June 20, 2009
June 15, 2009
Thoughts on Food
I went to the grocery store today on my lunch break because I was in desperate need of some afternoon snacks. After a quick run through the store I got in line with a full basket: Triscuits, cheese, fresh fruit, dark chocolate and olive oil, which was not for snacks but rather was on sale and who can resist decent Italian olive oil on sale? Not me, for sure.
As I waited in line I couldn't help but notice the goods belonging to the woman in front of me. I don't know how to describe it all except for confused, which is exactly what I think this woman was about 'healthy eating'. She was trying, for sure... she had sugar free popsicles and organic soy milk and whole grain wheat bread. She gets a gold star on the bread, but HFCS is not any better than sugar (and is probably worse) and unless she was lactose intolerant or vegetarian (which I doubt, given the frozen meat lasagna) the soy milk is pretty useless as well. Which made me think about how much better Americans as a whole would eat if they only knew what was good for them.
Now, I'm no dietitian or self-proclaimed expert in healthy eating, but I took some basic classes in college and now work for a doctor who is board certified in nutrition. In other words, I feel like I know a little more than your average bear. I can tell you what things like iron and vitamin B9 do in your body, and why you need to eat them. I can even tell you where to find some of these kinds of things (leafy greens for iron; fruits, veggies and nuts are good sources of B9.)
That being said... I eat FAR from the perfect diet. I love white starches... pasta, rice, bread. I eat too many fats, and don't get enough omega-3's. I eat too much red meat and not enough vegetables.
As I waited in line I couldn't help but notice the goods belonging to the woman in front of me. I don't know how to describe it all except for confused, which is exactly what I think this woman was about 'healthy eating'. She was trying, for sure... she had sugar free popsicles and organic soy milk and whole grain wheat bread. She gets a gold star on the bread, but HFCS is not any better than sugar (and is probably worse) and unless she was lactose intolerant or vegetarian (which I doubt, given the frozen meat lasagna) the soy milk is pretty useless as well. Which made me think about how much better Americans as a whole would eat if they only knew what was good for them.
Now, I'm no dietitian or self-proclaimed expert in healthy eating, but I took some basic classes in college and now work for a doctor who is board certified in nutrition. In other words, I feel like I know a little more than your average bear. I can tell you what things like iron and vitamin B9 do in your body, and why you need to eat them. I can even tell you where to find some of these kinds of things (leafy greens for iron; fruits, veggies and nuts are good sources of B9.)
That being said... I eat FAR from the perfect diet. I love white starches... pasta, rice, bread. I eat too many fats, and don't get enough omega-3's. I eat too much red meat and not enough vegetables.
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