Balancing Act

I think our society thinks that being healthy is a balancing act, that there are a tiny set of scales in the body.  They think that you keep these scales balanced by doing and eating healthy things, even though you eat unhealthy things also.  Hey, I know none of us eat a perfect diet!  If you eat something unhealthy, you just have to do a bit more exercise to burn it off.  If you want that dessert, you better have a salad with your meal.  If you drink some soda, you should have some water to balance it out.  This thinking is wrong and if you stay with me, I will tell you why.

 

I have to think that this originated, in part, from our parents and grandparents saying, “You have to eat all your dinner if you want dessert!”  Also, the exercise era has given people a little latitude with what they can afford to eat and stay trim (and staying trim, in our society, carries the appearance of health; not always true, folks).

 

The thing that we need to get into our heads is that it’s not all about fat, good or bad, or calories.  I said it before and I will say it again, the food we eat affects us on a cellular level.  I will show two prime examples here, although there are more.  First let’s talk about trans fat, it’s not just a bad fat that will clog your arteries and cause heart problems (if that isn’t bad enough), it will actually become a part of your very cells!  Every cell in your body has a cell wall, made primarily of fat.  When you ingest trans fatty acids, they become part of that cell wall.  For nursing mothers, trans fat replaces some of the healthy, vital fat that your baby needs, so the baby’s cell walls are also being made up of trans fat!

 

According to Tom Valentine, author of Facts on Fats and Oils¹, “When this man-made molecule of fatty acid, called trans fatty acid, gets into cell membrane construction our cells cannot function optimally – we cannot ward off viruses as well”, and, “this degeneration of the cell membrane is cumulative as we continue to eat these trans fats every day – it doesn’t improve over time, or simply vanish, it slowly gets worse and worse.”

 

My second example is sugar – it’s not just extra calories, it will rob your body of minerals, weaken your immune system, put you on the insulin roller coaster (which we talked about before), stress and fatigue your adrenal glands, and feed harmful yeast and bacteria in your digestive system (causing a host of problems that I will talk about later).  These are not things you can jog off!  This is why you won’t hear me talk about calories here.  It is all about WHAT we are eating, not necessarily HOW MUCH.

 

I was talking to my husband about this the other night and he always comes up with the best analogies.  He said, “How does your car do if you add some water in with the gasoline?”  We all know, it’s won’t run well at all, even if there is just a LITTLE bit of water added.  Our bodies are the same, a little bit of bad is still bad and our bodies won’t run optimally on food that man has adulterated.  My point is not to convince you into changing eating habits by making you feel guilty, but rather, I don’t want you to be deceived.  I want you to be well informed and make informed choices!

 

I’m asking you to renew your mind in this area, make a paradigm shift.  Just because exercise doesn’t counteract these junk food woes, doesn’t mean we stop exercising.  It means we work on cutting out the junk food.  Your sole source of trans fats is packaged food.  Don’t buy margarine or ANY butter substitute (if it’s not butter, it was made by man), don’t use shortening in your baking, don’t buy pre-made pie crust – make your own with butter.  Practically every peanut butter on the store shelf² contains trans fat; unfortunately you can’t trust the labels to give you full disclosure.  Look for PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OIL on the ingredient listing, if it is there, DON’T buy the item.  This is listed on so many foods that most of us don’t realize.  When I mention trans fats, most people say, “I don’t use margarine, I only use butter.”  That is FANTASTIC, but trans fats are in peanut butter, chips, crackers, graham crackers, pre-made pie crusts, all canned dough, like crescent roll dough and pizza crust; cookies, snack cakes, candy, candy bars, some breads, frozen French fries, fish sticks, pizza, chicken nuggets, burritos, pot pies, cake mixes, Bisquick, canned frosting, and flour tortillas to name a few.  This is one of the reasons why these items ended up on the bottom rung above fast food on my ladder.

 

I think I’ve hammered away at the trans fat issue, let’s get back to sugar.  We can drastically limit our sugar intake by cutting out packaged food, also.  Trans fat is an item you don’t ever want, but sugar is something I know we will all eat from time to time.  A good friend of mine uses a word that fits well here – deliberate.  We must be deliberate in everything, raising our children, spending money, even how we eat.  I will deliberately eat a dessert now and then, but I try VERY hard NOT to allow sugar into my diet that I don’t deliberately want!  The two ways we are deceived into unknowingly eating sugar are through deceptive marketing and ignorance.  Many foods are marketed as healthy, but contain lots of sugar, such as breakfast cereals, sweetened yogurt, granola bars, fruit snacks (these are just candy, folks), fruit roll-ups, many juices, smoothies, and vitamin waters.  This is where those imaginary tiny scales come in again.  I think most people are aware that these foods contain sugar, but they believe the vitamins, whole grain fiber, or beneficial bacteria in that item balance it out.  I will say it again – we must shift our thinking away from this balancing act.  Remember the car running with water in the tank.  Now for ignorance, there are a lot of items that contain sugar as a flavor enhancer, but are not dessert, so we don’t really think we are eating sugar.  Things we all use, like ketchup, salad dressing, pickles, dip, Miracle Whip, salsa, and more.  This is where label reading will help you out.  Sugar is easy to pick out of ingredient listings, but also be aware of sugar’s other names – high fructose corn syrup and anything ending in –ose, dextrose, glucose, sucrose, etc.

