I started blogging about food in 2014, partially to keep myself entertained and partially to keep a record of some of the recipes I had created. The more I blogged, the more I realized that I had previously made a lot of very unhealthy choices and I had fallen victim to the advertising I was seeing. Additionally, as I was trying new diets and foods to hopefully aide with my own health issues, I was awakened to how often I had fallen victim to habits from my youth that were also adding to my poor food choices and possibly poor health.
Previous to blogging I was having an absolute love affair with cooking, tasting new dishes and trying new recipes. I wasn't focusing our meals on weight or health, I simply wanted to try new ideas and had become an avid watcher of cooking shows. My husband and I were trying the "latest" new indulgences more often then we should have been.We both came from middle class families and grew up in an age where fast foods and processed foods had become the "norm" in our households. I've discussed this more fully in previous posts if you wish to read more of my thoughts and experiences.
The Gen-X Appetite
Food and History
Food and Marketing
I have taken the time to re-educate myself about food and nutrition. I now know there are a lot of myths, old beliefs or marketing influences which were driving my eating habits and food choices.With all of the new research into how food overall affects our overall health, I do think it is best we learn how to cook and pay attention to what goes into the foods we eat, including how it is grown.
It has been a well known fact that North Americans are over consuming processed foods and we are getting too many "empty" calories. The Canada Food Guide was recently overhauled, if you look at it now and compare it to the years previous, there is a dramatic change in what is recommended and far less focus on the industry and food producers. The focus is more on whole and plant based foods.
I'm glad to see juices have been replaced with fruits and vegetables in their whole form and water as the beverage of choice. I know our sources of food have changed dramatically over the last 200 years. We raise livestock differently, farm fish and we have created new breeds of plants and animals. We have access to "seasonal" foods year round now and we have invented edibles that don't exist in nature and quite frankly, some of those "foods" should not exist at all.
The more processed the food, the more sugar, salt, preservatives and chemicals and enter our systems. The challenge is not just weight gain, but a whole slew of diseases that occur with an unbalanced diet. My blog will continue to be about recipes, however, after many conversations with various people, I have noticed many do not think about what they eat, how it's prepared or how often they eat certain ingredients. I have also experimented with including foods from our past and replacing items that have become more commercially acceptable to market to the public due to their "easier and more productive" to produce and make a profit from. I'll write a post on cheeses in the next week which will open a few eyes as to why some people do not tolerate most dairy products well.
After a lot of research and trying a few different diets myself, I have concluded that being aware of your food, nutrition and ingredients is the best way to monitor your personal health based on your own unique situation. I won't be attacking processed foods as some were created to assist with survival, and in moderation. I have and will indulge in a pie, sausage or preserved food, as long as I'm the one making it. I'm confident that there is a health benefit to Fasting and/or Keto or Paleo diets too, but not for an extended period of time.
I am still creating recipes some are healthy, some are comfort foods and I have no problem creating a pie or cake and posting the recipe if it's a good one. I've said it before, everything in moderation. Just learning the basics of cooking and baking will show you how "processed" certain foods are and what ingredients can be changed to create a more balanced diet for you and your family. I will also be focusing on some of our history with food, agriculture and why our diets have changed so much.
This is just one more of those posts where you get to read my thoughts on the subject of learning to cook and it's benefits. Additionally, maybe you will reconsider buying your dinner and cook up something you create instead.
Have a great day!
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