After almost two days of eating only fruits and vegetables (oh – and rice cakes – you can eat rice cakes “if needed” – it’s been needed), I have re-realized that the most probable reason why more people (including myself) don’t eat a healthier diet is because it’s hard!
Meaning – it takes a lot of time. There’s a lot of washing and peeling and roasting involved. It’s so much easier to make a peanut butter, jelly, egg & cheese sandwich (which isn’t necessarily un-healthy, but it’s not vegetables). Or worse, grab a pre-packaged conglomeration of heavily processed and fabricated ingredients (half of which you can’t pronounce) from the pantry or the freezer.
I don’t think our culture is designed to accommodate real cooking. With all the work and soccer games and committee meetings and time spent on social media (and writing blog posts!), where do you fit it in?
Seriously?
On Sunday, I prepared a wonderful recipe I received from a local chef at the latest DCSD Wellness Committee family event. It involved turning on the oven to 400 degrees F, peeling and cutting a ginormous parsnip, a yam, a rutabaga, and a handful of little potatoes, coating the chopped-up vegetables with olive oil and salt, peppar, and fresh rosemary. Then in the oven for 20 minutes, turn heat down to 350 degrees F, stir, and wait another 20 minutes (stirring every now and then to make sure nothing’s burning).
I topped a generous serving of this roasted goodness with avocado slices and went straight to heaven. It was so delicious!
It was actually pretty easy to make root vegetables taste amazing! But it took time… Fortunately, that batch of roasted veggies lasted for three meals. Tomorrow, I’m going to have to do it again (because I’m in love with this recipe) – in the middle of a work day. That will be interesting.
Here’s my dream cooking class: Easy, healthy recipes that taste great and don’t seem scary to “non-adventurous” eaters. In fact, why aren’t we teaching this in the schools? And having the kids eat the results… (Some schools are… But very few.)
It would be so wonderful if the next generation didn’t find healthy cooking and eating hard. Imagine if it was in their DNA – something they couldn’t live without. Like french fries and soft drinks. I believe it’s possible. However…
Palates must be changed. Skills must be taught. And time must be made.
If you want to make a difference in this area, join your school’s wellness committee. Every school district is required to have one. It’s not just about food, but food is an important component of school wellness.
Be vocal. Make it happen! And may the force be with you…
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Glad I clicked your Twitter link. Our culture does not cater (no pun intended) to cooking fresh meals as you put it in your blog we are simply too busy being productive. However if you think about it wouldn’t it make more sense to put our efforts into healthy eating and living? This would allow us to live healthier, dare I say longer and possibly more productive lives in the future. Do you think our culture is too focused on the short-term rather than the long-term? Great advice in educating the next generation, educating and leading by example are the tools needed to prevent further future health ailments. I recall reading a quote that went something like this (not exactly sure the exact quote), “100 years ago our society was worried about starving to death, today we have health issues and deaths from eating too much”
Great blog,
Jason
Hi Jason. Thanks for your thoughtful comment. I think you hit the nail on the head with your question about long-term vs. short-term. This is a problem not just with individual health, but also as it relates to the environment and all sorts of problems in our society. Are you familiar with Slow Food and Slow Money? Both of these organization rebel against the short-term/fast food epidemic the world is facing. We need to slow down and really think about our priorities.
Eating right is hard but it is worth it. I have always made cooked from scratch meals and you can taste the difference. I had to make food changes for health reasons. My doctor is happy with my food choices and so am I. One just has to plan ahead with our busy lifestyles.
Hi Sylvia, good for you! I agree it’s about planning and prioritizing. It has to become a habit. In my mind, eating is the most important thing we do each day, so we should set aside the time to do it properly. Thanks for sharing.
In today’s world we often eat out of convenience instead of eating healthy. The higher price of healthy food also makes it harder to eat healthy.
So true!