How far has your food world turned?

I am a Pisces, and as anyone with a little knowledge regarding astrological signs and their nature may understand, Pisces are very passionate people. They feel everything deeply, tend towards the mercurial, are very expressive and often dreamy. For me at least, the way I feel about food matches beautifully with my Pisces attributes. I can turn a simple something into an amazing experience just because of the day I was born.

Whether it’s that or the fact that I can look back on my life and see how far my food world has turned I can’t say. It could be both. I can easily recall my childhood meals that focused on what was cheap that could feed 5 hungry kids. My parents were divorced and my mother had us all and times were tough. We ate a lot of cheap stuff- hot dogs and Hormel chili, Jenni-O turkey roast, Mock Chow Mein, Tomato Rice Hotdish, Sloppy Joes, plenty of stuff that contained cream soups, lots of jello and white rice and other things that I think I have blanked on. It was survival food, and thankfully we never really knew any better. But I could cook, my mom made sure of that, and when I got into college I was one of the minority that could make her way through a kitchen without burning anything. My college friends were in awe, and I was disgusted at them. I grew up learning to cook, clean and do all the things required to take care of yourself outside of your parents house, and just figured everyone was learning the same thing. Boy, was I SO wrong! I had a roommate who was helpless doing anything for herself; she couldn’t even make a frozen pizza without a disaster and would have to go home every two weeks so her mother could do her laundry. It was a 4-5 hour trip, one way. I called my mother one night to thank her for teaching me to be independent, and apologized for always getting mad when she insisted I do it myself. I’m pretty sure she cried, but I never knew.

There was a time in my early 30’s that I realized I had to change my food world. I was so fed up with eating the same things, making the same recipes and feeling lethargic and heavy after every meal. And I was starting to see the effects of what my old fashioned diet was doing to me. While my cholesterol tested well, the rest of me felt yucky. I decided it was time for a change. I needed to understand the healthier ways of eating, and I began a long journey towards eating better and being knowledgable about how my body is affected by what I put in it. I read everything I could find on healthy eating and living- Natural Health magazine was my absolute favorite, and I absorbed everything within it’s pages like I was dying of thirst. And I learned an enormous amount. None of the major changes happened overnight, in fact, I still love deep fried food and am particularly drawn to onion rings, but I know everytime I eat them that I am going to feel like I have bricks in my stomach. I know that processed foods like bacon, sausage, pepperoni and bratwurst aren’t the best to eat, but I still love sausage pizza, BLT’s and a good brat slathered with mustard and relish. Not to mention summer sausage on a cracker with sharp cheddar cheese. One thing I have completely gotten away from however, is fast food. I can recall sitting in a fast food place and eating a burger and suddenly it occured to me that I didn’t even like it. I’m not certain that I didn’t blurt it outloud, which might cause a near scandal- I mean, heaven forbid anyone should actually REALIZE that that food is garbage! But it is, I mean, come on….we all know it’s the worst food on the planet for you to eat, or even feed your kids. When I started to talk to my son about how it isn’t very good for him, he actually listened. He now dislikes it too, the only fast food he ever eats anymore is Dairy Queen Grill and Chill. But me, even eating one of their burgers elicits the reaction of “This really isn’t that good” out of me. But their onion rings……..oooohhh. Those are trouble.

My diet is really, really different now than 10 years ago, and even with healthier eating my problem now is simply that I eat too much. I rationalize it often with the fact that the food is better for me, but it’s still too much. Everything in moderation, especially moderation, right?? By no means am I always eating whole grains, no meat, and my 9 servings a day of vegetable and fruit, but I am eating better and doing better for myself than I was 10 years ago. Little slips here and there are OK, provided that they are followed up with a healthy meal. I religiously read nutrition labels and explore new ways of making our meals. There is no looking back for me, and I hope that my son will continue to be adventurous and willing to eat new things, and not fall into unhealthy eating habits. Change happens gradually, and anyone can do it.