Guest guest Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Hello everyone: I wanted to take a minute to introduce myself. My name is Tim & live in a suburb of Chicago with my wife & two teen aged sons. I'm a Lutheran pastor, currently serving a congregation here. The reason I've joined this group is to learn more (and obtain moral support) about healthy eating. Alas, my story is one of having been there *once, but fell off the wagon, so to speak. Worst of all, we fell off the wagon of healthy eating just as our kids were coming along and so now they've been raised just as I was, with a poptart in one hand & a bottle of mountain dew in the other. But.... Even if I cannot convince them (they're teens after all, so mom & dad know nothing), I can always make changes for myself. I've purchased the old classic " Fighting the food giants " by Stitt (founder of Manitowoc Ovens Bakery in WI) and am re-reading it. I'm also making changes in my own eating habits......eating much more fruit (primarily apples) and trying to eat smaller, but healthier portions, as well as the healthy snack thing. So much for me & my intro. Now for a couple of questions.... Stitt & others (for example Mike Huckabee in his book " digging your grave with your fork " or something like that) each maintain that we turned something of a corner in the post-war era....that the groceries available to us on the shelves....were becoming more & more " processed, " less & less nutritious, etc. etc. IOW, the age of " wonder bread " became the age of poor nutrition. I think I can accept that, but the question I have is can we effectively turn the clock back & still shop at the Jewel.....Meijer's....IGA...Piggly-Wiggly, or whatever is close to you? IOW, is there ANYTHING there that is fit to buy/consume/eat these days? 2. At ground level, what would it *really* look like to turn that clock back to the pre-war era? Especially in terms of fruit/fresh produce in the middle of winter in the midwest? Just what were our grandparents able to buy? What were they able to put on the table? OK, mine were farmers so they canned a lot, but what about the city folk of the day? What were they eating for breakfast, lunch & dinner? [note: I think I get their point about the nutrition level of yesterday's food, tho obviously we have to be balanced in our thinking. I'm not going to start cooking with lard anytime soon] Well, this is getting long, so I'll stop here. Thanks! And I'm glad this forum exits. TM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Tim! Welcome. I've been on the wagon for about a year and a half now. Take baby steps and you'll get there. When I see where we started and where we are at, I'm shocked. I don't think how we eat is extreme, or anything, but most of my friends and family think we are crazy because of all the things we DO. And that's just been from changing one thing at a time. So, my job is to provide concierge services for test kitchens. So, although I don't drink the corporate kool-aid of the processed food industry, I will admit my guilt in " stirring " the kool-aid. It's knowing about food and shopping for food that I started seeing the light in what REAL food is. I used to think that a nutri-grain bar or a fiber one bar was a healthy snack. OH MY GOSH!!! For real. Anyway. I am in a few years getting out of the business, because I'm in groceries stores a lot shopping for them. And it makes me sick. I have to turn off that little thing in my brain that says " this isn't food. this is gross " . Otherwise, I'd throw up every time I did my job. For real. I almost did today when I went to get gold-n-plump chicken. Ish. I just puked in my mouth right now just from typing that. So, my journey started FIRST by going al organic and as local as possible, but still following conventional diet myths like " fats are bad for you " , " pasteurization is good " , " don't cook in lard " . And I must say, we have been pretty successful with that. But I think it's REALLY because we switched from conventionally grown foods to organic, and also to local beef. My husband and I lost 30 lbs each last year from just switching, eating more at home and finding local food sources. So to answer your first question. No, I don't think that you can get MUCH by way of nutrition in a regular grocery store. I strongly encourage you to find a co-op. And if there is not one, I'm just learning that there are " buying groups " too. But I'm still kinda figuring that stuff out. Can you seek out a local farmer. If you can do anything right now this is what I would do.... again. Baby steps. 1. Get rid of all processed foods in the house that aren't organic. (I'm not advocating that organic processed foods are ok, either. But this is a good first step.) We still on occasion do Annie's organic mac and cheese cause I'm just running late and it's better than macdonald's. We can't always be perfect. 2. Get a good local sources for organic eggs. DON'T BUY THE STUFF THAT THEY CALL EGGS AT THE STORE. Yuck. And have eggs be a staple in your diet. They're relatively cheap. Although, it is a price shock when you go from conventional 99 cents a dozen eggs to $3.30 a dozen for eggs. But you will notice that the organic, local eggs are BEAUTIFUL! I crave them every morning. 3. Switch to a raw source of milk. I'm assuming that your teenagers are into milk. Tell them that they can start drinking whole milk now. yeay!!! And switch to raw. It's WONDERFUL! http://realmilk.com/ 4. Get your produce as much as possible from a local source. I get produce in the winter from my csa too. It's just every other week instead of every week. A CSA is an economical way to get fresh produce every week from a local farm. And it gives you a chance to learn about new veggies. It's a great adventure!!! Check out a csa near you. The up-front cost might be a shocker, but overall, I did the math and it was cheaper for me each week to get a box from my csa than to go to the farmer's market to buy produce there. I still go to the farmer's market, but the bulk of my produce comes from my csa. You mentioned fruits and veggies. MAKE SURE THEY ARE ORGANIC or grown by a local farmer that uses sustainable practices. You will notice a world of different in the long-run with your health. Here is a link for the csa's. http://www.localharvest.org/csa/ These are all great steps. I just got Sally Fallon's book about 3 months ago. I was already doing things like incorporating coconut oil in my diet, and eating good animal fats, but that book is enlightening. It's called Nutrition Traditions. You should get it. I don't agree with the " theology " of why she eats or advocates how she eats what she eats, but my conclusion to hers is the same. So, I can stand by it. We do what we do because we feel that it bring God glory to be wise-stewards of the land and our bodies. I don't know that I'll ever get to the point that I'm making EVERYTHING from home, soaking grains and beans and everything to the extent that she does (Sally Fallon)... but again, I've come so far and in a year I might surprise myself that I'm doing more. Right now I buy sprouted grain breads, etc.