Friday, April 23, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Yes I am on a bit of a HFCS rant today! Got to love youtube for getting facts across. Especially if they are delivered by reputable persons!!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Time article well worth a read....
When the public school office of the 6th district of Paris summoned me to a meeting late last year, the tone of urgency in the letter sent me running down the block, into the 19th century courtyard of the town hall and up the narrow stairs to the top floor.
"What does your son eat for lunch?" the woman asked after I ran in breathless. I had no idea what to say. When my son started nursery school last September at the age of 3, I had registered him for the school lunch program. But when he failed to appear in the lunchroom after that, city officials quickly took notice. My explanation — that I thought he should take a break and eat lunch at home in the middle of the day — was apparently not sufficient. This was personal. (See 10 things to do in Paris.)
"The food is very good, Madame. The meat is 100% French," the official said, picking up a brochure from her desk. I knew this brochure well, having e-mailed it to friends in the U.S. last year as a this-could-only-happen-in-France conversation piece. It lists in great detail the lunch menu for each school day over a two-month period. On Mondays, the menus are also posted on the wall outside every school in the country. The variety on the menus is astonishing: no single meal is repeated over the 32 school days in the period, and every meal includes an hors d'oeuvre, salad, main course, cheese plate and dessert. (See nine kid foods to avoid.)
There is more: the final column in the brochure carries the title "Suggestions for the evening." That, too, changes daily. If your child has eaten turkey, ratatouille and a raspberry-filled crepe for lunch, the city of Paris suggests pasta, green beans and a fruit salad for dinner. (See the 10 worst fast food meals.)
I finally saw the system in action earlier this month. Caught short by a sick nanny, my son, who was accustomed to eating leftovers from the refrigerator, sat in silence with his 25 classmates at tables in the nursery-school cafeteria, while city workers served a leisurely, five-course meal. One day, when I arrived to collect him, a server whispered for me to wait until the dessert course was over. Out in the hall, one of the staff shouted for "total quiet" to a crowd of 4-year-olds awaiting the next lunch seating. "I will now read you today's menu," he told them. "First, you will begin with a salad."
Americans struggling with obesity epidemics have for years wondered how the so-called French paradox works: How does a nation that ingests huge quantities of butter, beef and cakes keep trim and have such long lives? It could be the red wine, as some believe. But another reason has to be this: in a country where con artists and adulterers are tolerated, the laws governing meals are sacrosanct and are drummed into children before they can even hold a knife. The French don't need their First Lady to plant a vegetable garden at the Élysée Palace to encourage good eating habits. They already know the rules: sit down and take your time, because food is serious business. (See the top 10 food trends of 2008.)
In his new book Food Rules, Michael Pollan states in rule No. 58: "Do all your eating at a table." French children quickly learn that they won't be fed anywhere else. Snack and soda machines are banned from school buildings in France — a battle that is now raging across the U.S. And France's lunch programs are well funded. While the country is cutting public programs and civil-servant jobs to try to slash a debt of about $2.1 trillion, no one has dared to mention touching the money spent on school lunches. (Watch an interview with Michael Pollan.)
Public schools in France are overcrowded, rigid and hierarchical. And parents, who are never addressed by their first names, are strongly discouraged from entering school buildings, let alone the classrooms. I cannot tell you what my child learns, paints or builds on any given school day. But I do know that on Feb. 4, he ate hake in Basque sauce, mashed pumpkin, cracked rice, Edam cheese and organic fruits for lunch. That meant stuffed marrows and apples for dinner. The city of Paris said so.
"What does your son eat for lunch?" the woman asked after I ran in breathless. I had no idea what to say. When my son started nursery school last September at the age of 3, I had registered him for the school lunch program. But when he failed to appear in the lunchroom after that, city officials quickly took notice. My explanation — that I thought he should take a break and eat lunch at home in the middle of the day — was apparently not sufficient. This was personal. (See 10 things to do in Paris.)
"The food is very good, Madame. The meat is 100% French," the official said, picking up a brochure from her desk. I knew this brochure well, having e-mailed it to friends in the U.S. last year as a this-could-only-happen-in-France conversation piece. It lists in great detail the lunch menu for each school day over a two-month period. On Mondays, the menus are also posted on the wall outside every school in the country. The variety on the menus is astonishing: no single meal is repeated over the 32 school days in the period, and every meal includes an hors d'oeuvre, salad, main course, cheese plate and dessert. (See nine kid foods to avoid.)
