Couple of things I've been mulling over today.
First, the NYTimes tackles organic food safety issues. Guess what? It's not always safe. It's not always more nutritious, either. Patient ask me ALL THE TIME about this. I'm in a bit of a muddle about what to recommend. First, I suggest that when you can, know the grower. In the area of town in which I practice (for now) there's a farmer's market for a good chunk of the year. Even our big giant grocery store sells some locally grown produce. I personally buy hormone-free, organic milk for my kids, although I'm yet not entirely convinced it's necessary. If, in 10 years there's a lot of good data about nastiness of pesticides and hormones in the dairy food chain, well, then I'll be glad I was cautious. If not, I'll just be a little bit poorer. I tend to recommend that thin-skinned fruits--berries, grapes, peaches, apricots--be organic when possible. Conventional bananas, citrus, etc. are okay. I think. I use the Environmental Working Group's guide kind of as a framework. But after reading the Times today I'm not so sure:
It's Organic, but Does that Mean It's Safer?
Problem is, of course, that good, minimally processed food is more expensive. Have you heard that the economy is bad? Good food involves not only a bigger outlay of money, but there's an investment of time involved as well. To get fruits and vegetables in every meal we eat at home during the week (okay, most meals) I really have to plan ahead. As one patient pointed out to me while I was expounding upon the glories of knowing who grew your strawberries, "Who has time?" Going to a farmer's market on a Saturday, AND the grocery store, AND Target, AND getting a couple loads of laundry done, AND getting the house clean just isn't going to happen. Furthermore, those locavore carrots don't cook themselves. I have arrived home myself many times at 5:30pm, two hungry small cranky people in tow, then realized that the brown rice pilaf I was going to serve at 6:00pm, exactly one second before the kids die of hypoglycemic comas was going to take a good 45 minutes plus to cook. Uncle Ben's it is.
I stumbled on this today from the mother of all crunchy granola hemp-laced publications, Mother Earth News.
Cut Your Food Bills in Half
This is a pretty hardcore, but rather sensible article, full of no nonsense ideas. Beans, whole grains, vegetables, eat at home....Nothing too outrageous here. I certainly won't be roasting millet for a wholesome snack while I can tomatoes from my allotment any time soon, but still, I read this and thought, "I really need to get a pressure cooker."
One item in the article which really resonated was this:
In defense of snacking, it is possible that grazing one's way through the day is more natural, biologically speaking, then sitting down to ceremonial meals three times a day.
I'm a happy grazer. I used to eat breakfast, graze all morning, eat lunch, then graze all afternoon, graze while making dinner, eat dinner, then snack at night. Then I reluctantly did what I advise patients to do: paid attention. I'm a better day grazer than meal eater. So now, during the day, I just snack: bananas, pretzel, little soup, pretzel, orange, cookie. I cut my daytime calories in half by being honest with myself about how I want to eat. It won't work for everybody. Figure it out, I suggest to patients. Do you want to graze or do you want to feast?
Speaking of feasting, I do love a Quarter Pounder, especially when we're in the car on the way from land-locked Primary Caresville to the beach. I also, as I believe I've mentioned, love coffee. A lot. A whole lot. Thanks to my coffee issues and my freaked-out all-stress, all-the-time state of being, I have a whole lotta reflux, for which I take proton pump inhibitors. I might have to give up my vacation Quarter Pounder habit because I am absolutely not going to give up my coffee habit, thus am going to have reflux and will need my PPI. However, if I keep eating the burger, I might have a heart attack, and if I do, I'll need Plavix to thin my yucky old blood. My PPI might make that Plavix work less well, according to a couple of recent studies:
Plavix, PPI Combo: Risky for heart patients?
This is potentially really bad. For me, certainly, if I have that heart attack. For my dad, who has had a heart attack, and who clutches his Prevacid in bed as he loves it so. He takes Plavix. For my post-MI/unstable angina patients who take aspirin as well as Plavix. No PPI means GI tract problems, possibly bad problems with bleeding. I'm not happy about this. Must read more.
And last, but not least, apparently there is something more annoying than Rachel Ray: Kiddie Foodies. Are you sick of them?
This is funny. What kid has a consistent palate? My kids slurped up spicy Thai Sweet Potato Stew yesterday; today they could not be bothered with fabulously simple grilled fresh ham steak slices, plain peas, and pasta. My daughter might love smoked trout one day and be grossly offended by a fish stick the next. They have years to go before they earn the title of "foodie". I have so many meals to cook between now and then. Oy.
Good night! --Iced.
