Friday, March 4, 2011

What do people think about when it comes to nutrition?

An odd question, I know, but I am seriously asking the question.

You see, having completed 6+ years of education related to human nutrition, I no longer think about nutrition the way most people do. I see food, recipes, food advertising, and food news differently now.

Not long ago, if you asked me if having taken nutrition in school had changed the way I eat, I would have said, "No, I've always been a healthful, mindful eater." But is that the truth? Ummmm ... no - certainly not.

I, like, many a kids and teenagers of my generation drank litres and litres of Kool-Aid. I ate microwave popcorn like it was going out of style, and loved to have gigantic ice cream sundaes topped with every sugary substance I could find in the house (skip the corn syrup - not as satisfying as one might think ...). I thought nothing of eating a row of cookies after school or eating half a bag of hickory sticks. Sure, we didn't drink pop, but I ate pizza pockets for dinner at least once a week, and had dinners of egg rolls, chicken balls, and TONS of cherry and plum sauce regularly (that's right - no veg).

These days there is no juice in our house, no microwave popcorn, no sugary goodies for topping ice cream (though I still do buy ice cream in the summer), no store-bought cookies or chips. I don't buy any frozen pre-made foods, and I cringe at the thought of having a meal without vegetables - it just feels wrong to me (no judgment if you can get by without vegetables).

So have my eating habits changed? Honestly? YES. Drastically.

And that's why I'm looking for inspiration. I am trying to develop a list of interesting nutrition-related topics and I need a little help. What interests you about nutrition? What do you want to know more about? What sort of information would draw your attention? I have a list of ideas I've come up with, but I'm looking for input. So please - don't be shy and don't feel silly. List off your nutrition questions and/or interests. I would love to know what "normal" people are interested in knowing more about.

3 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you put a link to your blog on your facebook account! I just spent some time looking through your interesting recipes. You clearly put some zeal and passion into your food preparations. They looked great. I'm a vegetarian, so I doubt I'm a "normal" in the nutrition scale lol, but other than meat I tend to operate on the principle of "everything in moderation." I was wondering your opinion on "diet" products like cola. I've read conflicting studies on both sides, and actually like the taste, but I'll only drink them maybe once a month. I was also wondering why you don't have juices in your home. Are they bad?

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  2. I just might have to send an email instead....

    The short end, I am trying to focus on my health. I am making better meals for my family and exercising more. I've always been careful with what Jayden eats, but not so much for Larry and I.
    My normal 'breakfast' is just black coffee. I know I need to eat an actual breakfast; Jayden loves bacon and eggs so sometimes I'll make turkey bacon and eggs since the protein is good, but really I like cereal mostly. I've been trying to eat cereal and fruit for breaky but it is hard to choose the right cereal.
    Any recommendations? I don't buy the sugary garbage cereals, but don't know which cereals are best for me. Probably sounds silly but that's what I want to know.

    Before I create a blog entry in the comment section...I'll email :-)

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  3. I'd like to hear about healthy food "myths". Foods that people think are healthy but aren't and suggestions for substitutions or ways to change recipes to make them better for you.

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