Speaking of food, do you really know what your child is eating, where it came from, what’s in it? What about what adults are eating? Is it real? Where did it come from? What’s in it? Have you ever heard of perimeter shopping? That means, when you have to shop at grocery stores, shop the perimeter of it and stay away from the interior aisles. Think about it…what’s usually around the walls of a store? Fresh and/or frozen produce, meat, seafood, bread, cheeses, dairy,etc With the exception of grains, pasta & rice, the stuff in the middle is processed and comes in a box…don’t buy it if it’s in a box! Make it yourself-it’ll be a gazillion times tastier and healthier for you!!!! Read labels; if it has saturated fat, hydrogenated oil or high fructose corn syrup-DON’T TOUCH IT!! Haven’t you noticed the new campaign ads on TV about high fructose corn syrup? The one with the couple who are on a picnic and the girl offers the guy a popsicle. He refuses because it has HFCS and she confronts him with 3 reasons it’s okay…the 3rd reason is not clearly spoken. She mumbles “it’s okay like sugar if eaten in moderation” There’s some truth to that. However, the problem comes in when you consider everything else people eat that has sugar and/or processed food. Once you start reading ingredient labels, you will see that HFCS is in 99% of our food supply which means 99% has way too much sugar and chemicals. HFCS is a chemically processed by-product of corn. The producers of HFCS are running scared and have launched this new ad campaign to combat the exposure they’re getting from food activist who are concerned about the genetically engineered food supply. If you really want to put your finger on the heartbeat of this issue, read Michael Pollan’s, An Omnivore’s Dilema…it is life changing!! And people wonder why childhood obesity, diabetes, learning disorders, respiratory problems, allergies, and a plethora of other medical conditions are at an astonishing all time high!!! Even more, alot of the fresh produce in the markets aren’t the best because they’re picked while still green, so that by the time they reach the store, they will be the right “color”. This means that they don’t get to stay on the vine for the full ripening process and therefore lack nutrients and minerals…basically ending up dead food. The obvious 2 problems with this are: 1. we think we’re eating whole fresh food, but we’re really eating “pretty” dead food with little to no nutrients or taste. (have you ever compared homegrown/store bought tomatoes?) 2. We’re not supporting our local economy by buying locally produced food and we really don’t know how many hands, clean or not, have touched that food. No worries, though-you have options 🙂 You can…Grow your own veggies and fruits, shop at local farmer’s markets, participate in community gardens or all of the above. If you’re not sure what fruits do well in our area, call Tyler up at the Extension Office-409.374.2123-he can help or go onto their website www.chambers-tx.tamu.edu . From personal experience, we’ve successfully grown blackberries, mulberries, lemons, blueberries, oranges, grapefruits, apples, plums, bananas, kiwi, satsuma, and figs. We are what we eat. Eat fresh, eat local, eat homemade. Studies have shown that children who eat unprocessed, balanced meals at the table (that means not in front of the t.v., computer or video game) surrounded by family and conversation perform better in school and become more stable, productive adults. So gather the family, cook together, eat together, talk together-life is not a dress rehearsal-make it count! Know where your food comes from-it matters.