(I don't make them) But just decided not to deal with the hassle of it for now and just cut out most of those types of carbs. I always have leftovers as snacks or lunch the next day. I make my own crackers as " snacks " but most of our snacks are produce. Make sure your produce is organic. I already mentioned that. Don't overwhelm yourself. Just do what you can. I would start with switching eggs and milk and produce, eventually buy a quarter cow and a few chickens and you'll be set!!! Does that help? Good luck. Just keep going!!! - > > Hello everyone: > > I wanted to take a minute to introduce myself. > My name is Tim & live in a suburb of Chicago with my wife & two teen aged sons. I'm a Lutheran pastor, currently serving a congregation here. > > The reason I've joined this group is to learn more (and obtain moral support) about healthy eating. Alas, my story is one of having been there *once, but fell off the wagon, so to speak. Worst of all, we fell off the wagon of healthy eating just as our kids were coming along and so now they've been raised just as I was, with a poptart in one hand & a bottle of mountain dew in the other. > > But.... > Even if I cannot convince them (they're teens after all, so mom & dad know nothing), I can always make changes for myself. I've purchased the old classic " Fighting the food giants " by Stitt (founder of Manitowoc Ovens Bakery in WI) and am re-reading it. I'm also making changes in my own eating habits......eating much more fruit (primarily apples) and trying to eat smaller, but healthier portions, as well as the healthy snack thing. > > So much for me & my intro. > Now for a couple of questions.... > > Stitt & others (for example Mike Huckabee in his book " digging your grave with your fork " or something like that) each maintain that we turned something of a corner in the post-war era....that the groceries available to us on the shelves....were becoming more & more " processed, " less & less nutritious, etc. etc. IOW, the age of " wonder bread " became the age of poor nutrition. > I think I can accept that, but the question I have is can we effectively turn the clock back & still shop at the Jewel.....Meijer's....IGA...Piggly-Wiggly, or whatever is close to you? IOW, is there ANYTHING there that is fit to buy/consume/eat these days? > > 2. At ground level, what would it *really* look like to turn that clock back to the pre-war era? Especially in terms of fruit/fresh produce in the middle of winter in the midwest? Just what were our grandparents able to buy? What were they able to put on the table? OK, mine were farmers so they canned a lot, but what about the city folk of the day? What were they eating for breakfast, lunch & dinner? > > [note: I think I get their point about the nutrition level of yesterday's food, tho obviously we have to be balanced in our thinking. I'm not going to start cooking with lard anytime soon] > > Well, this is getting long, so I'll stop here. > Thanks! And I'm glad this forum exits. > > TM > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 quick response.... No, as to the mountain dew & pop tart... the point I was trying to make was that I had **failed** with my kids cuz by the time they came along, my wife & I had fallen off the wagon. Hence we ended up back at our old lifestyle of junkfood city. I do **not** consider mountain dew & poptarts to be anything but candy (aka not real food), but I have a hard time convincing my kids of such wisdom now that I'm trying to get back on the wagon. Sorry for the confusion. tm ________________________________ From: Kathy <realfoodie2003@...> Sent: Thu, January 27, 2011 2:27:47 PM Subject: Re: intro & some questions Hi Tim, You would eat a pop tart and drink a Mountain Dew, but wouldn't consider cooking with lard!?! LOL What's funny is what our society has come to accept as food. Those products don't even come close to qualifying in my book! Food is what nourishes your body, and even though it gets a bad rap, lard from pastured pigs, does just that. I hope we can further educate you and change your mind, and that of your kids- I also have teenagers, and they appreciate healthy food (well, most of the time). I met the Stitts, when I heard them speak, years ago. I admire what they did in the schools. Although it is a good place to start, I recall that they are very whole food, whole grain, somewhat vegetarian based. Huckaby seems pretty mainstream, although I think he discourages sugar and white flour, which is impressive. Supersize Me is another interesting video. You could even watch it with your children if they are old enough, but preview it first. After that, I recommend that you update and widen your horizons a little. The latest video I got was Food Matters (on the advice of my local farmer!). I'm sure others can share some of their favorites. As far as books, there are many that are faith-based. I do The Maker's Diet most every Lent. I also have What Would Jesus Eat? Otherwise, if you haven't read Nourishing Traditions, you should! It changed my life! What should you buy at a conventional grocery store? Toilet paper, dish soap, sponges, epsom salts...I think you get the idea. The best bet for buying groceries at a store is to join a natural foods co-op. I'm would think you would have something in your area. The other, maybe even better, option is to know your farmer and buy directly from them. I know Dr. Mercola has a network that he uses, (probably on the west side, near his Schaumburg location) try to check into that. To paraphrase Salatin, we aren't trying to go back in time, we are just trying to bring the best of the past into the present and the future. You are on the right track and are in a position to influence alot of people to care for their health, while being good stewards of God's Creation. I look forward to continuing the discussion! Kathy Natural Health Educator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 could you please say more about this? I'm **very close to Schaumburg. tm > I know Dr. Mercola has a network that he uses, (probably on the west side, near his Schaumburg location) try to check into that. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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