 

So be informed, be deliberate, do what you can do and don’t fool yourself into thinking that you can somehow balance the junk food with something like veggies or exercise.  Take you babysteps and move toward the whole food that God created that fuels your body the most effectively!

 

¹ Quoted from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

² You can find natural peanut butter.  I buy Smucker’s; it only contains peanuts and salt.

Macaroni and Cheese

Update 1/8/09

All kids love macaroni and cheese.  My son never cared for the powdered cheese variety so I started buying him the creamy kind, which I liked better, too.  I am a cost-conscience mother though, so after a few boxes at $2.86 each, I decided we needed another option.  I did the math and realized I could buy a pound of Velveeta and some generic macaroni and make an individual portion of macaroni and cheese for about 25 cents!  Much better and he liked it, too (he is a bit picky).

 

I was not raised on Velveeta, I knew full well that it was processed junk food, but I just ignored my better judgment.  We did this for a few years and then one day a friend mentioned how Velveeta has a shelf life of many, many years, unopened.  It can not possibly be even remotely like real cheese if it can last that long at room temperature.  Velveeta is basically like plastic!  I knew this, but it was really helpful hearing it again.  Sometimes we have to hear things a few times and from a few different sources for it to sink in.

 

I decided then, no more Velveeta.  So I found a wonderful recipe for macaroni and cheese with REAL cheese and it tastes fabulous!  It did take my son a few times of trying it to forget about the Velveeta.  J  Not only has he forgotten about the Velveeta, he LOVES this recipe!  Sometimes when we switch our family off of a packaged food item we just need to not have that food item for a while, so they can forget about it.  Then introduce another version and if they still do not go for it, wait a while longer.

 

This recipe is practically as easy as a boxed variety.  It makes about 6 servings as a main dish; it will be more as a side dish.  We enjoy ours with a side of broccoli with plenty of butter on it.  If you have extra time, you can add an extra special touch – toss some fresh bread crumbs with melted butter and toast in the oven till golden brown, 375°F for approximately 15 minutes.  Use these as a yummy, crunchy topping.  Mmm, so good! 

 

Bring 2 quarts of salted water to boil in a medium saucepan.

 

Add 3 cups macaroni or other small shaped pasta (14 oz.), cook until al dente; drain.  Pasta is a compromise food regardless of whether it is whole grain or not.  Do not be fooled by the new higher fiber varieties that promise Omega-3 and such.  They are still packaged food.  Pick pasta you enjoy and just do not eat it every night.  J  If you have issues with wheat you can find pasta made out of other grains at the health food store.

 

After you have drained the pasta, return it to the pan and add 2 tablespoons of butter.  Turn the heat back on to medium and stir until the butter is melted.  Add 1 cup half and half or whole milk and salt (I use abut ½ teaspoon) to the pan and keep stirring.  (You can add an optional few dashes of mustard powder here.  I know it seems strange, but it is really good, even the kids like it, it adds a bit of depth.)  Add 8 ounces grated cheese (we like White Sharp Cheddar), 1 tablespoon flour (omit if you do not eat wheat), and stir until melted and creamy.  Add an additional ½ cup of half and half or whole milk and keep stirring till heated through.  Serve immediately.

 

Note:  The key here is salting to taste.  Taste your cooking before it gets to the table.  I didn’t used to do this and now that I do, it makes a big difference.  I can salt my food once it’s at the table, but a child is not likely to, they just know the food does not taste quite right.  Especially when we introduce new foods to our families and try to cut out some of their packaged food favorites, we want that food to taste it is best, so do not be afraid of this important seasoning!

 

Update – Food made with real cheese versus Velveeta can be hard to clean off dishes.  I have learned a trick that makes it easy.  Fill the pan with warm water and generously sprinkle in baking soda.  Add a couple squirts of dish soap.  Let soak for a bit (10 min.).  Scrub the pan WITH that baking soda liquid still in it, it seems to work better than if you empty the pan out.  The cheese should come off easily.  Make sure you have most of it scrubbed off before rinsing, the baking soda really helps release the cheese.  For the plates and bowls I just sprinkle a bit of baking soda on and then scrub.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ladder of Healthy Eating

How healthy do you think you are?  This isn’t about how trim you are, how much you exercise, or how many fat grams or calories you eat.  The food that we eat affects us on a cellular level and we will reap what we sow.  Sometimes the reaping doesn’t come for many years.  If it’s garbage going in, it will be garbage coming out.  This is for every one of us to take a moment and assess where we are at and then form goals to shoot for.  This is purely for evaluation purposes; there is no condemnation here.

