Isn't there a point where you can say, "This is healthy enough for me." (food content

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I sit here eating my homemade blueberry muffins with blueberries that we picked ourselves and thinking about what I've read and seen, here and elsewhere, in the last couple of years.

 

By some standards my muffin is unhealthy. I used half unbleached white flour, half white whole wheat, a heaping tablespoon of wheat germ, canola oil, an egg, and white sugar, all of which I purchased at a chain grocery store. Most of it is store brand, with the exception of Bob's Red Mill wheat germ.

 

I'm eating my muffin hot with store brand real butter. None of it is organic. I didn't grind my own wheat either. But it tastes pretty good, if I do say so.

 

Most days I have plain oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins, so this is a treat.

 

I have no food allergies, and no diagnosed health problems, nor does anyone in my family. We don't drink soda, I try to stick to products without chemical additives, and I garden. However, I do have a lack of money, time, energy, and resources that would enable me to eat in the way that is being described as the healthiest. For what it costs to buy a locally grown organic chicken, I could feed my family store bought chicken for a week or more.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is:

 

Aren't there many levels of "healthy" eating? If "healthiest" is out of reach, isn't "healthier" ok? Can we truly say that if it is not the "healthiest" it is "unhealthy?"

 

Isn't there a point of diminishing returns for the average household?

 

We are all going to die some day of something. Isn't there a point at which we can say, "this is healthy enough for me."

 

This is not meant to disparage any one else's choices, just my own thoughts.

[DawnM]

I have friends who are really into eating ONLY whole foods, only organic, only this or that. They also have grocery bills for a family of 4 over $1,000. We just can't/won't do that.

 

So, yes, we do have a "good enough" mentality. Some things don't need to be organic from what I have read. Things you peel like oranges and bananas.....

 

But I can't afford all organic chicken, eggs, etc....

 

We do what we can (ie: if Costco carries it!) and we leave the rest. It is amazing our parents' generation survived at all! My parents are nearing their 80s and have had toxic air and food their entire lives. They grew up in the WWII era with spam and TV dinners and canned corned beef! :lol:

 

Dawn

[Excelsior! Academy]

Yes. I figure if I make bread from scratch, even with white flour it is healthier than store bought chalk full of preservatives. I also have a time issue. I do not have time to search out all organic, price food grinders, etc. It is just not the season for this in our home. Not to mention budget. Our food budget is pretty generous, but would not cover equipment needed to do all I would like at this time.

 

For us, healthy enough for now is about as healthy as we are going to get. :D:D:D

[Carrie12345]

 

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is:

 

Aren't there many levels of "healthy" eating? If "healthiest" is out of reach, isn't "healthier" ok? Can we truly say that if it is not the "healthiest" it is "unhealthy?"

 

Isn't there a point of diminishing returns for the average household?

 

We are all going to die some day of something. Isn't there a point at which we can say, "this is healthy enough for me."

 

This is not meant to disparage any one else's choices, just my own thoughts.

 

Absolutely!

My own conscience would not allow me to just throw up my hands and give up all together, but I make compromises every day. Unless I become entirely self-sufficient, I expect to continue making those compromises every day. My budget and sanity depend on it.

[abbeyej]

There's certainly a spectrum. It's not like "if you're going to eat conventionally grown oranges, you might as well just eat Twinkies instead". ;) Or if you aren't going to grind your own organic wheat, then you might as well buy Wonderbread. ;)

 

Maybe there will come a time when you decide there are additional, "healthier" changes you want to make.

 

Or not.

[HootyTooty]

I think it is more about knowing where your food comes from, what is in your food and making the right healthy choices. No matter what anyone does with their life, their will always someone who will say "you're not doing it right".

 

Everything in moderation.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I agree with you that there is a point where you can say "This is healthy enough for me". My problem though is that I'm not healthy (even though I eat fairly healthily but not uber healthily). So my Dr. (a naturopath who is into nutrition) may very well be asking me to step up my game.

[Denisemomof4]

I have friends who are really into eating ONLY whole foods, only organic, only this or that. They also have grocery bills for a family of 4 over $1,000. We just can't/won't do that.

 

 

 

we paid that YEARS ago when we had no teenagers, and only two or three young children. Our budget now, with 100% organic, would likely be close to double. Won't do that.

