my food experiment and what i learned

I have always been interested in food.  I read menus and recipe books for fun.  Trying out a new restaurant or recipe is an exciting adventure to me.  Ordering just the right dish or creating a perfect meal is so satisfying for me.  

Friends and family will call, text or e-mail me just about food.  And I love it.  

I have also been interested in nutrition.  I was going to major in nutrition but my interest in chemistry was not as strong as my interest in having fun during college.  But here is something that I didn't like about formally studying nutrition... all the rules.  Some rules that I don't believe in.  Some rules that I break all the time.  On purpose.  Since I am not one to really rock the boat, I just avoided the boat altogether.

Then I became a mom.  Sometimes habit, time, lack of planning, whining, the addiction to instant gratification took precedence over nutrition.  

That is why I was feeding "fruit" snacks to my kids on a regular basis.  Somewhere along the lines I decided it was okay to feed them this tooth-sugar-glue all the time.  Some genius took gum drops/gummi bears, shaped them in my kids' favorite characters, put the name fruit on the label, and I bought them.  A lot.  I ate them a lot, too.  Even before I had kids. 

That is why I was starting to think that a lunchable was a meal.  Karl was even surprised when he saw the stack in our fridge.  They were crackers (made from refined flour), processed cheese, ham with nitrites (causes childhood leukemia and tumors) and a Nestle crunch bar.  Never mind that the coupon I had made it so the store actually paid me to take them.  I was feeding me kids negative nutrition.  I liked that my kids got all excited over them.  See?  Instant gratification.

Little Caesar was becoming my friend.  I had the locations memorized, I could grab one and viola!  Instant dinner.  Only 5 bucks.  Almost fed my whole family and, hey, it had all the four food groups, right?  

There are more, but you probably get my point. 

Now, I think I have hit the reset button on my thinking about food.  

This does not mean that I do not eat junk anymore.  This does not mean that you will not see my kids eating shaved ice all summer.  This does not mean that I will not post about the waffles and fries that I had on Saturday or the La Puene smothered burrito I had on Monday (Sunday night I couldn't sleep I wanted one so bad.  So I talked Karl into going there for lunch the next day).  This just means that I have been looking at food a totally different way.  And I like it.

It started because I had a few worries about my kids.  It is my job to worry about them.  So I was talking with a doctor and she suggested doing an "elimination diet" to see what happened.  Just for two weeks.  That meant:

-no refined foods (white flour, white rice...)

-no refined sugars (honey, agave nectar, xylitol, maple syrup, and stevia are ok)

-no dairy

-no artificial colors

My first thoughts?  I am a sugar addict, Karl has dairy farmer roots, I was raised on white rice, there is no way I can do that.

But my gut knew that I could do this.  I can handle a small challenge.  I knew this could only be good for the kids.  I have always felt unsettled with the fact that Samuel had to have his tonsils and adenoids out when he was just a baby because he couldn't breath.  I have always felt unsettled that he had eczema so bad that no doctor, allergist, dermatologist, cream or pill could make it go away but as soon as we cut back his milk, it went away.  But I mostly just went with the flow.  

I learned several things:

Sugar is in so many things (high fructose corn syrup in ketchup, sugar in mayonnaise...)

I had a lot of junk in my cupboards.  There was a huge hole when I took the stuff out.  I was ruthless.  I threw out so much.  So not like me.  But we didn't really need Halloween and Christmas candy anymore, anyway.  Those that I couldn't bear to part with (the chocolate covered pretzels and almonds and macadamia clusters, the Girl Scout Cookies, they all went in a box and went downstairs).

I learned that if I make fresh whole wheat bread, my family will eat a ton of it.  Over four loaves a week!  We made pitas, too.  They were a pain but I'll probably do it again once I forget what a pain they were.  Samuel loves to cook.  He knows how to use this can opener that no one else can and it makes him feel so cool.  

 

I learned that my kids will eat almost anything if I make it cute. 

I learned that they love hummus and will eat red peppers and cucumbers if I serve it with hummus.

(egg in whole wheat bread with strawberries, apples and oranges.  Hole is the shape of a heart.)

