In recent light of what is happening in my family, I have been thinking more about nutrition lately. I do believe in the healing power of foods. I believe that good nutrition is key to having a strong body.
That being said, I also love my processed food. I like the convienience of microwaving chicken nuggets in 1 minute - lunch is served! I like being able to snack on Cheetos and chips and all that stuff. I often don't read labels because I can't understand what the ingredients are, and I enjoy being "innocent" of what is really there. Truthfully, sometimes I just don't want to know.
But unprocessed foods also come with risks. How many outbreaks and recalls of "safe" and "healthy" produce have happened this year? A lot. About 4 years ago I had a nasty case of Crypto Sporidium. A horrible parasite that came from either swimming in a pool with feces (yuck!) or eating fece tainted produce (yuck!). I get queasy just from thinking about it! *Just for the record, I have always washed my produce!
The only sure way to know exactly what you are getting is to grow it yourself.....let's be honest - it's not going to happen in my home any time soon. I am known as a plant killer.
I like the balanced approach. I mostly cook from scratch. But I also like convienience too. Who am I to pass up lunch with my mom at Chili's? Some nights I just don't have as much time to make something from scratch. So my goal this month is to eat at least one unprocessed meal a day. It means that I am taking baby steps, but not completely giving up on everything else. (This goal is also made easier by my triumphant return to the gym and to running....which I will write about later.)
To help you on your food journey, here's a little something that I enjoy:
Mandy's Favorite Smoothy
1 individual container of Greek yogurt (any kind - no high fructose corn syrup!) *about 1/3 cup
1 individual container (or about 1/3 cup) unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup of frozen or fresh fruit (I like strawberries or raspberries)
1/2 cup orange juice (not from concentrate - the real stuff)
1/2 cup milk
Put everything into the blender and blend until smooth. If you don't have real orange juice, you can add 1 cup of milk (total) instead.
Serving Size: 1 if it is a meal, or 3 if it is a snack.
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