 

You have to find your own place for comfort. I'm going to be grinding my own grains again and rolling my own oats. I'm not going to use white sugar. I'm going to make more vegtetarian meals. But I do draw the line at NO store bought ANYTHING. I will not make 100% of everything from scratch and find no reason for it.

[Julie in CA]

I guess what I'm trying to say is:

 

Aren't there many levels of "healthy" eating? If "healthiest" is out of reach, isn't "healthier" ok? Can we truly say that if it is not the "healthiest" it is "unhealthy?"

 

Isn't there a point of diminishing returns for the average household?

 

We are all going to die some day of something. Isn't there a point at which we can say, "this is healthy enough for me."

 

This is not meant to disparage any one else's choices, just my own thoughts.

You know, that's kind of why I posted my dinner menu the other day. I was feeling a bit inadequate about the healthfulness/unhealthfulness of our meals, and wanted to see where an average meal for my family stood within the spectrum. Turns out that most people thought I was doing ok. I think I'm ready to let myself off the hook a little bit. I'll still strive for improvements when I can, still add baby spinach to my family's romaine salad in ever-increasing ratio, but...as someone kindly pointed out, I'm not feeding them Spaghetti-O's and grilled cheese (at least not on a regular basis :tongue_smilie:). I think I've reached "good enough on most days" for my family.

Edited March 31, 2010 by Julie in CA
Punctuation.

[Impish]

Healthier is healthier. Period.

 

We can't afford organic. Food prices are pretty insane here as it is, imo.

 

But, we don't do 'instant' foods, I make the best choices I can with what we have, and that's all I can do for now.

 

I guess like most things, I don't consider feeding my family a competition. We do the best we can with what we have, and call it good.

 

Suzy Q might be hand grinding her organically grown and personally hand threshed wheat each morning, with the milk supplied from a golden calf, milked by the Oracle of Delphi, and that's fine for her...but not a level I'm aspiring to, nor worried about.

[littlebug42]

I also cannot afford to go 100 percent organic but I am trying to make healthier choices and I buy what I feel is most important from the organics. I figure each healthier choice I can make is a better one for my kids and I just keep trying to make healthier choices. We get our eggs at the local farm market as well as some other items and we are planning our vegetable garden along with my mom and brother. My whole family is trying to do the same so we help each other out.

[Denisemomof4]

Suzy Q might be hand grinding her organically grown and personally hand threshed wheat each morning, with the milk supplied from a golden calf, milked by the Oracle of Delphi, and that's fine for her...but not a level I'm aspiring to, nor worried about.

 

:smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5:

 

She has a golden calf, too? Whodathunk? :D

[Impish]

Well, the fact that a calf can give milk is a bit of a miracle in itself, so I figure it must be a golden one at that! ;)

[Wyndie]

I sit here eating my homemade blueberry muffins with blueberries that we picked ourselves and thinking about what I've read and seen, here and elsewhere, in the last couple of years.

 

By some standards my muffin is unhealthy. I used half unbleached white flour, half white whole wheat, a heaping tablespoon of wheat germ, canola oil, an egg, and white sugar, all of which I purchased at a chain grocery store. Most of it is store brand, with the exception of Bob's Red Mill wheat germ.

 

I'm eating my muffin hot with store brand real butter. None of it is organic. I didn't grind my own wheat either. But it tastes pretty good, if I do say so.

 

Most days I have plain oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins, so this is a treat.

 

I have no food allergies, and no diagnosed health problems, nor does anyone in my family. We don't drink soda, I try to stick to products without chemical additives, and I garden. However, I do have a lack of money, time, energy, and resources that would enable me to eat in the way that is being described as the healthiest. For what it costs to buy a locally grown organic chicken, I could feed my family store bought chicken for a week or more.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is:

 

Aren't there many levels of "healthy" eating? If "healthiest" is out of reach, isn't "healthier" ok? Can we truly say that if it is not the "healthiest" it is "unhealthy?"

 

Isn't there a point of diminishing returns for the average household?

 

We are all going to die some day of something. Isn't there a point at which we can say, "this is healthy enough for me."

 

This is not meant to disparage any one else's choices, just my own thoughts.