There is more: the final column in the brochure carries the title "Suggestions for the evening." That, too, changes daily. If your child has eaten turkey, ratatouille and a raspberry-filled crepe for lunch, the city of Paris suggests pasta, green beans and a fruit salad for dinner. (See the 10 worst fast food meals.)
I finally saw the system in action earlier this month. Caught short by a sick nanny, my son, who was accustomed to eating leftovers from the refrigerator, sat in silence with his 25 classmates at tables in the nursery-school cafeteria, while city workers served a leisurely, five-course meal. One day, when I arrived to collect him, a server whispered for me to wait until the dessert course was over. Out in the hall, one of the staff shouted for "total quiet" to a crowd of 4-year-olds awaiting the next lunch seating. "I will now read you today's menu," he told them. "First, you will begin with a salad."
Americans struggling with obesity epidemics have for years wondered how the so-called French paradox works: How does a nation that ingests huge quantities of butter, beef and cakes keep trim and have such long lives? It could be the red wine, as some believe. But another reason has to be this: in a country where con artists and adulterers are tolerated, the laws governing meals are sacrosanct and are drummed into children before they can even hold a knife. The French don't need their First Lady to plant a vegetable garden at the Élysée Palace to encourage good eating habits. They already know the rules: sit down and take your time, because food is serious business. (See the top 10 food trends of 2008.)
In his new book Food Rules, Michael Pollan states in rule No. 58: "Do all your eating at a table." French children quickly learn that they won't be fed anywhere else. Snack and soda machines are banned from school buildings in France — a battle that is now raging across the U.S. And France's lunch programs are well funded. While the country is cutting public programs and civil-servant jobs to try to slash a debt of about $2.1 trillion, no one has dared to mention touching the money spent on school lunches. (Watch an interview with Michael Pollan.)
Public schools in France are overcrowded, rigid and hierarchical. And parents, who are never addressed by their first names, are strongly discouraged from entering school buildings, let alone the classrooms. I cannot tell you what my child learns, paints or builds on any given school day. But I do know that on Feb. 4, he ate hake in Basque sauce, mashed pumpkin, cracked rice, Edam cheese and organic fruits for lunch. That meant stuffed marrows and apples for dinner. The city of Paris said so.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Q&A - What is the One thing a working mom should do first?
Question....
So what do you recommend to be the starting point for someone who works FT and may not have as much time available to plan, prepare, think about all this? The 1 thing I should do first??? We cook all our meals already, but need healthier choices or ingredients to sneak in.
Answer....
Don't get overwhelmed!!! I can suggest, start with cutting out all Trans Fats, or introduce whole grain products (and those would be great starts) But in all honesty it starts with your thinking and mindset! Before you can physically start changing, you need to get the mental foundation for a lifestyle change in place first.
As a busy full time working mom, you have your own set of daily family challenges. I believe the better mentally geared up you are, then the more likely you will succeed and less of chore or added work load this will be. Like anything if you want something bad enough, you will find a way to make it work!
Be inspired!
I think the most essential first step is to be enthusiastic and inspired about making this lifestyle change. Otherwise it will feel like a chore and not last. Be Inspired for yourself and your family and decide if this is something you want to do and why?
Keep it Real!
One of the most important things you can do is establish the right foundation!
The hardest part of any lifestyle change is doing the groundwork. Starting on a solid foundation is vital to carrying you through. If you get this right then you have won half the battle! However, many people launch into diet changes on impulse, without proper preparation or unrealistic expectations and unfortunately, their motivation and drive will only last so long. You need to just do what you can for you and your family and see it as part of your already established lifestyle....keep it real!
To set up a solid foundation....You need to want to do it!
What is your motivation? Sum it up into a sentence and display it where you can see it, have a visual positive reminder (not a guilt reminder) And be excited about what you are doing for you and your family...Dig deep and be real!
Have goals, Learn about the fake foods you do not wish to expose your family to anymore, become familiar with the "naughties" and decide if its something you want to eliminate. Like anything if you don't have motivation/understanding or really want it, then its harder and less achievable to do.
Change as little as you can!
- Be real with yourself!
