The United States population has the highest percentage of overweight and obesity in the democratic, market-economy world.As Marion says, it isn't just individual behavior that needs shifting on this -- it's going to take shifting the norms of our society on the whole toward a more active lifestyle as well as a more veggie and fruit-centric eating style.
Which is a tall order in our drive everywhere suburban sprawl to get a drive-thru processed bag o' crapola for dinner world, isn't it?
At our house, we've been trying to shift our eating pattern for years to healthier, lower and better fat, more veggies and fruits and whole grains wherever we can, and less overly processed junk.
It's a lot of work, though. And something that families with two working parents and schedule overload would have trouble with on a daily basis, I fear. I remember the years when both Mr. ReddHedd and I were working full time (before we had The Peanut): if I couldn't cook it in the crockpot, or throw it together lickety-split after a long day of courtroom hearings? Then we ate out, and mostly ate crap -- a lifestyle for which we are still paying the penalty.
We didn't want that for The Peanut, so we've made changes and tried to be good about sticking to them. But, according to the CDC's recent findings, we aren't the only folks in this country struggling to add in more veggies to our daily diet. Although, honestly, we are doing way better than average on that score at the moment.
There are a few tricks that I've learned through the years:
- Use your crockpot wisely. Skin chicken before cooking it in there, for example, then you don't get the extra saturated fat. Make a big pot of veggie soup to last you a couple of days for lunches and snacks. Cook a large pot of dried pinto beans (with a little added pork for flavor or some liquid smoke if you want vegetarian beans) or Senate navy bean soup, and eat with a nice pan of stone-ground cornbread for a seriously satisfying meal. There are a whole host of possibilities for meals from your crockpot: all you have to do is prep ingredients the night before and then dump then in the next morning and head out the door. Dinner will be waiting when you get home. Especially during my years trying cases, this was a godsend.
- Having some prepped ingredients handy can make for a quick meal assembly when you get home. Take hummus -- chickpeas have lots of fiber and nutrients, right? When you pair them with some cut up red pepper strips, baby carrots, celery and cucumbers, along with a whole wheat pita? Very filling and good for you, too. Sabra makes hummus that is pretty decent and not so full of junk ingredients if you don't have time to make your own.
- I find ways to work in extra veggies by grinding them up pretty small in the food processor and then popping them into whatever soup, sauce, meatloaf or other recipe I happen to be making. Both Mr. ReddHedd and The Peanut aren't so keen on big chunks of veggies, sad to say, so this way I get something a little more nutritious into them anyway. (Although, huzzah, The Peanut tried some sauteed zucchini this week and loved it. My girlie is developing a broader palate, and I could not be happier.)
There are lots more, but I haven't had enough coffee to think about them quite yet today. But I'm going to make it a point to do some veggie, fruit and whole grain recipe sharing every week so we can all find ways to do better together. If you have recipes or tips to share, please do -- I'd love them!
Prior recipes to get you started:
-- Zucchini and squash recipe round-up
-- Crockpot Dal
-- Freezer recipe for chicken
-- Delish dinner
-- Berry good recipe round-up
-- Greek lemon-garlic chicken
-- Avocado recipe round-up
-- Caprese revelation
-- Summer recipe links (lots of fresh produce ideas here)
-- Fresh tomato dressing
(Photo via littlepomegranate.)
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