This past weekend while making breakfast I had to smile as I looked down to see Tempeh bacon, Red hash and Gluten Free waffles and thought this isn't my mothers kitchen anymore. This is a long way from My mother's meat and potato recipes I was raised on, let alone how I was cooking just a few years ago. With my own health issues and the changing world concerns over GMO, food allergies and sensitivities our kitchens and our cupboards are far from our Mothers. Our views on meals and recipes are ever changing too, sometimes as quick as a new iphone is out on the market. Yet some of the challenges our Mother's faced have not gone away. Getting everyone in the household eating better can still be a chore in itself.
When I was first told that basically 95% of my diet was suppressing my immune system and if I didn't remove them I would complicate my already serious condition I had no choice but to make drastic changes to my diet. I never imagined that would make life and my work in the kitchen twice as hard as I struggled to cook meals I could eat and keep my ex husband and son eating what they were accustomed to. While trying to figure out what I could and couldn't eat anymore. I found the task at times overwhelming. I later found out that from the outside my family and friends had no idea what was happening to me, the sad thing neither did I. I was just doing the best I could with the information I had at that time. I started to introduce my new eating habits to friends and family along with trying to still be included with social events and outing hoping that food would not be a barrier but this too was a disaster. I then decided I needed to get back to cooking at home and eating like a family. In order for me to make this work I understood I would have to recreate how I ate and how I feed my family. Making small steps would be key if I wanted to make these big changes to our diets and our household.
Over the years I have been willing to experiment, research and have fun with food and that really paid off this weekend as I am now lucky enough to have created another great opportunity to make a healthy meal and share it with the ones I love and it taste delicious.
Most of our Mothers could of never prepared us for the challenges we face today when it comes to food and what is best for our families in this ever changing world. So it has been a journey for me of trial and error all the way. After years of reinventing I can only say, no two kitchens will ever be alike and no two picky eaters might agree on one dish, So here is what has worked best for me:
1. Never Give Up
No matter if it is ridicule from your family members and friends or disasters in the kitchen, Carry On!! Over the years I have had many a disaster in the kitchen. In the beginning this almost made me give up. Then I started to view my cooking when it came to this as an experiment. Most people don't know that I once could cook the best lamb shank for miles around and my mash potatoes were sure perfection in taste but Tofu and Making Raw Nut Burgers were like a foreign language to me. Looking at my time in the kitchen more like time in a lab made it fun and made it easier to try new foods on my family and friends. For the first few years I always had a back up plan for dinner if it went bad but for the most part I just pick a new recipe tried it and never gave up. One other thing, when it comes to family and friend and the ridicule and skepticism you might get. How I solved that is in the words I here most often; Don't you age? So either my new way of eating is helping in giving me a more youthful appearance or that death becomes me really is true either way let your life and the changes speak to those who make fun of something they know nothing about.
2. Experimenting with Food Exchanging
Getting your family to accept some food changes is hard on many levels. Some foods give comfort, other feed a craving our body is signaling a need for. My way of facing this challenge was to slowly trade out food. Maybe they are still Barbeque Chips but now they are Gluten Free. ( Even if you are not gluten intolerant studies more and more are showing Gluten issues to be rising in the numbers of patients being seen with digestive illnesses.) looking around there are more and more companies who are catering to taste and health now so it is easier than ever to do this. If you don't have much time in the kitchen to start or prepare foods, change what small things you can and introduce the new foods even by mixing them in. Meatless Crumble is way to trade out meat products and not lose flavor, You will have to be creative at times but it can be fun to see your family enjoying foods that once just saying the word got you a YUCK!!
3. Trying New Menus and Recipes
This is the simplest; Don't be afraid to try new things. When I first started I used You Tube and my library a lot. I remembered about those old cooking shows on TV and thought that watching videos from people just like me would give me a boost and it sure did. I was then able to go to my local library and find some of the cookbooks talked about online and in the videos. At first I just introduced breakfast food changes and added desserts. They seemed the easiest to start right away with and not get to much notice or fuss. Then I moved to trading out weeknight regular for once to twice a week a new recipe. Work at what pace is best for your lifestyle but once or twice a week was perfect for us. Now it is much more but even on a busy week we try to add one more.
4. Reinventing Old Favorites
I also found that taking Old favorites and changing the recipe to be a healthier version was a great way to keep everyone happy. It's like showing appreciation for their participation in your experiments in the kitchen throughout the week. Other times I would find a raw, vegetarian or vegan dish that duplicated in the best possible way the original flavor. This was fun in many ways. I must say this takes patience and a tough skin, sometimes nothing can compare to a original or mom's old style of cooking. That is where the Never Give Up will come in handy.
5. Learn more about the Food Industry and The Human Body
I found it helpful for me to learn as much as I could about different ideas around eating and the food industry and share those with my family. Not in an over zealous convert way but helping them to understand why I was making the changes in our diet. Weather that was health issues or other concerns. Being informed seemed to help with decision making and everyone feeling the changes were to have a better life not be punished or deprived. Health in school will only take you so far and even their teaching is outdated in many ways so research for yourself and your family. There was also a book called Becoming Younger by Dr. Norman Walker that taught me more about my body and how it works then anyone. His book changed my life and I recommend it as a building book to a healthy life. The more you learn about your body and how it relates to food the less you will struggle around food issues and digestive illness. That was at least the case in my life.
6. Make Eating Healthy Fun
It has been the variety and willingness to try things that has made eating an experience and food a healthy part of our life. Over the years many foods have came and gone but the overall theme of having delicious food that are healthy and beneficial to us are still key. Keeping on track was the hardest part sometimes. What I found helpful in this area was getting the family involved in coming up with new ideas around food. Googling new restaurants and making a day of going somewhere new and going out to eat is always a fun outing and last Thanksgiving we experienced a Vegan Meetup. We meet some great people and gained some new ideas and even recipes. Getting the family involved in Cooking Dinner or even Picking a new Recipe can make a huge difference. Once again you might have to be creative but believe me the more you can get everyone eating the same under your roof the grocery bill goes down, there is less sickness in the house and even a renewed sense of family that once was in every kitchen across America.
7. Little Steps Are Better Than No Steps At All
Last but not least I have been at this for a better part of 8 years and I have not made the strides I once set out for but the small changes I have made has made my family more aware of what an important role food plays in their life. It was the small changes that didn't threaten to change anyones life but mine that slowly made its way into everyone's by it beginning with me. So never underestimate those small but subtle changes you're making in the kitchen they are having an impact. Ones that would make our Mothers proud.
It's true, it might not be our Mother's kitchen anymore but It still holds a special place in most of our hearts. Some of the recipes and menus have changed over the years but the idea of good food and family still ring out like they did this weekend for me. Eating good does not have to be complicated it just has to be looked at like any other area of our life where we might not be living to our fullest. Starting somewhere is better then never starting at all and let the changes speak for themselves.
So what changes over the years have you been inspired to put into action?
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