 

(Banana muffins made with honey and whole wheat, strawberry grape "flowers", blackberry and apple "smiles," scrambled eggs)

(apple orange grape nashi "fishy" with edamame "seaweed."  I was sleeping in on a Saturday, Eva came in my room, took one of the cookbooks I had by my bed, found this idea, and had me cut up the fruit.  She assembled and came up with the "seaweed" on her own)

 

(apple, orange, grape, blackberry "penguin."  Eva designed it, I cut the fruit, and she assembled.  We also made eggs in the Hello Kitty waffle iron and it totally worked.  Little Hello Kitty omelets!  Cousin Katie slept over.  You can see their tent in the background.  SHE even ate the stuff.  It is not secret that I get anxiety when I need to feed a picky eater.  I should probably have gotten written consent from her to post this picture with her hair uncombed :))

I learned that school lunch is so not okay (Jamie Oliver, please come here next!). 

 Today's menu was quiche (fine), sweet rolls (dessert, fine), peaches (in syrup I am sure, okay, another dessert),  all to be washed down with chocolate milk (which has the same amount of sugar as Coke!  6 teaspoons per cup!).  That is just a little sample.  3 parts sugar, one part protein.  Eva cannot stay focused and energized with that kind of food.  Can anyone?

I learned that it takes more time and planning to make sure the meals are healthy.  Now I lose 20 minutes of sleep to make Eva's lunch.  I get out the cookie cutters and all the fruits and veggies and make her meals full of whole grains, proteins, and lots of fruits and veggies.  20 minutes well spent.  I don't have any pictures because I usually make it in a state of grogginess.  Mornings may never be my thing.

I learned that kids need to be presented with something 12 times before we give up on it.  Dr. Oz said that kids that eat only beige foods and don't try new things, their taste buds never mature.  I admit, it is easier to just give my kids mac n cheese.  But there was a time when I dreaded potty training, too.  But now that I went through the pain of training, it is so much better.   I won't let my kids use a diaper like a baby, I won't let them eat like a baby.  Funny what we think is acceptable, right?  But now, we actually enjoy food together.  

So, the two weeks came and went.  Easter was in that two weeks.  We are able to celebrate just fine.  The kids had a great day.  We had a great time celebrating with family.  

The project was a success.  I learned so much.  I feel very passionate about this.  I am passionate about focusing on feeding them nutritious foods that will make their bodies.  An added benefit?  I feel healthier now, too.  Because it is not like I was going to make them eat their nuts and raisins while I sneak a bite of a Snickers.  Well, for the most part.  

I learned that it isn't about deprivation.  It is about giving them so many great options that they won't miss the junk.  It is about giving them enough nutritious food that when they do have junk, their bodies can recover.  I learned that I can't always eat healthy, especially when traveling, but I can do my best.  I had a friend say that they felt so junk food deprived when they were young that he and his siblings went crazy with it when they were on their own.  He said at one point, he would calculate his paycheck by how many candy bars he could buy.  Funny, right?  I don't want my kids to be THOSE kids, the ones that beg for sugar at their friends' houses as soon as I am out of sight.  I will have to work on this one.

I learned that people might think I am nuts.  My family made sure of that.  But I can't help but look at food related diseases like diabetes and cancer and feel like I need to do my part to take care of my own little family.  

Oh, and I do have the image in my mind of my kids years down the road in a therapy session, talking about the day that their mom wouldn't let them have a piece of chocolate cake with bright blue frosting at their cousin's birthday party.  They had to sit and eat their whole wheat, honey brownies and everyone else got sparkly blue cake.  Poor things.

I have more to say about this.  I may elaborate. 

Watch me have a kid that is the world's pickiest eater that will only drink chocolate milk and eat Wonder bread.  Watch me post about the ooiest gooiest dessert with cream on top.  I realize that life happens.  But for now, I am really passionate about this.   Oh, did I already say, that?  It is because I am.


Healthy eating ideas, experiences, opinions?  I am all ears.

(It is 2 am.  Three of us are awake.  Samuel just told Karl that I make the best food but that Karl makes the BEST toast.)