Just when you thought it was safe to cook a healthy meal “someone” decides for us that we are doing it all wrong. I sure wish this “someone” or the so called “experts” would make up their minds or maybe we just need to stop listening and trust our common sense instead.
Social media and the internet provides us with more than enough information about the latest diet trends and fads. There are scores of before and after photos, recipes, exercise plans and countless promises of weight loss and tight abs.
There is so much information out there that it is paralyzing. It’s like putting a child in the middle of a giant toy store and telling them to pick one thing.
Cue major meltdown.
Yup..I feel like this alot…
Despite all the knowledge being passed out and research being done we are still facing an epidemic of obesity and inactivity.
What is the answer?
I think it is different for everyone. One size fits all doesn’t work here ( actually it doesn’t work anywhere). We all have different lifestyles, different needs, picky kids, allergies, varying budgets. The one thing we all have is the ability to slow things down and listen to our own wisdom and what works best for us.
The best advice I ever heard in regards to eating came from author Michael Pollen who said:
Eat real food
Mostly green
Not a lot
If you can only do two out of three of this list then I would suggest you pick: Real food and not a lot. The mostly green part would be great but take that to mean all veggies and fruits and it may be easier.
Learning from our past may be the best new rule
I noticed something very interesting when I was looking at some old group photos of my grade school classes. (Yes this is when we walked to school in the snow, uphill…both ways. 🙂 )
Out of a class of 20-25 womans health children there were only one or two overweight children .
What has changed?
- We actually did walk to school or rode our bikes and believe it or not we also walked home for lunch and back. We played on the playground while waiting to go inside in the morning and after lunch. We had recess and we played after school.
- We had a milk break in the morning but never snack
- At home we never snacked after dinner. Ice cream was a treat
- We never had soda in the house
- Eating in the car was unheard of and fast food was rarely an option
- We ate at the table. In the kitchen. Always
- The food was on the stove or the counter and not the table. If you wanted seconds you actually had to get up and get it. You either didn’t make the effort or got distracted by the family conversation and realized you didn’t want seconds after all.
So basically we got a lot of exercise and didn’t have food available all the time. Treats were just that, treats. The kitchen was where we ate, no where else.
Pretty simple. Don’t get me wrong there were things that needed improvement. Adults routinely had quite a long cocktail hour every day, white bread was the norm and the amount of butter used would make Paula Deen look like she used it sparingly.
I’m not about to wear a dress, high heels and my pearls everyday to cook much like they did in the fifties and sixties ( well Mrs. Cleaver did!) but I can reclaim some of the great habits and traditions from those times. Sure is simple, easy and more importantly worked well because it sure looks like despite some great improvements we may have “new and improved” ourselves right into being overweight and out of shape.
All because we listened to those who keep changing the rules.