Since food is such an interrelated part of what this blog is all about, I can't imagine moving forward without writing a little bit about what I think is healthy. When it comes to healthy eating, ten dieticians could give you ten different sets of rules for what to eat and what to avoid. I've had a lot of years to sort through several stacks of books' worth of information from myriad sources, and I've developed some of my own conclusions. They probably won't match all of yours, and that's ok. I think that diet is a very personal and individual choice, and I really don't think that there exists a single solution that would be perfect for everyone. These are just my own thoughts, and will probably influence what I write in the future on here a great deal.
#1 -- Fresher is better (but preserved is good, too).
Ideally, most of our foods would be fresh. Fresh-picked apples from a tree in the backyard, fresh-cut lettuce from the windowsill, freshly laid egg from the henhouse. The longer after a food is harvested or collected, the less nutritious it gets until it is actually rotting/moulding/etc. This requires eating food seasonally.
Since we are a single-family home, there will be times when we cannot eat all of the food that nature gives us immediately. Conversely, there will be times when nature is not providing nearly enough for us to eat. Preserving food to cover that gap makes a lot of sense. I prefer food preserving methods that involve few (if any) chemicals. I like to freeze using a blanching method (where necessary), can using natural acids like lemon juice and sugar only as necessary. I'm still a novice at food dehydrating, cheese making, and yogurt making, though I plan to attend some classes through U.C.Davis throughout this year. http://cesacramento.ucanr.edu/Master_Food_Preservers_181/
#2 -- Meat is a treat.
I've made a couple of attempts to cut meat out of my diet, but I've never been very successful at it long-term. I do think that Americans, as a group, eat far more meat than is healthy per capita, and more meat than can be healthily sustained by our land. On the other hand, I like the taste of meat. I like being able to eat out socially.
Aside from the health aspects of eating animals (and animal products such as dairy, eggs, and honey), there are also moral/religious aspects. While there are many scriptures that I have read and pondered when studying this subject, one which had a great impact for me is D&C 49:18, "And whoso forbiddeth to abstain from meats, that man should not eat the same, is not ordained of God;" I could find no scripture that forbade the eating of meat, or any scriptural evidence that we should avoid eating flesh or animal products. Later in that same chapter, there is a warning given against wasting flesh when there is no need. And, of course, in the famous Word of Wisdom revelation, D&C 89:12 reads, "Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;"
How spare is sparingly? I think that it is up to us to use our own judgement on this, and it depends on where you started from. Right now, my goal is 2 meats per week. It's probably still high, but my husband is still very fond of a meat-centric diet. When I serve meat, I try to serve only a small portion per person; a tablespoon of ground beef encorporated into a taco rather than a whole chicken thigh per person. Since we have a lot of young children at the table, it's easier for them to chew as well.
#3 -- Control proportions rather than portions.
I try to eat a balanced diet of traditional foods. When I plan a meal, I try to imagine my plate cut into quarters -- fruit, veggie, protein, carbohydrates. I'm sure that there are more precise (complicated) formulas out there, but I am a simple person, and if it's not simple, it doesn't stay in my head. I'm not really worried about How Much each person eats, so long as they keep that same proportion. If you're going back for seconds, get some more pasta, and also more of the steamed veggies. If you are eating healthy foods with proper proportions, I think that it is really difficult to overeat.
#4 -- Limit processing, salt, sugars, and oils.
This one is pretty standard. Of everything I've read, it was almost universally accepted that oils and sugars should be used sparingly. Again, that word "sparingly", and the experts certainly had widely differing opinions as to the details on this. I do use a small amount of olive oil for cooking where I think it is necessary, and I sometimes use butter in baking. I use a variety of spices (including salt) to season my food. I use some sugar in cooking and baking and in preparing beverages. I also use honey as a sweetener (local when possible) for its health properties.
I try to avoid chemical processing as much as possible. This is not a perfect world, and there are times when I am not in an ideal situation. I accept this, and I eat what is available even when it is not what I would buy myself; I try not to make myself an obnoxioius guest. But when I do my own food shopping, these things are pretty easy to avoid.
Finally, I just try to keep the empty calories at a minimum. We don't eat dessert every night. Sometimes, "dessert" is a small bowl of sugarfree applesauce topped with almond slivers and craisins. I try to limit sugary foods, candy, ice cream, chips, soda, etc to times of celebration. I don't ban them, but they're not foods that we need to eat all the time, either.
#5 -- Don't obsess.
This is the way I try to do things generally. These are more guidelines than rules. There are days when I just feel like chocolate, or a hamburger, or fresh-baked cookies. I am grateful that I have access to so many wonderful kinds of foods, and so many choices open to me.
Do you have any healthy-eating rules in your life? Drop me a comment and tell me about it.
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