 

We can’t take our babysteps unless we know where we are headed.  This list will help you see where you are at and help you make both short-term and long-term goals.  If you are near the bottom of the ladder, DON’T make a short-term goal of making it to the top of the ladder!  Set your sights on a step above.  Choose one thing at a time to cut out or substitute or change.

 

I’m sure that none of us fit neatly into one of these categories, we are all a mixture, but it’s good to identify which area you most fit into.  I would suggest printing this out and circling or highlighting the items that you buy/eat to see which category you most fit into.  Now this is a little different, but I’m going to ask that you read the next portions upside down.  By this I mean, start at the bottom of the ladder and read each section, going up the page.  If you print it out, start at the bottom level and read each level, moving up the page.  If you read it online, right now you can scroll all the way to the bottom and read each section moving up the page.

 

 

Whole Foods Plus – not only do you want only foods that God created and man hasn’t adulterated, but that are also ALIVE and FULL of nutrients!  These include local organic fruit and veggies, local grass-fed meat and local free-range poultry, local true free-range eggs, soaked or sprouted whole organic grains and grain products, such as sourdough bread, sprouted grain bread, tortillas, hamburger buns, etc.; raw dairy products from grass-fed cows and goats, fermented dairy products, such as yogurt, kefir and raw cheese; butter, cream, lard, animal fat, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil; soaked beans/legumes, nuts and seeds, homemade bone broths, unrefined sea salt, raw vinegar, fish from deep sea waters, lacto-fermented beverages, kombucha, naturally fermented vegetables, like pickles and sauerkraut, you make your own ketchup, mayonnaise, salad dressings, dips and ice cream; and use only whole sweeteners like raw honey, Rapadura, Sucanat, maple syrup, and date sugar.  Way to go, you are truly a nourished person!

 

 

Whole Foods – at this point you are looking only for foods that are unadulterated.  You buy organic fruit and veggies, fresh and frozen; grass-fed meat, free-range chicken, wild fish, all whole grains, you make your own bread, buy organic, hormone-free, pasteurized milk, pasteurized cheeses, commercial yogurt, butter, cream, organic, dried beans; sea salt, and you make your own broths.  Excellent, keep reading!

 

 

Mildly Processed – if you fit into this category, you care about your health and that of your family and are trying to make the best choices you can.  Now you just need a bit more education, way to go!  You are making most of you meals and buying these type of foods – Fresh and frozen fruit and veggies from the local grocery; canned tomato products, dried fruit, wheat bran, oat bran, wheat germ, whole grains, like brown rice, wheat, rye, etc.; whole grain products, like pasta, hamburger buns, and sandwich bread; unbleached white flour, organic, hormone-free, pasteurized milk, pasteurized cheeses, commercial yogurt, fats that have been processed by man, but are fairly stable, like peanut oil; butter, commercial meat from local grocery store, additive-free sausage and bacon; regular or cage-free eggs from local grocery, canned legumes/beans, farina, rolled oats, grits, commercial salt, pasteurized vinegar, commercial condiments, like ketchup and mayonnaise; pasteurized pickles and sauerkraut; seasoning packets.

 

 

Processed Ingredients – this is a step up, at least you are preparing most of your meals and hopefully eating whole fruit and veggies.  You buy commercial meat from the grocery store along with deli meat, bacon, and sausage; highly processed fats, such as vegetable oils, margarine, spreads, shortening, and fat substitutes; pasteurized, homogenized milk and milk products; bleached and fortified white flour products – hamburger buns, tortillas, bread, pasta, etc.; all kinds of refined sugar, including white sugar and brown sugar; canned fruit and veggies, fruit juice, rice milk, chips and crackers (even whole grain), canned broth, prepared sauces, like marinara, alfredo, and pesto; soy milk, tofu, veggie burgers, soy cheese, soy hot dogs, and Miracle Whip.