 

I haven't read the rest of the replies yet...

 

I always encourage people to do "good, better, best". Good being unprocessed natural foods; best being fresh organic produce out of your own back yard. We personally are grateful to be able to purchase mostly organic foods (but they come from the store, not my back yard!) and eat what some would call super healthy. But that's our choice and we go without ALOT of other things to do this. It's important to us. Other people have other priorities and I can understand that. I think each person has to make their own choice about how far they are willing to go and even about how far it's practical to go. My husband supports us using most of his paycheck on health foods. I have friends who want to do that but their dh has adamantly said no. I encourage them to do what he wants without compromising on the big things. Don't get organic everything, get the top 10 most important. Eat natural unprocessed foods but don't worry about organic everything. Ideally we would all eat for our optimal health but not everyone can... or even wants to! Each of us has to come to peace with our choices but we couldn't possible all have the same choice.

 

There's my 2 cents. YMMV

[momofkhm]

I pick the things that are important to me. Right now it's avoiding HFCS in the things I buy. I try to get that one down very well. Then I'll add something else.

 

I do buy whole organic milk, organic butter (most of the time). I bake my own bread (except in December). I buy eggs from a friend who owns chickens.

 

But that's it. Right now, that's enough for me.

[Corraleno]

We eat almost all organically for about $175/wk for a family of 4. We do have a great CSA, though, that provides a wide variety of fruit and veg and runs year round. We get virtually all of our produce from them, plus what we grow in the summer, and we have our own hens for eggs. We eat only organic meat.

 

Costco sells organic chickens for about $10-12 each (and I get local ones through the CSA for less), which may sound like a lot compared to $5 for a rotisserie chicken from WalMart, but just thinking about what's in a WalMart chicken makes me lose my appetite! Organic chicken tastes vastly better than the WalMart type, and I can get 3 meals out of one chicken: the 1st night is roast chicken, the 2nd night I shred the leftover meat and make curry or a stir-fry, and then I boil the carcass and make stock for soup. The most requested soup here is a Tuscan bean soup: cannellini beans, brown rice pasta, spinach, chard and parmesan cheese.

 

We get grass-fed ground beef for about $4.50/lb from the CSA but it's also available at Costco. I use it in pasta or chili, so a lb goes a long way because there are other forms of protein there (beans or WW pasta & cheese). The pasta & chili usually make 2 meals. Plus we eat one or two meatless meals per week.

 

If I had a limited budget I would actually concentrate more on the meat than on the produce. You can wash/peel produce, but with meat you're ingesting all those hormones, chemicals, antibiotics, and toxic fat that's high in Omega 6's. Plus you're getting all the pesticides and chemicals in the soy & corn (not to mention the other garbage, like chicken feathers) the animals are fed.

 

Jackie

[KrissiK]

I struggle a lot with that issue, too and I try to focus on the good things I'm doing and them improve upon those rather than look at the whole thing and then get frustrated. For example, I try to get a fruit and/or veggie in with every meal. So, I figure if I have an apple & carrots sticks for lunch, then adding pj&j (on double fiber bread with organic pb and homemade blueberry jam) and a few chips and salsa isn't going to kill us. If I look at our dinner plates and half the plate is something green or colorful and we have a big salad with it, I'm not going stress about having white rice and not brown. I mean, I'm 42 years old with 3 young children. I don't have as much energy as I used to and I can't spend it all stressing about what we eat. We have a garden, we get most of our summer produce (both fruit and vegs) right off the farm and I freeze a lot of it for winter. Plus, the fact is, I like junk food and it is a struggle for me to eat even moderately healthy.

[creekland]

I guess what I'm trying to say is:

 

Aren't there many levels of "healthy" eating? If "healthiest" is out of reach, isn't "healthier" ok? Can we truly say that if it is not the "healthiest" it is "unhealthy?"

 

Isn't there a point of diminishing returns for the average household?

 

We are all going to die some day of something. Isn't there a point at which we can say, "this is healthy enough for me."

 

 

 

We have decided that we will sometimes be healthy and sometimes not as per our whims of the day.

 

Yesterday we went out to CiCi's (Pizza Buffet) and had sodas with the meal (gasp). Then we followed it with Ramen for supper (not exactly a huge appetite after a buffet for lunch).

