Thanksgiving Food For Thought: The Problem -- Nutritionism. The Solution -- In Defense of Food.

[ancianita]

In case you've not read Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma," this is a short-cut, bottom line look at food's cost/benefit. It's particularly helpful for those of us on limited budgets.

Nutritionism is the problem. Nutrition science is where surgical science was in 1650...omega 3, anti-oxidants, fats, etc.

Michael Pollan reveals the mistaken assumptions about nutrition:
1. Food is all about the eating the right nutrients.
2. Nutrients can't be seen, so we need guidance from experts.
3. There are good and bad nutrients.
4. Eating is only for health.

'In Defense of Food' is the solution.

Going back to the days of real food; culture is why we were once thin; the wisdom of the tribe; what your great grandmother would recognize as food; 'navigating abundance,' shopping the store perimeter ... all good food for thought.

This video shows why we can toss out the orthorexia and enjoy Thanksgiving.

Thank you, DU, for saving my sanity, perspective and sense of humor for years now. Every. damned. day. I've internally smiled, laughed out loud, and mostly thought hard about all that concerns us here.

[libdem4life]

1. From Adele Davis, to Food for Thought to Anthony Robbins...Free, at Last !!!

I'd figured out the "perimeter shopping" and don't eat anything with something on the label you either can't pronounce or don't know what it is...but this is wonderful!!!

[ancianita]

2. In his recent hospital stay, my husband, who had successful open heart by-pass, was STILL served mac

'n cheese in his recovery, along with canned vegies and fruit -- still the old 70's nutrition at work. We were aghast, but the hospital said it's more important that he "get the calories" than worry about the other effects of the food. I couldn't believe it. We sent the food back to the kitchen and requested clear soup and salad. I couldn't believe that a place so dedicated to such good surgery and treatment was just full of junk food vending machines ... so disconnected from non-food effects.

[libdem4life]

5. And so it has been for decades, at least. $50,000 surgical techniques and $2 on a meal. Go figure.

Where's Big Agri when you need them?

[ancianita]

8. And a lot of purchasing of redundant medical supplies, I noticed. Not efficient.

Actually, I think Big Agri is really part of the problem, supplying cheap mass quantity foodstuffs. In this instance it's really up to Advocate Health Care (Chicago) to hire hospital kitchen nutritionists who will decide to not cheap out on the cost of high nutrition, quality foods. Mere ingestion of calories is good for some kinds of patients -- say, the undernourished and very young who need as much caloric intake as possible, but for diabetic or heart patients? I think not. I think they need some public pressure to re-examine their hospital food offerings. I will be calling the president of the hospital to register my complaint.

Unless -- heaven forbid -- there's some deep seated motivation for the health care world to keep patients ignorant of foods that cause degenerative diseases. Hmm...no, health care systems wouldn't do that, would they?

[libdem4life]

11. Big Agri, Big Pharma and Big Insurers have had a deadly run at we, the people.

Remember what happened when Michelle Obama tried to talk about healthy food...they made fun of her...along with her own toned and healthy body.

I'm around a lot of seniors, and there are few that don't have WalMart plastic bags full of pills. And nary a fresh food in sight. It's hard for one person (usually the spouse has passed), why cook even if they could, some tell me they've cooked all their lives and are tired of it, and the other stuff doesn't spoil and tastes good with all its corn syrup, salt, and chemical concoctions.

No chicken and egg here...see subject line...sadly.

[ancianita]

12. I'm sick of cooking, myself. Yet, raw foods offer the quick, good quality alternative. A blender

or juicer and a pot for slow cooking put all that trouble to a minimum. Once a week, and they're done. I do it on Sundays while National Geo bug shows are on, or while listening to some iTunes.

[libdem4life]

14. We just have to outsmart them. :)

[ReRe]

3. Thanks

for this video! Who knows what we should eat. For now, I concentrate on working in more fresh vegetables and fruits and a little meat. I call myself a cheating vegan. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

[libdem4life]

6. That's me to a "T" and it even works for kids, because the fruits and veggies are fresh, even when

cooked or canned or frozen or dried...whatever. I go to the extra mile of soaking beans, chickpeas, etc. drain and put them in a freezer bag. Then when I'm ready, I just take out a cup or two...whatever I need, the cooking time is less, I think because something in the freezing process??

And best of all, they don't cause gas. Maybe same reason, I don't know, but the taste is twice what the canned ones are, and it just takes a bit of fore planning.

[ancianita]

9. THAT is clever. I'm going to do that!

[ancianita]

4. ... also...

[libdem4life]

7. Beautiful and artistic.

[ancianita]

10. One missing main food in it is grains. I wonder why.

[libdem4life]

13. I noticed that, as well, but guessed it was a Raw Foods Pyramid and grains have to be cooked.

Other than soups and stews, when I do cook vegetables, I bake them in foil unpeeled like potatoes. They will keep for days in the frig...ready to go. The peelings usually almost just fall off (turnips are an exception) with ease, and you can do anything with them.

A baked yam was a snack for my son or becomes a colorful thickening agent in a soup. Beets, parsnips, turnips, carrots, onions and of course, potatoes...any root vegetable. I bake a variety of them a few at a time to save oven energy. Any or all of the above make a delicious and pretty mashed and buttered dish.

A tool that transformed my vegetable culinary skills is a $20 item called a Vidalia Chop Wizard. Everything they say about it is true. I bought it years ago, for the same price As Seen On TV. For perfect 1/4 inch dices I slice into rounds. It makes a perfect potato/onion/sausage hash...in minutes. I can even put 1/4 inch diced sweet potatoes in a soup and because they are so small, I leave the peelings on.

The other is a high-powered blender. (Not a juicer, which wastes a lot of food.) A good one is not cheap, but neither is good health. I invested years ago and I know it has paid for itself over and over in good health.

I could never eat an apple, a banana, an orange and some strawberries for breakfast...(or a kiwi or papaya). But I can sure drink it...plus a couple of ounces of plain yogurt (and some ice cubes if you like it very cold.) Yum. Everything goes in except inedible peelings like banana and citrus, of course. There is still plenty of room for granola or a grain on the side, if desired.

Same for veggie drinks. Just put some fruit in them, and kids love them, as well. Almost no prep time. Freeze all smoothies in appropriate-sized containers, in ice cube trays, or in popsicle makers. Recipes all over the internet.

http://www.blendtec.com/

Again, it's very pricey, but save up, borrow, beg...get one. Everything they say is true, and it will last to be passed down for the next generation. It's blades go at 200 mph. I heard that Starbuck's uses this brand. For the cost one of their $5 lattes, I can make 2-3 healthy smoothies. Again, your health will thank you, your kids and family will love it. There are tons of You Tube videos.

Thanks for the opportunity to share. Good nutrition is not what I did for money, but what I love to do in retirement.

[ancianita]

15. You sound like one heck of a cook! I can't even operate in the kitchen without my french knife.

I'm glad you shared your awesome cooking tips. I'm definitely trying some of them, and will look into buying that chopper! I love my Breville juicer; you're right that it can be quite wasteful; I just re-use the pulp in spreads, dessert toppings and salad dressings, and apple pulp as apple sauce. The rest I donate to the neighborhood garden compost. Your family and friends are lucky to have such a health conscious cook!

[libdem4life]

16. Thanks. To your health !!!