 

 

Prepared foods – ready to eat; requires only opening a package and/or heating it up, sometimes adding an ingredient or two.  These items are totally adulterated by man, stripped of nutrition, loaded with toxins, artificial flavors, additives, colors, artificial sweeteners, damaged oils, hydrolyzed protein and protein isolates, etc.  Frozen pizzas, fish sticks, tater tots, chicken strips and nuggets; frozen burritos, French fries, pizza rolls, lasagnas, pot pies, frozen pies, cookie dough, canned biscuits, canned rolls, cinnamon rolls, snack cakes, breakfast cereals (even whole grain), breakfast bars, granola bars, frozen meals – Lean Cuisines meals, Healthy Choice meals, etc.; TV dinners, boxed macaroni and cheese, Hamburger Helper, Cheetos, flavored chips, like Doritos, snack mixes, pretzels, flavored yogurts, processed cheese, Cool Whip, ice cream, soda pop, energy drinks, vitamin waters, protein bars, protein powder drink mixes, canned soup, fruit snacks, fruit rollups, instant oatmeal, boxed cake, brownie, muffin, and cookie mixes; canned frosting, canned pie filled, prepared pie crusts, pudding mixes (instant and non),  and Jell-O.  I’m sure there are more, but you get the idea.  Some of these seem healthy, some are bought at the health food store, but if they require little to no preparation then they have been very, VERY processed and offer very little health value.

 

 

FAST FOOD – no health value hereL

See also the book

Take A Peek…

…into my shopping cart. I really like what Leanne Ely, author of Saving Dinner, says about your grocery cart, “How healthy we are is directly related to what we throw in our shopping carts each and every week.” Visit her Saving Dinner website for loads of good information. She offers a menu mailer plan through email and numerous cookbooks (available at our library) with REAL FOOD. I love that none of her recipes call for a can of condensed soup or opening up a package of puff pastry, etc. She also has lots of crock-pot recipes for the busy mom.

Wal-Mart
2 lbs red grapes
2 mangoes
1 bunch celery
1 bunch cilantro
1 red bell pepper
1.4 lbs apples
2 lb carrots
2.4 lbs bananas
1 avocado
2 yellow chile peppers
3 whole chickens
1 lb Ground Turkey
2.25 lbs ground beef
1/3 lb sliced roast beef from deli
1 container of real shredded parmesan
1 lb mozzarella
8-oz. Pepper jack
2 lbs butter
Caesar dressing
Ketchup
Strawberry jam
Smucker’s peanut butter
Unsweetened applesauce
1 lb dry pinto beans
2 14-oz. Cans diced tomatoes
1 can pineapple chunks
2 cans pumpkin
1 can beef broth
1 bag frozen corn
large box spaghetti noodles
Egg noodles
1 can refried beans (fat free to avoid hydrog oils)
1 packet taco seasoning
1 bag chocolate chips
1 bag plain corn tortilla chips
5 lbs unbleached white flour
2 boxes baking soda
4 loaves honey wheat sandwich bread
1 pack large flour tortillas
1 package corn tortillas
1 package crunchy taco shells
Small bag Doritos (a very rare treat for the kids )

Swan’s Dairy
1 gallon milk
1.5 lbs cheddar
1 pint cream

Conrad’s (local farm)
2 dozen eggs
1 head romaine lettuce
2 tomatoes

Whole Foods
3 lbs organic brown rice
2 lbs organic unhulled barley
1 package Rapadura

Menu for 2 weeks -
Dinners:
Roast Beef Wraps with French Fries (fried in peanut oil)
Tacos
Homemade Pizza w/Turkey Italian Sausage
Chicken Parmesan
Chili
Sweet and Sour Chicken and Fried Rice
Roast Chicken legs and Caesar Salad
Chicken Wings (maybe, if we don’t have enough leftovers)

Breakfast:
Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Pumpkin Muffins
Eggs, Homemade Yogurt, Fruit and Toast
Oatmeal
Cream of Rice cereal
Eggs, Bacon & Hash Browns (weekend)

Lunches:
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Chic Breast Sandwiches w/tortilla chips
Peanut butter sandwiches for kids

Dessert on Sunday:
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Toffee
Popcorn

Miscellaneous Items I will make this week:
Whole Wheat Molasses Bread
Yogurt
Buttermilk
Sour Cream

Notice that the dinner menu is for two weeks, but it’s only 8 meals. We have leftovers often to relieve me of cooking duty. 

 

Popcorn

 Want a healthy alternative to chips?  Make some delicious popcorn.  We have been brainwashed to think that popcorn is bad for us.  Movie theater popcorn and microwave popcorn IS bad for us, but when you make popcorn at home in a healthy fat, it is good for you!  It is a whole-grain, whole-food, high-fiber, unprocessed food.  Don’t feel guilt over popcorn anymore.

Makes about 12 cups

Heat, in a medium saucepan, covered, over medium heat:

1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil

2 popcorn kernels

When you hear the 2 kernels pop, you know the pan is heated enough.  Now add:

1/3 cup popcorn

Occasionally shake the pan during cooking.  When you no longer hear popping, turn heat off, carefully take off lid and pour into a large serving bowl.  Drizzle 2 tablespoons melted butter over and salt to taste.  Enjoy!

Helpful links -

The Many Health Benefits of Butter

Why Coconut Oil?

Which Fats are Healthy?