 

Other days (most days actually) we eat from our garden, whole wheat, our own eggs and hunted meat.

 

We don't apologize or feel badly about either choice. Life's too short to worry IMO.

 

And we're all healthy.

[hornblower]

. Some things don't need to be organic from what I have read. Things you peel like oranges and bananas.....

 

 

 

Not disagreeing or criticizing your choices - we all make them & I buy certain conventional things as well.

 

But I did want to point out that the issue goes beyond what is good for us.

 

Bananas are one of the most pesticide laden crops. Farmers growing them in these methods have suffered health problems & have won law suits against Dole for permanent sterility caused by exposure to the chemicals.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/05/business/main3454902.shtml

 

You'd hope things were changing (since the lawsuit above goes back to actions in the 70s and 80s) but the recent years have seen continued degradation of the plantations, as well as persistent union busting among banana growers. This is a blog which documents conditions for banana workers & some of their struggles to improve working conditions.

http://badbananas.wordpress.com/

 

Here's another short article on bananas, working conditions, & esp Dole.

http://www.elements.nb.ca/theme/food06/Henria/henria.htm

 

I find it all very difficult. Each purchase we make, each item we put in our shopping cart not only affects the health of our families, it also ripples out into the world and affects the land and workers, sometimes so very far away.

 

I love bananas btw. If I went the 100mile diet route, this would be one of my big obstacles.

Edited March 31, 2010 by hornblower

[Crissy]

Can we truly say that if it is not the "healthiest" it is "unhealthy?"

 

 

 

Some might, but I won't do that to myself.

 

In the same way that I was surprised by the way my sister fed her children last weekend (chips, candy and soda before--no, instead of--lunch) there are people who would be appalled by the fact that I let my son make his sandwich with sliced turkey from a package and that his mandarin oranges and sugar snap peas are non-organic.

 

We don't eat 'healthiest', but we are gradually making small changes to improve our diet. I don't feel we are 'unhealthy', but there is certainly room for improvement.

[Lara in Colo]

I'm a true middle of the road person, about everything. I try to be forgiving to myself (otherwise I stay up all night long replaying every step I took throughout the day). I find that most things work out alright. I also find that most people have their "thing" ie: mechanics want you to change your oil on a certain schedule, your accountant wants you to cross file your receipts, your hairstylist wants you to use her brand of shampoo. If you did everybody's "thing" you would go insane. I try to do what I can, when I can and try to have my own passion insired by God. I let the rest fall by the wayside. I am not perfect, I have restictions in my life that keep me from doing things "the best". I can forgive myself for imperfection of life.

 

 

Lara

[BikeBookBread]

We are all going to die some day of something. Isn't there a point at which we can say, "this is healthy enough for me."

 

I REALLY go back and forth about this...

 

Some weeks we are VERY "Food, Inc-ish" and a huge advocate of King Corn. There are other days when I'm pretty meh. COMPARITIVELY, we are a healthy eating family.

 

BUT we do keep white flour (unbleached, high protein) in the house...and use it often. I use white refined sugar at times. I don't buy any baked goods. I also grind my own wheat and make 100% ww bread.

 

BUT NOW I hear from my dh who is reading Paleo Diet that I'm STILL not doing enough, and I need to hold back on whole grains. :confused: When is enough, enough??? Sometimes I'm very frustrated.

 

Part of the downside of technology and science is that we can learn so much about a subject that we begin to over think everything, and common sense can go by the wayside.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I find it all very difficult. Each purchase we make, each item we put in our shopping cart not only affects the health of our families, it also ripples out into the world and affects the land and workers, sometimes so very far away.

 

.

 

I really do understand this, but sometimes it feels like I'm being asked to save the world in a way that is almost religious. I would if I could, but I can't.

 

I can understand the poster who said she has been paralyzed by this kind of information before. Who can bear all that guilt, not to mention disgust. There is a certain point at which I must say, "that's life."

