Nutrition recession
I began my attempt at consuming that which I make at home versus products and manufactured food just over a week ago.
There have been lots of questions- from others and from myself, not least on how far does all this go; is flour not a processed food? What about cheeses that you can't make at home? My own motivations have become a lot clearer to me during this week; I want to consume fewer ingredients I don't understand (such as chemicals in fizzy drinks) enjoy the challenge of making things I might not normally bother to (such as pickles, ice cream, interesting breads, soft cheeses) and to improve my health by cutting down on refined flour, sugar and salt. I will use flour (I would love to make my own but...) and if I really need to will buy cheese, but I will use whole meal flour and will not take cheese for granted. We have already enjoyed baking our own wholemeal and spelt challah and producing paneer and labaneh.
A part of the motive behind all of this appeared in the Guardian this week- an example of how many of the products we come to rely on are not nurturing our bodies:
http://m.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/18/breadline-britain-nutritional-recession-austerity?cat=society&type=article
Much of this type of nutritional emptiness is found in foods that seem cheaper and are usually on special offer, and hence it is sometimes seen in the west as the reserve of the well off to eat natural and healthier food- certainly true of organic produce in our shops. So I was a little surprised that our groceries - largely fruit and veg and milk- were much cheaper this week.
But this has also been a week where in a sense we have been able to cheat a little- there are still things in our cupboards to be used up, so Shabbat guests could enjoy pickles (I do hope to start making them though!) and helped us finish off a box of chocolates and remove the temptation... I suspect more on this this week!
Most pleasing, has been weight loss. My favorite comfort food - crumpets - are off the menu, as are many things that are easy 'lifts'. And snacking on the go has been a no no so we have been eating fresh, wholesome and lovingly cooked food- it may not be totally fat free, but we've been able to watch what goes into each dish and therefore into us, helping us feel more whole as our food is more
Wholesome.
Perhaps, in this sense, we really are what we eat, and we come closer to a sense of personal 'shalom'- peace through wholeness.
There have been lots of questions- from others and from myself, not least on how far does all this go; is flour not a processed food? What about cheeses that you can't make at home? My own motivations have become a lot clearer to me during this week; I want to consume fewer ingredients I don't understand (such as chemicals in fizzy drinks) enjoy the challenge of making things I might not normally bother to (such as pickles, ice cream, interesting breads, soft cheeses) and to improve my health by cutting down on refined flour, sugar and salt. I will use flour (I would love to make my own but...) and if I really need to will buy cheese, but I will use whole meal flour and will not take cheese for granted. We have already enjoyed baking our own wholemeal and spelt challah and producing paneer and labaneh.
A part of the motive behind all of this appeared in the Guardian this week- an example of how many of the products we come to rely on are not nurturing our bodies:
http://m.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/18/breadline-britain-nutritional-recession-austerity?cat=society&type=article
Much of this type of nutritional emptiness is found in foods that seem cheaper and are usually on special offer, and hence it is sometimes seen in the west as the reserve of the well off to eat natural and healthier food- certainly true of organic produce in our shops. So I was a little surprised that our groceries - largely fruit and veg and milk- were much cheaper this week.
But this has also been a week where in a sense we have been able to cheat a little- there are still things in our cupboards to be used up, so Shabbat guests could enjoy pickles (I do hope to start making them though!) and helped us finish off a box of chocolates and remove the temptation... I suspect more on this this week!
Most pleasing, has been weight loss. My favorite comfort food - crumpets - are off the menu, as are many things that are easy 'lifts'. And snacking on the go has been a no no so we have been eating fresh, wholesome and lovingly cooked food- it may not be totally fat free, but we've been able to watch what goes into each dish and therefore into us, helping us feel more whole as our food is more
Wholesome.
Perhaps, in this sense, we really are what we eat, and we come closer to a sense of personal 'shalom'- peace through wholeness.
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