An Observation

I recently read a great post by healthycookie about MSG and learned some things I hadn’t heard before. It appears to be a well researched and thought out post. Here’s a tidbit, that will hopefully inspire you to read more:

MSG is not a preservative, vitamin, or mineral. MSG goes by dozens of different names and is a highly addictive and destructive drug. A drug that attaches to glutamate receptors located on major organs in our body including the pancreas and heart, as well has the potential to cross the blood bran barrier (protective barrier around the brain).

Having that on my mind, I recently observed my son’s eating behavior with certain foods.

When at any of the grandparents, B generally is up before anyone else, and therefore consumes boxed cereal for his breakfast. I’d noticed that he often refilled his bowl multiple times. At home, if I buy boxed cereal, it’s usually some organic variety, although those aren’t exempt from suspicion. However, I noticed he seemed more satisfied with those, usually, and didn’t have so many refills.

I mentioned before trying some homemade cereal recipes. My most recent was an oat granola that turned out quite well. B had a bowl of that yesterday, and that was all. Just one bowl. This morning, he opted for a boxed ‘o’ shaped variety offered by the grandparents, and had no less than three refills. In light of the MSG article I found that very interesting.

This link has a list of aliases for MSG.The cereal B had this morning had modified corn starch in the list of ingredients. I wonder if that is the same as modified food starch in the alias list. I think I need to learn a bit more about this little additive. Thanks, healthycookie, for the heads up.

Down to Earth

I’ve been directed to a new blog that looks like a keeper. Down to Earth is actually a group blog for discussing food and issues related to agriculture and food production. They just launched this past week and there are already some informative and thought provoking posts. Down to Earth looks to be a good place to go to “separate fact from fiction about food production and what you feed your family.” Check it out.

S. A. D.

That stands for Standard American Diet. And, it really is quite sad. I was just catching up over on Through the Cooking Glass and found this post, a great summary of what is wrong with our American way of eating. Have a look, it’s not too long.

Formulating a Plan

Well, it’s time I quit talking about getting serious and actually get down to business. I’ve been conjuring up an idea of a plan in my head this week. Yesterday I downloaded a weekly meal planner template and hope this evening to get a list going of my favorite recipes. I’m starting with the evening meals, then will work on breakfast and lunch. I also have loads of laundry to work through, so we’ll see how far I get – a little at a time, I suppose.

Along with the pms, I have other nagging health issues, and I’m really getting tired of always feeling sick in some form or another. This week it’s nausea and indigestion getting me down, something that comes on every now and then (no, I’m NOT pregnant!). I’m starting to think that may be something like gall bladder or acid reflux. That’s potentially a whole lot more serious than pms or psoriasis, so I’d better start paying attention to what my body is telling me. You know, 39 is just a couple of months away. Ugh!

In light of all that, these posts on Through the Cooking Glass are very timely: Planning, part 1 and part 2. I certainly needed a little inspiration, not to mention some practical help. Eating well takes work, you know. But it is so worth the effort. I know a few years ago when I was doing a better job of following The Maker’s Diet, I felt much better than I have been lately. My husband and I got a late start as parents and I want to be able to be there for my kid(s), to be able to do for them and have fun with them.

I have a long ways to go before I can completely follow the “Nourishing Traditions” way of eating. I’m so not there with things like juicing and grinding my own grain. But, I’m going to start where I am and do what I can do. So, here I go. I’ll post my results as I go. Maybe it’ll help someone else get started. Hey, I’d love to hear from you if you’re embarking on a similar endeavor.

Splenda

I must say, I have felt suspicious of all the claims regarding Splenda from the beginning. So much seemed “too good to be true” and I’m typically suspicious of overly processed food and “diet” foods in particular. Well, today, while checking out one of my new favorite blogs (Health+Sanity),  I ran across some links to info on that very subject. Now, I have not researched this myself. This just spurs me on to take a closer look. I, myself, have refused to knowingly partake of this newfangled product, but know so many folks that have embraced it wholeheartedly. Well, I happen to care about those folks, so want to pass on this info for your ponderence. Perhaps you’d like to take a second look yourself.

• Truth About Splenda: Facts vs. Fiction
• More Deception - click on the video links she provides to hear from Dr. Mercola.

I will definately keep my eyes on this issue and, when I can, will do more research. I will post as I learn more over time. But nothing’s stopping you from taking a closer look at what you eat – what’s in that stuff anyway, hmmm?

More Cookies From Kate

If you’re looking to do some holiday baking, sounds like you’d better get some baker’s chocolate and make these Chewy Chocolate Bites from Kate in the kitchen. She’s the creator of the cheesecake cookies I posted about a few weeks ago. And from the sounds of these chocolate cookies, we can bring on world peace if enough of us make them. Well, that might require sharing them . . .

If you try these before I do, I want to hear about it.

Nutrition Humor

Check out this post on Miss Lionheart – too funny. I suppose I’d better improve my fluency in Spanish and drop the English. You’ll get that if you read the post.

Hmmm, I’d be curious to know more about the “food industry” in Japan, Mexico, China, Italy, and Germany. There’s another research project to work on in my spare time, while I’m resting. Really, you gotta read Miss Lionheart’s post.

Have a great weekend!