[Mejane]

Like you, we do our best but don't buy all the hype. Let's face it - if we did, we wouldn't eat anthing. :glare:

[6packofun]

We recognize our limitations (financial, full shade yard difficult for growing our own *anything*, etc.) and go with what we know and feel most convicted about. I don't mind that anyone else probably thinks that we could do much better as long as I'm satisfied that we're on a continuum towards better health as we learn more. I will never, ever be on whatever current nutrition bandwagon is sucking people in when it comes to feeding my family because setting up those rules for myself is just discouraging, impractical and sometimes, wrong according to current or upcoming research. (I had read the agave nectar thing, NOT from Mercola, a few weeks ago...not some major mind-blowing info, but definitely not what we'd been hearing from the healthy foodies for a while! lol) We will not be a "Food, Inc." family, a "Real Food" family, a "Nourishing Traditions" family or whatEVER! LOL I guess the eclectic homeschooling thing includes what we serve at our table, too. :lol:

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

We recognize our limitations (financial, full shade yard difficult for growing our own *anything*, etc.) and go with what we know and feel most convicted about. I don't mind that anyone else probably thinks that we could do much better as long as I'm satisfied that we're on a continuum towards better health as we learn more. I will never, ever be on whatever current nutrition bandwagon is sucking people in when it comes to feeding my family because setting up those rules for myself is just discouraging, impractical and sometimes, wrong according to current or upcoming research. (I had read the agave nectar thing, NOT from Mercola, a few weeks ago...not some major mind-blowing info, but definitely not what we'd been hearing from the healthy foodies for a while! lol) We will not be a "Food, Inc." family, a "Real Food" family, a "Nourishing Traditions" family or whatEVER! LOL I guess the eclectic homeschooling thing includes what we serve at our table, too. :lol:

 

:D Now I know what I am, an eclectic eater! :D

[BeckyFL]

I think we all just have to do our best. I'm in the mode right now to be sure that I know where my meat comes from (thanks to Food, Inc). We try to be healthy in other ways as well, eating lots of fruits and veggies (not all organic but some are), more whole grains, etc. We use cage free eggs and organic milk as well. If butter is on sale it might be organic or not, etc. Sometimes I just really want something like a biscuit or a muffin or banana bread that isn't whole wheat. But even if I use unbleached flour, I've made it myself so it's still far and above a sausage biscuit from McDonald's.

I know people who are extreme and would never that anything like that touch their lips. Honestly, you can become obsessed with all of this if you aren't careful. I think some balance in everything is good.

We get the point, we eat fairly well...... now can I have a bite of that blueberry muffin?

[stripe]

I also think there's so little room for growth -- so many people (in so many realms of life) act as if you're either in one extreme camp or another. You're either a slob or have every single thing fastidiously organized. You're either eating healthily (growing everything organically at home) or you are a junk food freak. You either develop your own curriculum using original sources and making your own paper from your own homegrown bamboo OR you're a sellout to the establishment. It's exhausting and ends up alienating those who have an interest in whatever the topic is, to not be a total believer/purist. It's certainly better to eat fruit, some whole grains, and the like, keeping an eye on health issues, than to not care at all. Some people will decide to eat even more "healthily" ; others won't! Oh well. And it's a recipe for a better life to be able to conduct these discussions with pleasure and eat one's food with enjoyment.

[Dawn in OH]

I have a bit of "this is healthy enough for me" attitude.

 

I figure, muffins made at home, with my half white half wheat flour and applesauce in place of oil is far healthier than the store bought muffins.

 

In fact, all my baked goods are homemade, with the exception of some sandwich bread (I can't keep up with the demand right now), and I know my home made baked goods are healthier than store bought.

 

I make my own salad dressing, barbecue sauce, enchilada sauce and soups. Yes, I still buy Hellman's Mayo. I've toyed with the idea of making my own. I've got time constraints (3, soon to be 4, very cute ones, and homeschooling). There's no HFCS in the Hellman's Mayo, and that's going to have to be good enough for now.

 

While its not organic, the milk we buy is RBGH and RBST free.

 

I buy organic yogurt and chicken breast. I get my beef and pork from a local farmer where the animals are mostly grass fed, no hormones and no antibiotics.

 

We don't do HFCS, or aspartame. We buy a minimal amount of processed foods. I'd love to make everything myself, grow my own veggies and fruit, raise my own livestock, but it's just not possible right now. And I cannot afford to buy everything organic.

