eat your veggies

After hitting two of our local libraries for new books to read, I came across this interesting selection An Apple a Day, The Myths, Misconceptions, and Truths About the Foods We Eat by Joe Schwarcz, PhD. The first half covers specific foods and whether the health claims we hear about in the media are warranted. Some examples are tomatoes and Lycopene, fish and Omega 3 Fats, and Chocolate and Flavanols. The other half of the book concentrates on food issues of our day that have turned trying to have a healthy lifestyle into a herculean task. Is MSG that awful? Is High Fructose Corn Syrup the same chemically as sugar made from sugar cane or beets? Are there fewer pesticides in organically grown veggies? Should we be concerned about polyvinyl chloride leaching into our foods from plastic bottles? The more I read the less worried I was about not jumping on the wagon every time another medical study “proves” that this food is good or that one is dangerous.

While I think it is great that some families feed their children granola for breakfast, hummus and salt-free pita for lunch, cabbage and hormone-free free-range chicken for supper, I can’t manage to go beyond a little ground flax thrown in the pancake mix and a ban on colored breakfast cereal. I might not be doing too badly, the kids eat pounds of fruit and we use real butter and hormone-free milk. Basically studies show that you should eat lots of fruits and veggies, more whole grains, low fat dairy, and eat less overall. If you are concerned about what your family eats or are just want to know if the hype is for real, read a few chapters. I do suggest putting an apple beside your favorite reading spot ‘cause all this talk of food will make you hungry for a healthy snack.