Food for thought

Working in a non-profit that is dedicated to health has inadvertently caused me to be more thoughtful about my lifestyle. Does this mean I have taken up hiking and triathlons? Heck to-the no! But what it does mean is that I'm more prone to prepare healthy lunches instead of road rage to Taco Bell every day. This means enjoying the 3 flights of stairs up to my office (it could also be my fear of the crickety elevator that makes me take the stairs, but lets pretend like its my healthy ambitions). Lately, this has also helped me to frame my thinking about what kind of eater I'd like to raise Maxwell as.

While I was on maternity leave, I started thinking about how people get fit after having babies. I started following a lot of clean eating blogs/Instagram. I was really surprised at the creative meals that these women were preparing, and it wasn't plain 'ol chicken and veggies either. I let this inspiration lead me away from King Soopers and to the aisles of Sprouts, where I felt like there were less "Easy Mac" opportunities, and more fresh produce and proteins purchases. I started to really think about ingredients: what's necessary and what's added in as a gross bonus? Why does peanut butter have 30 ingredients? Shouldn't it just have one - you know, PEANUTS?? So, one day I made my own almond butter. Turns out, glory hallelujah, ITS JUST ALMONDS. My head started spinning. What if Maxwell never knew the Jiffy peanut butter world? What if he only knew a world of homemade almond butter?

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

I was raised with a grandma who loves to cook, loves to eat, loves to make us eat, loves to reward us with food, etc. It's all fun and games until you realize that your attitude towards food is extremely unhealthy, and it's even scarier when you think about the threat of passing those attitudes on to your children. I don't want Maxwell to struggle with his weight. I don't want him to be motivated by a Schwann's Man golden nugget bar. I want him to love fruits and veggies. I want him to recognize that good, pure food makes you feel like an Olympian; bad, "enhanced" food gives you a food hangover.

I'll always remember the guilt and humiliation I felt as my parents returned from a weekend away and our babysitter told my parents what a "good eater" I had been, even finishing my sister's burrito. I felt like a monstrous garbage disposal.  I never want Max to feel that way. Ever. (To be fair, said burrito was like a homemade chimichanga and it was DELICIOUS.  See?? I am a freak. This happened at least 15 years ago and I can still recall the flavor.)

So while I may be a lost cause, who will always feed a bad day with ice cream and get wayyyy to excited when I think about eating Mexican food, maybe I can attempt to break the cycle.  Maxwell will be starting solid foods next month. Jigga whaaaaa, you say? Yes, it's true. My little buddy is growing like a weed. What if I raise him to appreciate good, well-prepared, and simple food, and to not crave the crap that I grew up loving?  What if he and I started a garden next summer and we bonded over harvesting cherry tomatoes? (Assuming that my hypothetical cherry tomato plants will actually produce real vegetables.)

I would just love it.

PS: This video makes me feel so proud of these kids.  Way to break the stereotype that all high school kids are texting, bullying, life-hating, up-to-no-good, perps.  Gives me chills to see all the different clubs, having spirit and loving life! (almost like Todd Helton chills)