Familial Foods

If there is one memory from my childhood that I revisit often, it is Sunday Night Dinners at my Grandma's house. Chicken, potatoes, gravy, corn, Jell-O, and a big glass of milk. Yummmmm! But - not to discredit or disrespect my dear beloved Grandma -every single Sunday consisted of the same meal. I cannot remember ever having anything green, except maybe the Jell-O.

I lived most of my adolescence with a single dad (my Grandma's son), and our meals followed the same pattern. Vegetables meant corn; fruit meant canned peaches. Again, I don't want to discredit my dad. He did the best he could with the resources he had. But, again, we didn't see much green in that house.

These habits led to my obese adolescence and young adulthood.

I cannot blame anyone, though. I'm not sharing this story to shame my upbringing or blame my dad or grandma for my weight problem. That is how they had lived their lives for years and years - and they were fine. For me, though, corn & canned peaches represent a slippery slope down a path toward truly unhealthy eating habits and lack of will power. It represents a total lack of knowledge on my part about what a healthy diet looks like and how to achieve it. Canned corn and peaches, to me, represent my Kryptonite - the food weaknesses that could kill me.

Now, as an adult and mother, I have changed some habits. We eat fruits and/or vegetables at every single meal. And rarely do we eat canned corn and canned peaches. We eat: blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, bananas, oranges, apples, fresh peaches, fresh pears, carrots, sugar snap peas, peppers, jicama, radishes, broccoli, green beans, peas, zucchini, sweet potatoes, and more!

I feel proud that my kids will grow up with this rainbow of fresh food and delicious palate to choose from. Of course, they are toddlers, so some of the foods are hit and miss depending on the day. But by far, Ben's favorite are blackberries and cherry tomatoes. Hannah especially loves fresh pears, sugar snap peas, and jicama.

What a different perspective on food I hope I've instilled in them! And myself! My fruit and vege count is usually through the roof by the end of the day. YUMMMMMM.

I still do have an occasional side of corn and now and then we eat canned fruits. But not at every meal. And now I can't eat canned peaches. YUCK. The real ones are so much better.