organic – Fantastically 40-ish

I’ve not had a chance to write as much this semester because I’m taking two classes, working part time and volunteering to plan for a virtual college fair. Whew! I was able to take a nutrition course this semester and it has been so so good!

So what have I learned?

Nutrition is foundational to EVERYTHING. And sadly, our system here in the US does not support proper nutrition to all. Food access is a huge issue, food insecurity is real and food swamps are a thing. Food swamps are areas that are flooded with fast food chains and quick marts. There is nothing wrong with these places but they are not replacements for real grocery stores and fresh food markets.

But I digress … I had to write a paper on the myth that organic is more nutritious than conventional, and with a few minor exceptions, it’s not. And did you know that seafood is not regulated as organic in the US? 🤯 If you see any seafood labeled organic, it’s typically based on the label from another country. Organic produce does limit what type of pesticides might be used but that doesn’t generally affect whether the food is more nutrient dense.

And I had to compare an online newspaper article with the study that the journalist pulled from. And there was sooooooo much information missing from the newspaper article so reading the original writing is recommended, if you have access to it. The study detailed the various chronic diseases that are associated with drinking both diet and regular soft drinks. But the newspaper article left out much of the details. And I get it- I was a journalism major and you only get so much space to write an article. But it can be a disservice to those reading it.

As I always say, take control of your own health. Definitely do the research and work with your health care practitioner. There are so many ways to improve your health, maintain the health you have or even work to put health conditions in some form of remission just by addressing nutritional deficiencies.

Wishing you the best in your health journey!

Cooking and meal prepping have been HUGE game changers for me. I did quite a bit of health testing to see what works or does not work well for me. This helped tremendously and thankfully I have no food allergies, but it does limit some of my food choice options. And when I eat out, I don’t know the exact details of what is going in the food.

Allow me to remind everyone that I am not giving medical advice, but just sharing my journey that has allowed me to move toward better health.

I found that many nightshades bother me. These include potatoes, paprika and all peppers. Paprika is probably the worst offender but is used in so many recipes! So to better monitor the ingredients and the quality of products, I started cooking more. And unless restaurants become more slanted toward AIP or paleo, then choosing to cook at home is a must.

At first, I made the same recipes all of the time, but my nutritionist pointed out that I had appropriate cookbooks and why not actually try those recipes lol. My fear is always – what if the recipe is gross? 😧 the horror! So I decided to try only one new recipe at a time for any given meal (as I eat basically the same thing throughout weekdays). That way, I could try different options without feeling like I’m constantly throwing money away on meals that I don’t like.

And what is even more important to me is that I control the quality of what I’m eating. So I control sodium content which is crucial when trying to be healthier. Have you actually looked at the sodium levels at some places?? There’s one restaurant which I won’t name in which none of the meals has a sodium level less than 1000 mg with some ranging up to 3000 mg. That’s INSANE! Managing carbs is high priority for me so I can better monitor this as well by cooking at home.

I highly recommend taking the time to meal prep and cook more at home. It’s better for everyone in the long run. See you next week!

Tag: organic

What I’ve Learned…

Cooking at Home – Wellness Wednesday