Its vital as a busy mom to set yourself up for success from the start, its easy to go in thinking about everything that needs changing, feeling like a failure when you slip up just once...keep it real and attainable for you. Only you know what you are capable of doing, don't overwhelm yourself and create unnecessary stress!
- Take it one step at a time.
Accept that any change you make is good and that at the end of the day/week/month if you have permanently changed one eating habit for healthier eating or have read an article that has given you motivation and insight then you are winning the race for healthier living!
- Incorporate it into what you already do.
If you are someone of schedule and you shop on a certain day for a certain amount of time, keep that up. If you get home after work and cook or if you cook on the weekends and freeze meals for the week, keep that up! Adapt real food into your now lifestyle and change as little of your schedule and routines as possible!
What do I do next?
I am really hoping that through this blog I can offer support to busy moms. By answering questions, sharing my journey, exploring the foods we eat, suggesting product replacement and anything else you can suggest that would make it easier for you to obtain the goal of eating real for real busy families!
The next part to real food success is Planning!!!
I'll post some tips on better planning for a busy mom soon, keep it simple/keep it real!
If you were looking for more of an answer that just suggests what you should and shouldn't eat. I will be putting a list together soon....so watch out for it!
And remember.....
Have fun and make it enjoyable!!!
You are on your way to becoming a real food family!
So what do you recommend to be the starting point for someone who works FT and may not have as much time available to plan, prepare, think about all this? The 1 thing I should do first??? We cook all our meals already, but need healthier choices or ingredients to sneak in.
Answer....
Don't get overwhelmed!!! I can suggest, start with cutting out all Trans Fats, or introduce whole grain products (and those would be great starts) But in all honesty it starts with your thinking and mindset! Before you can physically start changing, you need to get the mental foundation for a lifestyle change in place first.
As a busy full time working mom, you have your own set of daily family challenges. I believe the better mentally geared up you are, then the more likely you will succeed and less of chore or added work load this will be. Like anything if you want something bad enough, you will find a way to make it work!
Be inspired!
I think the most essential first step is to be enthusiastic and inspired about making this lifestyle change. Otherwise it will feel like a chore and not last. Be Inspired for yourself and your family and decide if this is something you want to do and why?
Keep it Real!
One of the most important things you can do is establish the right foundation!
The hardest part of any lifestyle change is doing the groundwork. Starting on a solid foundation is vital to carrying you through. If you get this right then you have won half the battle! However, many people launch into diet changes on impulse, without proper preparation or unrealistic expectations and unfortunately, their motivation and drive will only last so long. You need to just do what you can for you and your family and see it as part of your already established lifestyle....keep it real!
To set up a solid foundation....You need to want to do it!
What is your motivation? Sum it up into a sentence and display it where you can see it, have a visual positive reminder (not a guilt reminder) And be excited about what you are doing for you and your family...Dig deep and be real!
Have goals, Learn about the fake foods you do not wish to expose your family to anymore, become familiar with the "naughties" and decide if its something you want to eliminate. Like anything if you don't have motivation/understanding or really want it, then its harder and less achievable to do.
Change as little as you can!
- Be real with yourself!
Its vital as a busy mom to set yourself up for success from the start, its easy to go in thinking about everything that needs changing, feeling like a failure when you slip up just once...keep it real and attainable for you. Only you know what you are capable of doing, don't overwhelm yourself and create unnecessary stress!
- Take it one step at a time.
Accept that any change you make is good and that at the end of the day/week/month if you have permanently changed one eating habit for healthier eating or have read an article that has given you motivation and insight then you are winning the race for healthier living!
- Incorporate it into what you already do.
If you are someone of schedule and you shop on a certain day for a certain amount of time, keep that up. If you get home after work and cook or if you cook on the weekends and freeze meals for the week, keep that up! Adapt real food into your now lifestyle and change as little of your schedule and routines as possible!
What do I do next?
I am really hoping that through this blog I can offer support to busy moms. By answering questions, sharing my journey, exploring the foods we eat, suggesting product replacement and anything else you can suggest that would make it easier for you to obtain the goal of eating real for real busy families!
The next part to real food success is Planning!!!
I'll post some tips on better planning for a busy mom soon, keep it simple/keep it real!
If you were looking for more of an answer that just suggests what you should and shouldn't eat. I will be putting a list together soon....so watch out for it!
And remember.....
Have fun and make it enjoyable!!!
You are on your way to becoming a real food family!
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