It has become a way of life for many Americans to frequent fast-food restaurants. Many are the reasons why you may think you need to eat away from your home or that you need to eat processed, pre-packaged foods. However, if you learn quick ways of preparing fast nutritious foods, you can have more control over what goes into your body.
Supermarket foods require a list of ingredients on packages. Not so in restaurants. You may not know what you are eating. When watching me meticulously wash my vegetables at home, my granddaughter (who works as a waitress part-time) said, “Do you think restaurants wash the vegetables they serve?” She said there is very little washing of the vegetables you eat away from home.
The most time consuming part of vegetable preparation is cleaning them. A mixture I use to assure that my fresh raw vegetables are clean is 1 cup of water, 1 cup of white vinegar, 1 heaping tablespoon of baking soda and about 10 drops of grapefruit seed extract (may be omitted but it is a potent anti-bacteria agent). This will bubble up high so have it in a large container for mixing. You may double the recipe to fill a large spray bottle. Spray the surfaces of all raw vegetables and any fruits you plan to eat unpeeled. Let stand about 10 minutes and either rinse them in running water or have a large container of clean water in which to dip and rinse thoroughly. Place in a colander to drain. I do this even with greens that say they are “triple washed”. I use nylon net to scrub carrots, beets, potatoes, etc.
“It is too much trouble to prepare meals at home” you may say, especially if you live alone. Home food preparation requires primarily a change in attitude. Instead of looking at food preparation as an unpleasant chore, think of the good things you are doing for yourself and your family. If viewed as the creative adventure it can be, it can be as much fun as any new hobby. When you start to feel better, it really gets to be fun.
“When I cook healthful foods, the others won’t eat it.” I have seen parents turn up their noses at a food and then expect their children to eat it. Adelle Davis had the best advice I have heard when it comes to getting children to eat healthfully.
“Eat it yourself with relish and ignore the children. Never offer them a bite!” I have tried this with grandchildren (too bad I didn’t know it 50 years ago) and it works every time. When they ask for a bite, and they will, just give them a tiny bit, as if it was something precious, which it is. Don’t encourage them to eat it. Just see what happens and the earlier you start this, the better it works. Don’t urge kids to eat. Obesity is our number one health problem. Why try to get them to eat? Have only healthy food available and if you follow these guidelines, they will eat it. Set a good example. When they see you eating an apple instead of a sweet roll, they are more likely to follow suit.
There are easy ways to prepare healthful foods at home. The stir-fry method is quick and easy. If you prepare a roast or chicken in a crock pot on Sunday, you can use it left-over on Monday or Tuesday chopped up in stir-fry vegetables. Brown rice completes the meal and it is easy to prepare. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil, add 1 cup of brown rice which has been washed in a strainer, When the boiling point is reached, turn off the burner. Put a lid on and leave it for several hours; it will be cooked to perfection.
Think raw! The more raw fruits and vegetables you include in your diet, the better you are likely to feel. Many people are starting to use raw vegetable and fruit juices. Jack Lalanne, at age 95, convinced me to replace my old Champion juicer with one of his. It has not let me down!
My Illinois daughter found she was able to break her long time coffee addiction when she was at my house by starting her day with a glass of raw vegetable and fruit juice. Twenty-nine days with no coffee, no headache, and no meanness, and she says everyone is asking her what she is doing because she looks so much better. She is enjoying fresh raw juices every day and feeling good.
What is important to you? If it is your health, make it a hobby to learn to prepare healthful foods at home. Watch Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution on ABC on Friday nights at 8. You won’t be sorry.
(Janice Norris lives in Heber Springs, has a B.S. in home economics from Murray State University, taught home economics, owned and operated health food stores in Illinois and Heber Springs, has taught numerous health and nutrition classes, and wrote a weekly newspaper column in Illinois for 15 years. She can be reached at janicenorris34@yahoo.com)
