Not another one

I don't know about you, but I am sick and tired of documentaries about the North American diet. MSNBC ran a story yesterday about another documentary, this one is called Food Inc. It is not the subject of these documentaries that bothers me. I know that the American diet is really turning us all into diabetic, obese, walking heart attacks; but I seriously doubt that ANOTHER documentary is going to fix this problem. Robert Kenner, the director of the film, is not shy about his goals in this production. Kenner told the Associated Press that he is hoping to spur activists who will go to the lawmakers about this "problem."

I have not watched the documentary, but at the very bottom of the not-so-objective article the food industry said it's piece about the not so practical side of the documentary's bent and that much of the film is over exaggerated or false. I know the food industry has a stake in this, because it's their products that Kenner is criticizing, but the argument they made really did make sense. We can't only eat organic food and local food. It is not going to feed the impoverished people who are struggling to buy food for their families right now and it will mean a serious lack of fruits and veggies (you know those things that will help us break this diabetic, obese, walking heart attack cycle).

There is a problem with the North American diet. I was walking in the grocery store two days ago with my mom. We stocked up on meats because they were on sale. As we were checking out and leaving the store my mom noticed a women with a full cart of tasty cakes and soda and chips and packaged meals. My mom looked over in disgust and said she never raised us to eat like that.

When we were really little my parents tried to eat completely healthy. Me and my brother would toast at every meal "drink to the health of yuckyness." We really hated it, but it didn't last terribly long till my parents realized that a little bit of fat and red meat and yes even a bit of junk food is actually good in a diet. We were allowed one sweet a day and soda counted as that sweet, so we hardly ever wanted soda. We ate mostly turkey and chicken. Honestly I never knew what real bacon tasted like when I was a kid; we always had turkey bacon, we were healthier, and we didn't miss a thing. Every now and then my dad would talk my mom into red meat and he would not eat pizza with anything other than soda. Those things were treats for us; it was just the way we lived.

I said all of that to say that a healthy diet is not really that hard. Instead of buying that ground chuck, buy some ground turkey. As much as you think it's going to taste weird or different, it's all in your head. Just think of it as a new cooking experience. Of course there is a time and place for the real thing. If you're making potato soup and you need bacon in it, buy the real thing; it's the fat that make it taste good.

Forcing lawmakers to make laws about what we can and can not eat is not going to help the American diet. What is going to help is for people to learn that a healthy meal is not that difficult and is entirely worth it in the end. Put down the tasty cakes and no one will get hurt.

Speaking of tasty cakes here is a FABULOUS recipe for homemade Kandy Kake. They are truly delicious.

4 eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder

Grease a 13x9 inch pan. Mix all of the above ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit till golden brown, feels firm to the touch, toothpick comes out clean, or however you like to test cakes.

1 Cup Peanut Butter

Allow the cake to cool and spread the peanut butter over the cake.

8 oz. Hershey's Chocolate Bar

Melt the chocolate bar and pour over the peanut butter. Be sure to break the chocolate up first or it will melt unevenly or even burn. I like melting chocolate in the microwave on medium. That works the best for me.

Make this treat or some other dessert this week and remember eat it a little bit at a time and you won't regret it.

Happy Eating!!!

Emily