November 23, 2010
It’s that time of year again. The time when family and friends gather to eat together… with all kinds of traditions coming to the table. And when I can count on at least one person calling me ‘the food police’ either directly to my face or in a more subtle way, “Watch out, the food police have arrived.” Subtle, yes?
I find that talking about food, nutrition, and healthy eating is one of the most difficult topics to discuss with family and friends. Especially during the holidays. I loved it when Dr. Oz provided an example of ‘A’ through ‘F’ graded categories of green beans on his show this week. The best grade went to fresh green beans which earned an ‘A’. Next came frozen green beans, earning a ‘B’. Then there were canned green beans, netting a ‘C’ grade. The ‘D’ grade was for processed green beans. We’ve all seen the three bean salad in a can, for example. Looking at the label, one quickly sees how many things got added to that can besides green beans and water. And then there was the ‘F’ grade assigned to processed green beans cooked into nearly unrecognizable casseroles with other highly processed ingredients, such as canned mushroom soup with enough salt content to last a week, and processed onions that do NOT look like onions even after floating in the casserole bowl with enough moisture to plump anything that has any chance of coming back to life if only enough water is added.
So, no, food police I am not. I just like fresh green beans, fresh cranberries, a fresh green salad, freshly baked bread, and freshly baked pies… even a fresh turkey when it is an option. I still may overeat, but I won’t feel like a chemical factory has been preserved inside my stomach when I am done. Cheers to giving thanks and enjoying the holiday with friends and family…
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