 

I figure we are already doing better with our food quality than the majority of people in this country, and when we do have something "unhealthy" we discuss it with the kids and make sure they understand how and why it's unhealthy and should be eaten in moderation.

 

So yes, for now, "This is healthy enough for me", but we are always improving on that.

[GWOB]

Food is not a hill I wish to die on. Competitive parenting is bad enough. I refuse to play the whole "Competitive Healthy Eating" game. And we eat relatively healthy! We buy organic milk, have raised/will raise chickens for eggs, buy local grass-fed beef, garden, and other stuff. We also like to eat out and not think about where that food has been. I really like diet soda. I just do whatever I feel is best for my family. SuzyQ health nut can milk her golden calf all she wants (Thanks Impish for that one) if that is what she feels best for her family. I will just do what I feel is best for my family, even if that means making chocolate-chip cookies from shortening because that is how my kids' grandma and great-grandma made them.

[Wyndie]

I've been thinking about this thread alot this morning. I think the reason there are so many extremes is that some people pursue health out of necessity for their own health of that of their families; we've seen many people on here (me included) who have extreme health problems in their family. Others pursue health b/c they're grossed out by the truth of certain foods or concerned about GMOs and want to do better. Others pursue it casually but not with the "religious fervor" that many feel b/c it's more of a journey of improvement, not a race to heal the body. Perhaps that's why there are such diverse answers to "This is healthy enough for me".

 

More of my 2 cents. I guess that's 4 cents now... :D

[HRAAB]

I do the best I can with what I have in resources. I'm always willing to learn and try to implement those ideas that seem the most important. Our grocery budget is very limited, so I put my money into what I feel are the most important foods. We grow everything we can, raise our own laying hens and meat birds. I control what I can. If I tried to implement every healthy idea I read about, I would go crazy besides not being able to afford it. If I become convinced something is vital, I'll try to make that change.

 

Do the best you can, it's better than not trying.

[i.love.lucy]

This thread has been very reassuring for me, so thank you. I feel like I try, and that's all I can do right now. Heaping tons of guilt on myself because I gave my son a regular ol' WalMart purchased banana is just not something I can handle right now. I like that "good, better, best" comment. Right now I am doing pretty good with our food choices, but I can do better. Once I get a handle on the better, then I will strive for best.

[aggieamy]

I have a bit of "this is healthy enough for me" attitude.

 

I figure, muffins made at home, with my half white half wheat flour and applesauce in place of oil is far healthier than the store bought muffins.

 

In fact, all my baked goods are homemade, with the exception of some sandwich bread (I can't keep up with the demand right now), and I know my home made baked goods are healthier than store bought.

 

I make my own salad dressing, barbecue sauce, enchilada sauce and soups. Yes, I still buy Hellman's Mayo. I've toyed with the idea of making my own. I've got time constraints (3, soon to be 4, very cute ones, and homeschooling). There's no HFCS in the Hellman's Mayo, and that's going to have to be good enough for now.

 

While its not organic, the milk we buy is RBGH and RBST free.

 

I buy organic yogurt and chicken breast. I get my beef and pork from a local farmer where the animals are mostly grass fed, no hormones and no antibiotics.

 

We don't do HFCS, or aspartame. We buy a minimal amount of processed foods. I'd love to make everything myself, grow my own veggies and fruit, raise my own livestock, but it's just not possible right now. And I cannot afford to buy everything organic.

 

I figure we are already doing better with our food quality than the majority of people in this country, and when we do have something "unhealthy" we discuss it with the kids and make sure they understand how and why it's unhealthy and should be eaten in moderation.

 

So yes, for now, "This is healthy enough for me", but we are always improving on that.

 

This is me too. Well, you have a few more little ones than I have but otherwise I could have written this word for word. I'd love to be grind your own wheat, everything organic, and everything from scratch but I can't. I realize that though. I have limited time, limited financial means, and limited resources. I love the good, better, best idea. Right now I'm probably at better and someday if my cooking skills improve, if I have a bit more time, or if we have an income increase then hopefully I'll move into the best catagory.

[tonersl]

Absolutely!

My own conscience would not allow me to just throw up my hands and give up all together, but I make compromises every day. Unless I become entirely self-sufficient, I expect to continue making those compromises every day. My budget and sanity depend on it.