First, the NYTimes tackles organic food safety issues. Guess what? It's not always safe. It's not always more nutritious, either. Patient ask me ALL THE TIME about this. I'm in a bit of a muddle about what to recommend. First, I suggest that when you can, know the grower. In the area of town in which I practice (for now) there's a farmer's market for a good chunk of the year. Even our big giant grocery store sells some locally grown produce. I personally buy hormone-free, organic milk for my kids, although I'm yet not entirely convinced it's necessary. If, in 10 years there's a lot of good data about nastiness of pesticides and hormones in the dairy food chain, well, then I'll be glad I was cautious. If not, I'll just be a little bit poorer. I tend to recommend that thin-skinned fruits--berries, grapes, peaches, apricots--be organic when possible. Conventional bananas, citrus, etc. are okay. I think. I use the Environmental Working Group's guide kind of as a framework. But after reading the Times today I'm not so sure:
It's Organic, but Does that Mean It's Safer?
Problem is, of course, that good, minimally processed food is more expensive. Have you heard that the economy is bad? Good food involves not only a bigger outlay of money, but there's an investment of time involved as well. To get fruits and vegetables in every meal we eat at home during the week (okay, most meals) I really have to plan ahead. As one patient pointed out to me while I was expounding upon the glories of knowing who grew your strawberries, "Who has time?" Going to a farmer's market on a Saturday, AND the grocery store, AND Target, AND getting a couple loads of laundry done, AND getting the house clean just isn't going to happen. Furthermore, those locavore carrots don't cook themselves. I have arrived home myself many times at 5:30pm, two hungry small cranky people in tow, then realized that the brown rice pilaf I was going to serve at 6:00pm, exactly one second before the kids die of hypoglycemic comas was going to take a good 45 minutes plus to cook. Uncle Ben's it is.
I stumbled on this today from the mother of all crunchy granola hemp-laced publications, Mother Earth News.
Cut Your Food Bills in Half
This is a pretty hardcore, but rather sensible article, full of no nonsense ideas. Beans, whole grains, vegetables, eat at home....Nothing too outrageous here. I certainly won't be roasting millet for a wholesome snack while I can tomatoes from my allotment any time soon, but still, I read this and thought, "I really need to get a pressure cooker."
One item in the article which really resonated was this:
In defense of snacking, it is possible that grazing one's way through the day is more natural, biologically speaking, then sitting down to ceremonial meals three times a day.
I'm a happy grazer. I used to eat breakfast, graze all morning, eat lunch, then graze all afternoon, graze while making dinner, eat dinner, then snack at night. Then I reluctantly did what I advise patients to do: paid attention. I'm a better day grazer than meal eater. So now, during the day, I just snack: bananas, pretzel, little soup, pretzel, orange, cookie. I cut my daytime calories in half by being honest with myself about how I want to eat. It won't work for everybody. Figure it out, I suggest to patients. Do you want to graze or do you want to feast?
Speaking of feasting, I do love a Quarter Pounder, especially when we're in the car on the way from land-locked Primary Caresville to the beach. I also, as I believe I've mentioned, love coffee. A lot. A whole lot. Thanks to my coffee issues and my freaked-out all-stress, all-the-time state of being, I have a whole lotta reflux, for which I take proton pump inhibitors. I might have to give up my vacation Quarter Pounder habit because I am absolutely not going to give up my coffee habit, thus am going to have reflux and will need my PPI. However, if I keep eating the burger, I might have a heart attack, and if I do, I'll need Plavix to thin my yucky old blood. My PPI might make that Plavix work less well, according to a couple of recent studies:
Plavix, PPI Combo: Risky for heart patients?
This is potentially really bad. For me, certainly, if I have that heart attack. For my dad, who has had a heart attack, and who clutches his Prevacid in bed as he loves it so. He takes Plavix. For my post-MI/unstable angina patients who take aspirin as well as Plavix. No PPI means GI tract problems, possibly bad problems with bleeding. I'm not happy about this. Must read more.
And last, but not least, apparently there is something more annoying than Rachel Ray: Kiddie Foodies. Are you sick of them?
This is funny. What kid has a consistent palate? My kids slurped up spicy Thai Sweet Potato Stew yesterday; today they could not be bothered with fabulously simple grilled fresh ham steak slices, plain peas, and pasta. My daughter might love smoked trout one day and be grossly offended by a fish stick the next. They have years to go before they earn the title of "foodie". I have so many meals to cook between now and then. Oy.
Good night! --Iced.
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Love, love, love my pressure cooker. I got a new fangled digital one that can also do slow cooking (QVC - haven't seen it anywhere else). It's not nearly as scary as mom's old exploding cooker. I can cook perfect beef stew in 15-17 minutes. Great time saver and lets you use less expensive cuts of meat. Does gorgeous things to a whole chicken, too.
ReplyDeleteAh, what time should I be over?
ReplyDelete