Week Two

Life used to be pretty simple as far as food went. The early pioneers of America may have had to work harder at making a meal, but it was simple. The finished product was much less varied than it is today. Over the past century, modern appliances have enabled us to make meals quickly; fast global transportation has enabled us to eat some pretty exotics foods; factories have pre-made foods so all you have to do is heat to eat; and chemicals have allowed food to be preserved, taste-enhanced, and cheaper.

There has been a backlash in pre-made products across our country after the highly-processed food started getting a pretty bad wrap from nutritionists. In the eighties, the word “lite” started showing up on the former-fattening items. More recently, the term “all-natural” is seen. This is good, right?

Take our own pantry. We try to buy healthy food and eat healthy in our daily lives. Still, there are various items in our pantry that make me wonder—just how healthy are we? We have cheese puffs that boast that they are “all-natural.” My husband Jay likes to drink 7up, which claims it’s made from all-natural ingredients. I buy low-fat and high-fiber frozen dinners made by a famous weightloss company. We buy lite ice cream….

Here are some questions that I have: Just what does the term “all-natural” mean? Are all foods that claim to be all-natural actually good for you? Do “lite” foods really help with weightloss? Are they healthy? Are vegetarian products and organic products always good for you? If we stay away from pre-made foods, are we the paragon of healthiness?

Over the next few days we will be focusing on all-natural foods and what it means to be all-natural from a marketing standpoint. We will also explore diet foods and other so-called health foods. The more we know, the more likely we will make the kinds of decisions that will keep us feeling good and living long lives.