word in the ingredient list is, I will not buy it. Third, I do not buy anything with partially hydrogenated anything or high fructose corn syrup--blech!
I will occasionally eat some junk from childhood--the smell of McDonald's fries get me everytime. I always have a slight sick feeling after I eat them but in the moment, they sure are good.
We are waiting to adopt from China and have has several discussions about the food we will feed her. I plan on making baby food for her and have been reading up on how to master the art of making it. We want to give her the best start we can and try to make up for what she didn't get in China.
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