:iagree:

Shannon

[JenC3]

As I sip my flat vanilla coke, my freezer is full of organic meat. Ha! I have friends who balk when I say we ate such and such...but YOU are ORGANIC! It's as if b/c I feed my family local or organic or homegrown 95% of the time, I'm not allowed to eat Dorito's-EVER. I think life is meant to be lived and if a soda or chips every once in a while is a tragedy, oh well.

[6packofun]

I really do understand this, but sometimes it feels like I'm being asked to save the world in a way that is almost religious. I would if I could, but I can't.

 

I can understand the poster who said she has been paralyzed by this kind of information before. Who can bear all that guilt, not to mention disgust. There is a certain point at which I must say, "that's life."

 

Well said. I totally agree. "Healthy living" *can* become somewhat of an idol in a person's life (can, not automatically DOES) just like anything else.

[Dawn in OH]

As I sip my flat vanilla coke, my freezer is full of organic meat. Ha! I have friends who balk when I say we ate such and such...but YOU are ORGANIC! It's as if b/c I feed my family local or organic or homegrown 95% of the time, I'm not allowed to eat Dorito's-EVER. I think life is meant to be lived and if a soda or chips every once in a while is a tragedy, oh well.

 

I like to break down and have a root beer float maybe 3 times a year. And it's just not New Year's Eve without a few Pizza Rolls! I can't completely abandon the way of eating I was raised with.

 

As you said, life is meant to be lived. So we do have a few unhealthy things a couple times a year. I get my fix and then I'm good for another 4+ months.

[Wheres Toto]

We're probably middle of the road and that's mainly because Dh does most of the cooking. We eat a lot of fish (off the low mercury list), vegetables (some we grow ourselves but lack of space and short growing season..), brown rice, whole wheat breads and pasta (but store bought). We do buy organic milk since my kids drink a lot, organic apples (ditto) but that's usually it. I'm trying to avoid artificial sweeteners so I'm slowly giving up diet soda (down to one case over 2-3 weeks) and drinking more homemade iced tea or water. I'm also making homemade bread occasionally and trying to do more (lack of time..). I'm trying to cut down HFCS but boy is that a hard one - its in everything! I'm not the most domesticated woman so making a lot of stuff from scratch is beyond my current capabilities. We're all pretty healthy with no major health issues or problems so it's mainly a matter of chosing what's most important to us given the funds, time and energy we have.

[Georgiana Daniels]

Soooo not a good thread to read while I'm eating frozen taquitos (well, I heated them first.)

 

We are striving to make improvements. I've met with tons of resistance on whole grain bread, but we've (mostly) cut out surgary cereals. (Too bad they are the cheapest breakfast food. Sigh.) We now each have our quota of fruits and veggies each day.

 

Compared to where we were, we're doing better. Still have lots of room to grow.

[muffinmom]

I think we all should do the best with what we know and can afford. But we absolutely should not criticize and judge others for their choices.

 

I really loathe the new "morality" about food--the disdain upon those who don't eat the "approved" way, or buy food from certain sources. And disdain often crosses the line into something worse.

 

The people I know who are strictest about their food choices--not people who HAVE to because of allergies, etc., but those who are just militant about "healthy" or "fair trade" or whatever--take it way too seriously, to the point that it interferes with relationships. To me, that's gone too far.

 

It's obvious plenty of Americans don't take their eating seriously enough, but many are going way too far (at least in terms of attitude). Eat as healthy as you want--that's great--but have an attitude of love toward other people, despite their "poor" choices.

[stripe]

I really loathe the new "morality" about food--the disdain upon those who don't eat the "approved" way, or buy food from certain sources. And disdain often crosses the line into something worse.

Not to mention, there are different belief systems.

 

Let's take just one food item: milk.

 

There are vegans, who are opposed to drinking it at all.

There are those who believe it is odd to drink another mammal's milk.

There are the lactose intolerant.

There are those who believe raw milk is the only acceptable choice.

There are those who are firm believers in pasteurization.

There are those who are concerned with the living conditions involved in the cows who produce the milk.

There are those who only want to drink milk from local family farms.

There are those who are opposed to hormones given to cows.

There are those who believe only whole milk is acceptable, preferably unhomogenized.

There are those who believe only skim milk is healthy.

