Chicken Nuggets

Last Spring, Beth and I took to watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on Friday nights.  Why were we watching TV on Friday nights?  Because we had a baby at home.  That's why.

Beth had already determined that she'd make her own baby food and didn't want to raise a kid who would only eat french fries and chicken nuggets.  A task that is easier said than done.

In the show Jamie Oliver went to Huntingdon, West Virginia - "the most obese city in the most obese state in the most obese country on Earth" - to start his "food revolution," encouraging people to put down the processed frozen pizzas and fast food and cook with health, fresh ingredients (or, in some cases just plain cook).

Earlier today  my friend Missy lamented on her blog that her son chooses to eat junk food over healthy food (even healthy food that he likes) because it's easier, even though he knows he feels better when he eats healthy.  I left a comment that this is the dilemma for every American.

How much easier is it to order Chinese food, pick up McDonalds or pull a pizza out of the freezer for dinner than to actually cook using fresh (or even frozen) meats and vegetables?  When you combine that with our (my) sugar addiction it's a recipe for a high-calorie, low-nutrition soup of lethargy.

Some months ago I read an article about Scott Jurek that said he had become a vegan in part because he saw the illnesses of his parents as being caused largely by the food they ate.  Last week I read that Jack LaLanne had thought the same thing about his parents. Surely, this can't be coincidence.

I've made an effort lately to replace my sugary snacks with Clif Bars, various Kashi products and fresh fruits.  When I've eaten fast food for lunch (which is becoming less and less often thanks to my lunchtime running) I try to go some place I know I can get food made with quality ingredients (Neato Burrito) or at the very least a good salad (Sheetz).

Now back to Adele: last week we were in a hurry for dinner.  We both get out of work at five and had a meeting at Adele's daycare at 6.  Fortunately, childcare was provided, but that meant we needed to go somewhere nearby and get dinner.  We chose Wendy's.  At first I suggested chili for Adele, since she likes savory foods as long as they're not too spicy.  But we were concerned that it might be too spicy and would go to waste, so we ordered her chicken nuggets and apple slices.  She loved the apple slices.  She wouldn't touch the chicken nuggets.  So maybe we did something right?  Or maybe she was just more in the mood for apples that night than chicken.  On the other hand, we have a lot of dinners ahead of us with her and a lot of days at school when kids are eating french fries for lunch (which the US Government interestingly enough considers a vegetable) and she has to make the choice of what she eats by herself.