Traditional Tuesdays

I watched a fascinating show yesterday on the Discovery Health channel. It was called "The Truth About Food" and this episode focused on kids eating habits. Instead of just spouting off good advice on how to feed children, the show walked through a few studies to illustrate some myths about kids and food. The 2 main ones were 1) the idea that sugar makes kids hyper and 2) that children stop eating when they are full. Both studies convinced me that both are false. j

I always worry about what to put in my kid's tummies. As they get older I just fret about it more. For the most part my kids eat pretty well but they definitely over eat when it's something delicious to them (i.e. pizza) and they lust after desserts. This worries me because I don't want my kids to end up like DH and I. I often think over my own childhood eating experiences to discover why I am overweight. Not just for my own benefit but for my children.

As far as eating when I was a kid I experienced two extremes. Before age 12 we ate at home almost exclusively. My grandma lived with us and was our main cook. She cooked a ton of meat, potatoes and veggies. Meals were balanced and I usually felt pretty good after a meal. I rarely overate because although the food was tasty it wasn't out-of-this-world. I was a healthy kid who was a healthy weight. Then when my grandma became too ill to cook anymore my mom took over. My mom makes a fantastic Tuna Noodle Casserole among other things but she was busy being a full-time college student and working 3 part-time jobs didn't give her much time or energy to make meals. Also I was pretty picky, wanting A&W most nights and my sister was a vegetarian at the time. So we ate out..........a lot. Honestly, about 3-5 times a week. And we didn't have a lot of money so it was pizza, burritos, fast food and deli sandwiches. My mother also had an Honor Bakery business at this time and there was a TON of leftover donuts and pastries in our fridge 24/7. It was of course at this time that I begun to gain weight. And I developed horrible habits. If DH would let me I would probably STILL eat out 3-5 times a week. I like to cook and I'm fairly good at it but at the end of the day I'm usually tired and the biggest deterrent to cooking dinner for me is I don't want to clean up the kitchen at the end of the day.

DH is also overweight and I have thought long and hard about his food history. It is very similar to mine was as a child but it continued to be stable and healthy up through his teenage years. His mom cooked almost 365 days a year. My mom-in-law tells me that they almost never went out because even fast food with 5 kids (three of them boys) cost upwards of $50. DH has a large frame and he was an athlete (I think former athletes tend to gain weight because they continue to eat the same volume when they are not working out at the same level) but I am sorry to say that I'm the one who made him fat. Of course we ate out a lot when we were dating but that continued when we were newly married. And then I stuffed him full of ice cream and cookies after we got home from whatever restaurant. My husband was large but healthy when I met him and I've bloated him up with my awful habits. I'm sure he bears some responsibility but really the man eats what I give him. If I fed him better he would weigh less, I'm sure of it.

So, what's the answer? How can I keep my kids at a healthy weight and get DH and I to a healthy weight? Pretty simple. Cook at home, healthy, tasty food that is nutritiously dense. Model adequate portions and forego dessert most nights. Simple but so hard because it involves changing habits. It involves eating food that tastes good but not delicious. And the Grandaddy of them all..................involves me giving up sugar. Sugar is my comfort, my entertainment and my friend. I am gonna need God on this one big time. And thank goodness I need Him!

My plan right now is to seek the Lord when it comes to food. First for myself, since I'm the cook in this house and then for my family. I'm not going to make any diet plans, just seek Him and go with His leading. I can't even tell you how that last sentence scares me! But it will be good, right? It's always good when we are in the center of God's will. I want my kitchen to be in the center of God's will. Amen.

Well, this seems more like a Thursday post than a Tuesday post but I am going to leave a recipe of sorts at the bottom. I'm always trying to cut sugar down for my kids (at the same time trying not to restrict it too much so they go berserk when they are adults and feed on sugar day and night!) when I make pancakes or waffles on the weekends I "make" this syrup to go with it. It cuts down on the sugar content and boosts the nutritional content with the berries. Oh! And it helps with the cost of real maple syrup because you use less. It's uber simple and maybe widely known. I learned this from my sister.

Berry Syrup
2-3 cups frozen berries
1 cup (or less) real maple syrup

Put the berries in a bowl, pour in maple syrup until it just covers the berries. Thaw and heat in the microwave until warm. Serve. You can also thaw and heat in a pan on the stove.

Tada! Simple.