Revolution!

I've been having a “food revolution” lately and I love it.  I haven’t had one of those in a few years, now, so I think we’ve been due for a nice change in diet.  There have been new recipes, more strides towards healthier choices, and new subjects to be educated in.  This is not new for me or my family, but as I said … it’s been awhile since we’ve had a “surge.”  So far the new recipes, flavors, and ideas have been met with resounding support and vigorous “let’s have this again’s!”  I couldn’t be prouder. 

It’s been so good for me to get back into the kitchen after such a long time away. –you know what I mean … I’ve been stuck in the “what-are-we-throwing-together-in-15-minutes-or-less-tonight-because-I-don’t-really-want-to-be-doing-this” dance.  That’s not how I operated before our move into this HUGE home (well … a lot larger then the 800-ish square feet that we lived in for 10+ years), but it’s a pattern I fell into as a result of being exhausted, sick (literally), and just plain ‘ole overwhelmed.

Here’s my most recent challenge:  MORE whole ingredients in what I cook. 

Now, for those of you that know me (and my cooking), you’re probably thinking “don’t you already do that?”  It is simply not good enough for me anymore.

I don’t like eating food that’s been processed and manufactured and I don’t like feeding it to my children.  It’s supposed to be bigger and better and stronger, but the reality is that science is playing with something that should be simple and natural.  Our bodies weren’t constructed to handle all the meddling we’ve done with our food supply.  I’m case. In. Point.  There’s NO WAY vegetable gums aren’t processed, modified, and altered; despite the fact that they are “technically” organic and all natural.  (They’re plant derived.  That’s about it.  I feel pretty secure in saying that you won’t find a field of vegetable gum growing anywhere.)  I understand that some gums are incredibly helpful to those with legitimate gluten allergies and sensitivities, and I’m happy that the alternative exists for them to use.  Aside from that … should we really be eating this?  I wonder how additives and the like can possibly be good for us when they are manufactured in a Plant instead grown and nourished.

Of course, we all know I like to pick on vegetable gums but this really applies to all additives everywhere.  I understand that without them shelf life wouldn’t be long enough to exercise the convenience of buying some products on our grocery store shelves.  I understand that some items would be more expensive without the aid of more inexpensive additives to thicken/color/crisp/and what-ever the hec else.  I *get* these things.  But … I don’t have to like them, do I? 

All that said, it’s incredibly difficult to purchase non-processed, non-modified, actual food ingredients when you’re on a family budget.  Already my food bill is pretty ridiculous. If I continue down this road it’s only going to get worse.  I know that I have to strike a balance in all of this, somewhere, and I’m trying to find where my new line in the sand is.  My hope is that the more I strive towards this cooking/eating lifestyle, the more easily these nutritious and wholesome foods will fill up the bottomless pits I call my *children. 

*Side note: My children, in an unfair twist of fate, are both so skinny that it’s sometimes difficult to find pants that are both affordable *and* don’t fall off of them.  My daughter owns *no* skirts or dress pants for the sole reason that we’ve yet to find any that actually stay on her waist.  I’m not kidding.  Now, before you go judging me and thinking that I don’t feed them enough (some people think I’m a little crazy when it comes to food - hahaaa!), they’ve been known to eat both my husband and I under the table.  (Ok.  It’s not hard to eat more than I do.  I’m 5’ 7”, 145 lbs, get full fast (lately), and have a very slow metabolism… but my husband is 6’4” and cuddly.  Seriously.  They eat more than he does.  Frequently!)  If you don’t believe me, come over for dinner just before they hit a growth spurt.  I promise you they eat like squirrels just before winter hits; chubby cheeks and all!

B12 ... Bingo!

Recently a friend’s mother discovered she was so deficient in B12 that it didn’t even register in her blood test.  It has, of course, had a pretty large impact on her health but her Dr.’s are working to remedy the problem.

This got Ryan and I wondering … How does one get B12?  I found similar information in several places, but I like how healthaliciousness.com lays it out.  The top 5 food sources include shellfish, liver, fish, fish, and octopus.  I can’t eat things from the ocean (to put it simply) so that leaves me with liver and I just don’t think I can do it.  Liver is one of those foods I choose to judge, partly, based on appearance.  I don’t want to touch it and can’t even contemplate eating it.  So, I look further down the list and finally see beef, lamb, cheese, and eggs.  The average week doesn’t hold a large bounty of red meat for me and my family; My husband and I discovered long ago that we felt better when we cut a lot of that out of our diets.  I also eat the very occasional porkchop; every little bit helps, right?  It’s at this point that we started to get worried … are we getting enough B12 in our diets?  Could this be a partial culprit in my always flagging energy?  We were somewhat comforted to see that cheese and eggs round out this top 10 list.  (I’m usually careful not to over-indulge, but we *do* love our cheeses!)  I’m left, now, to wonder if I should start having my family take B12 supplements and little worried about ensuring this is in our diets.  Should I make fish and *shellfish for the family and simply not eat it?  Is it right for me to deprive them of such a healthy food just because I cannot have it?

Fitsugar.com alleviates some of my fears.  This site notes that you only need 2.4 mcgs (microkillograms) of B12 per day.  It further states that 1/2 cup of fortified breakfast cereal gives you, low and behold, 2.4 mcgs!  Yogurt, milk, and chicken are also listed as good sources for this vitamin.  I’m suddenly less concerned about my children because they drink 1-2 glasses of milk every day, love yogurt for snack, eat cereal at least once a week, and we all eat chicken once or twice every week or two.  I can’t eat most yogurts, and the one’s I can eat tend to be too expensive to seriously contemplate purchasing on a family budget.  I don’t typically drink a glass of milk all on its own, either.  I get my dairy other ways (refer to cheese loving and cereal).  Maybe I don’t have anything to worry about, though.  Maybe my fatigue is caused by other deficiencies, health problems, or not enough sleep!  I really don’t know, but the next time I have blood drawn, I’d like it tested, please.  It all gets so overwhelming, doesn’t it?  My paranoia can’t handle the unknown.

*O.K., while I *could* make fish for my family, the thought of shellfish in my kitchen is frightening.  Someone else would have to prepare it and then sanitize the kitchen and all dinnerware that the shrimp touched.  I place a high value on my ability to breathe!