I personally
feel that the reason we, as a society, seem to struggle so much with obesity,
health issues such as high cholesterol and diabetes, emotional issues such as
depression and anxiety, etc. is in large part due to what we stick in our
mouths. There is so much junk “food” out
there and we eat it. We eat a lot of it
too, because it doesn’t keep us satiated and feeling full for very long. So we eat more of it. It seems like a vicious cycle at times. I believe that poor eating alters our body chemistry. Just my opinion, but I really do believe it and I'm not alone.
How things are made is every bit as important as what they are made with
For many years I’ve
been a label reader. I’m sure I’ve
annoyed many a shopper because I stand there in the aisle taking up to five
minutes to decide on a bottle of ketchup, but it’s what I do. I don’t want corn syrup in my ketchup or
additives and ingredients I don’t recognize. I want real food and I want quality food.
No thank you
Over time I’ve
come to recognize that there are a lot of what I refer to as “food like products”
out there that don’t actually contain any real food in them, especially in the
dairy category. Creamers, whipped
topping, non dairy cheese slices and block cheese product and margarine just to
name a few. Canned soups contain
genetically engineer food items. What
exactly does that mean? Breakfast
cereals are so over processed they no longer contain any nutrition so replacement
vitamins (aka enriched) are added back in during manufacturing. Just that word “manufacturing” should send up
an alarm. Our food should be grown, not
manufactured.
My goal is 95% REAL foods by yearend
These days I am looking
for REAL food options to fill my
shopping bags. Here are some of the
changes I am making:
I’m on a mission
to clean up my pantry once and for all.
Yes, it is going to mean more work in my kitchen, but in the end it will
all be worth it. What are your thoughts
on the foods sold in grocery stores? Are
you making any changes to what you are buying these days?
This subject is very near and dear to my heart. I firmly believe that the US has the health crisis it has because of the food so many people eat. So many other countries do not even allow the 'ingredients' that are in our food. I have read a number of books on the subject and talked to people from other countries that do not even understand some of the things people here are willing to eat. Right now I would say we are 85% real food but aiming for 95% like you. My list is pretty much exact to yours. Bacon fat is also a good substitute for vegetable shortening. I love the mister bottle that I bought for avocado oil Those aerosol cans of spray always freaked me out a bit. Great post!! It isn't easy but we can do it.
ReplyDeleteYes we can Lori! Those aerosol cans contain silicone. Why?! Why is it necessary and why is it allowed? That's the stuff you caulk your tub with! As long as we continue to buy these things they'll continue to make it because we, on the whole, don't demand better. So sad.
DeletePS. Bacon fat for the win!
Yes we are looking at the labels and putting back anything that contains genetically engineered products. It's that hard really; you just have to get used to it. But it's just one more thing...
ReplyDeleteIt's an important thing and I'm glad to hear you are doing it. :)
DeleteAs my husband gets older, he's been watching a lot of documentaries on health, nutrition, aging, the food industry, etc. It's been really eye opening. We're generally pretty good eaters, but we do have the occasional "cheater" food. And by that, I mean a prepped pad thai dish or something from Costco.
ReplyDeleteAs our teens get older, it's one of our goals to reduce those "cheater" meals, and focus more on whole foods.
(Hawaii Planner - comments aren't working on blogs)
Whole foods for the win!!
DeleteI read lots of labels … but, it’s because I have so many allergies. Being allergic to chicken eggs, all dairy, and gluten products makes it difficult for me at times. Plus, there’s soy, peanuts, and a few more! I do have to rely on plant-based margarines and milks. I end up making most of our food from scratch so I can monitor the ingredients.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that REAL food is so important, even though I sometimes buy processed things. As a former educator, I can tell you for certain that I really think all of the hormones and chemicals added to our foods is contributing to the early puberty in little girls. I'll just leave it at that, but the things they are experiencing now didn't happen to my friends and I until we were teenagers back in my day. I'm slowly starting to incorporate better foods into our diets. I haven't been as good about this in the past, but my own health is making it a requirement now, so it's been a slow transitioning process. I'm looking forward to our farmer's market this summer so I can buy some fresh fruits and veggies and home canned jellies and pickles.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try and source as much local produce this summer for canning as I can. I think, with our health issues, we are on the right track Mandy. :)
Delete(for some reason I can't sign in to blogger to comment at any blog, but I can sign in to my own account anyway...?)
ReplyDeleteHello, nice to meet you, I think I haven't written any comment on your blogs before?
I live in the northern Europe, which is like Canada to Europe. We don't have half those items "you" (I mean generic USA household) use as basic ingredients in cooking. Those are coming, of course, but they are not mainstream at all, yet. Many things USA legislation allows to use in food industry OR agriculture is forbidden by law here. For example antibiotics in meat - we just don't have it at all, or hormones. If animal is sick, it is treated, but there can't be any antibiotics in food that's given to all animals, each animal must be treated individually. Growth hormones are forbidden, as well as most gmo products.
That doesn't mean we (Europeans) are thin and healthy... I'm overweight, because I just simply eat too much. As I'm allergic to onions (yes, in all forms and shapes, also chives and leeks, but not garlic, it's different plant) AND chicken, I just can't have ready meals at all. So the blame is all me ;-D
Your blog and snippets of your life you are sharing here are very interesting, I do admire your way of life.
Ulvmor
https://ulvmor.blogspot.com/
I'm so glad you commented. I wish we had better food guidelines as in your country. This new "lab created" food they've got going on now is beyond my comprehension. I want no part of it. I believe anytime you mess with nature you create more problems than you can possibly deal with. We need to check ourselves and be much more careful.
DeleteI will be checking out your blog, thank you for sharing the link. Hope to hear again from you. Have a fabulous day! :)