Ups and Downs

So the past few weeks, and especially past few days, have been tough for me. Stress from all areas of my life + an upper respiratory infection are pushing me to my limit. However, the past two nights I've gotten a lot of sleep, and I'm eating lots of fruits and vegetables, so I hope to be a lot better soon.

Food Talk:

I made a big mess of quinoa on Sunday night and mixed about two tablespoons of Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese into the finished product. I've read about people mixing hummus into their quinoa as well. Try it! It's really tasty, and it's also a good way to use up a product that you may not eat very often.

I'm continuing to buy the tubs of Greek plain yogurt and add my own toppings and flavorings. Buying the tubs as opposed to the individual servings is more economical, and more environmentally friendly too. Adding my own toppings allows me to avoid excess sugars and to also use foods that need to be used up (hello coconut).

Book Talk:

The Gospel of Food by Barry Glassner is boring. I don't recommend it. I've been reading the thing for months and I need to finish it, but it's on the bottom of my To Do list.

Food Matters by Mark Bittman is a lot better! I just started the novel on Saturday and I'm liking it so far. Bittman talks about how much it costs to eat meat: not just the prices you see at the grocery store, but how much the industry spends, the environmental costs, etc. He doesn't preach about being vegetarian - he just lays out the facts. Another thing that Bittman talks about is food marketing.

Got Milk?
Beef: It's What's For Dinner
Pork: The Other White Meat

Those clever taglines stick with us and undoubtedly sell more of those products. It's not just about taglines though: food marketers use facts to lure in consumers. Consumers LOVE facts. Avocados have good fats? Let's buy them. Acai berry has antioxidant powers? Let's buy them. The book makes you wonder what is actually healthy and what is actually the product of good marketing.

Bittman has a good response for this: minimally processed foods. WHOLE foods. If a food has been stripped of its nutrients and then injected with fake(?)/strange(?) ingredients/supplements to make it "healthy," then there's your sign.

This isn't in the book, but the Sara Lee company has a white bread on the shelves that is listed as Whole Grain White. Sorry to burst your bubble, but there is no such thing as whole grain white bread. I really don't understand how they got away with that!

Read your labels. Don't be brainwashed by marketing. Fruit Loops made with whole grain? Give me a break. That cereal is just a cavity waiting to happen.

One more thing. Read this article: The ABCs of Sports Nutrition