Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Manifesto

Okay, I admit it. Sometimes I have to choke down some pride when I'm at the grocery store and compare my basket to others. Mine is full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fresh meat and cheese. Theirs only canned vegetables, Stouffers Lasagna, boxed prepared rice dishes, and microwave meals.


I know, it's wrong, I'm confessing, forgive me.


I have strong feelings about food.
I like food. I like sugar and salt and fat and dairy and meat and fruit and veggies and grains. I like it all. I like different flavors and textures and smells and sounds. Food is intoxicating.


I have strong feelings about food.
I don't like to deprive myself of things that I like. I don't like hearing about diets that involve only eating a particular food group. I don't like it when I don't know what is in the food that I'm eating. I don't like it when the ingredient list looks like it was created in a lab.


I have strong feelings about food. Food should be real, not processed. Food should be historical, not futuristic (what exactly is in a Gogurt? And why is it shelf stable?). Food should be easy, not hard. Food should be easy on your wallet, not break the bank. Food matters.


I believe that healthy food is real food. I believe that processed food is the reason we are the fattest country in the world. I believe that convenience and fast food has made us forget how to cook. I believe that healthy food is inexpensive food. I believe that anyone can cook a healthy meal. I believe the reason we don’t like vegetables very much is because we don’t know how to cook them well.


And that is why, in a few months, I will launch a blog about my journey with food.


I’m not a nutritionist. I’m not a trained chef. Don’t call me a foodie. I just get sad when I hear my friends say they don’t cook. I get sad when I see my friends eating zero vegetables. I get sad when my friends think they have to spend a lot of money to make a good meal. So I want to share what I have learned in my years of cooking. From basic cooking techniques to menu planning to nutrition to recipes to budgeting.


Why should you read my food blog as opposed to the hundreds of other food blogs out there? Because you like me. Stay tuned…

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is wonderful Heather; thank you! :) I totally agree with all you said-my sister and I are working on transitioning to a more "whole foods" diet. I also have been interested in reading the book "In Defense of Food" on this topic.

Heather said...

I've heard good things about that book. I'm also intrigued by Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food. I'm seems like we need to keep enjoying food but stop obsessing about it.

Tawny said...

Hi Heather! What an awesome topic to blog about. I would be very interested in reading about your menu planning and food prep. I think I am obsessed with food :). Currently I am reading "Nourishing Traditions" and so far I am learning a ton about the make up of foods and what the general population considers healthy and what really IS healthy. In my family we are making every effort to get back to "real foods" or "whole foods".

KeriAnn said...

Heather, sounds like a fun blog. And I also am a fan of food, the way it is, without that shelf-life factor thing. Can you say twinkie?
;/

Yum, you have gotten a pregnant girl hungry. nice going.