Nuts About Nutrition

If you know me, you know in the past few years I've gone a little nuts about nutrition.

Part of that is my own journey to find a healthier life, and part of that journey is compelled by the nutritional needs of my children.  We hate allergies, but it forces us to think creatively about food, and even though I've never loved the kitchen, I'm feeling more and more at home there.

At the same time, having children who are adopted keeps me from being completely compulsive about food...

But the refined sugar issue drives me to insanity some days.

(Me screaming into a pillow)

There are also times Tim knows to preface his choice of a dinner menu with, "And it ain't healthy, so don't ask." 

(Me getting out the almond butter and veggies...  Who says mom can't have a PBJ dinner too when she doesn't like what's on the table?)


Everyone knows I'm obsessed, and they humor me.  Here are some recent examples my family likes to site as proof I've gone over the edge:

• Disguising green things in smoothies.  The kids are on to me and carefully watch what goes into their smoothies, but I'm creative...that's all I'll say.  And my own smoothies are loaded with almost 100% of my daily intake of everything from fiber to protein and really obscure vitamins.
• Celebrating that our hotel in Nebraska was next to a Whole Foods, and long searches in airports to find healthy food choices (mostly for me on that one...impossible to do for everyone).
• Carrying a bag of almonds and a few apples with me everywhere I go to avoid coming up against choosing between processed foods and hunger.
• Stocking our kitchen with every possible natural sweetener alternative to processed sugar and modifying recipes to include only whole food ingredients.

And the list goes on.  Thankfully everyone has a sense of humor, and if you want to know the truth, they're my built-in personal trainers.  When I broke down and bought diet coke, Nate hid it, and just the other day Gabby told me, "Mom, I'm your Jillian."  

So imagine my joy at discovering how healthy Indian food can be, and that most of our family loves it...and it isn't that difficult to prepare.  Tim makes Pav Bhaji and Egg Curry by the pot, and stores it in the refrigerator for when our vegetarian daughter doesn't like what's on the menu.  And he loves to point out to me that the ingredients are all whole food ingredients.

(Me silently cheering that I might be rubbing off on the family.)

So about those spicy Cheetos Gabby loves, loves, loves...  Most people don't believe me, but we actually have allowed Cheetos in the house.  Recently they became a bonus item rather than a general snack item.  Four bonuses earns a bag of Cheetos.  That's four days of doing chores and homework with a good attitude.  And I force myself to not read the label and all those words I can't pronounce that are going into my children's bodies.

It's just Cheetos.

(Me breathing into a bag...)

And at the end of the day, whole foods still win, so we're all good.