 

So even in the realm of those who have a strong opinion about milk, there are so many different outlooks and outcomes as to what sort of milk is "proper" to drink, including not wanting to have any of it. This makes it all the more complicated.

[muffinmom]

Not to mention, there are different belief systems.

 

Let's take just one food item: milk.

 

There are vegans, who are opposed to drinking it at all.

There are those who believe it is odd to drink another mammal's milk.

There are the lactose intolerant.

There are those who believe raw milk is the only acceptable choice.

There are those who are firm believers in pasteurization.

There are those who are concerned with the living conditions involved in the cows who produce the milk.

There are those who only want to drink milk from local family farms.

There are those who are opposed to hormones given to cows.

There are those who believe only whole milk is acceptable, preferably unhomogenized.

There are those who believe only skim milk is healthy.

 

So even in the realm of those who have a strong opinion about milk, there are so many different outlooks and outcomes as to what sort of milk is "proper" to drink, including not wanting to have any of it. This makes it all the more complicated.

 

you're right. and we may ALL be wrong!

[mcconnellboys]

Yes, I think you are eating healthy and that everyone has to make the choices they feel are best for themselves, their own families, and their pocket books.

[Danestress]

We are pretty healthy eaters - in my opinion anyway. None of us is over weight. We have no major health problems or allergies (though one son has eczema, and I am told by many that there can be an allergy component).

 

Anyway, I just try to feed my family a lot of vegetables, fruits and whole grains, and then I let the rest sort of fill in. It is my hope that a person who eats a lot of broccoli is getting a lot of fiber, so a little white bread won't kill him. It is my hope that if my pasta sauce is full of tomatoes and chopped vegetables, then the refined pasta is not that big of a deal.

 

My kids eat dessert every day. And I probably drink more than I should, though not medically and I never drink "too much" socially. I just mean that I probably drink more than I ought to in terms of increasing my risk for breast cancer.

 

Our diet could be better. But I think it's way better than the average American. We eat a lot of beans. We eat a lot of whole wheat bread. I avoid HFCS and I do read labels looking for hidden sources. We eat fruits and vegetables - some from the farmer's market grown locally, but often from the grocery store too. It's not perfect in terms of health nor in terms of supporting local food, but I try.

 

It's not perfect, and I am not going to make it perfect any time soon.

[mom4him]

We follow a VERY strict diet at our house, eating as organic as possible and yes our grocery bill for 5 runs around $1200 a month. We have very good reasons for doing this as our one son NEEDS this diet and we do it as a family.(I could never sit and eat something that is illegal for him and tell him that he can't have any. Just don't have it in me.)

 

I would love to be able to purchase all organic but that really isn't possible so I do what I can in that area by purchasing chickens from the Hutterites, beef, eggs and milk from country friends, all the fruit and veggies that I can from our food coop(I can generally get these through our coop cheaper than in the stores and it is organic.) The rest I get from Sam's and the local health food store.

 

You have to do what you personally feel you need to do and can afford. Then be at peace with it.

[Gratia271]

I think each person needs to do what is best for them based on their own circumstances.

[Crimson Wife]

What I don't get is how some people put down others for having large grocery bills but their lifestyle choices include things I'd consider luxuries- cable/satellite, 2+ newer model non-economy vehicles, regular manicures, and so on. As long as the family isn't going into debt for these things, who cares how somebody chooses to spend their money?

 

FWIW, I strive to live by the 90/10 rule. If 90% of the time I'm making the healthy choice, I am not going to sweat too much the other 10%.

[MelanieM]

The best thing I ever heard on this subject was the following: It's not what you eat, it's how you feel when you eat it. (Abraham-Hicks) I think that when we eat something we believe is bad for us, the belief does far more harm than the actual food. So basically, I strive to get into alignment with whatever I've decided to do, and do it with joy! A happy heart is a healthy heart, even if it sees the occasional twinkie. ;)

[Jean in Newcastle]

For me, I have to balance kinds of health. I do want my food to be healthy. But I only have limited energy and I want a healthy family life and homeschool so all my energy can't go to food growing, buying, preparation etc. We also have a limited budget and I want a healthy bank account or at least one that hasn't flat-lined. So I try to make good choices within certain parameters.