Food Truth -- Wednesday March 9

Happy Ash Wednesday--

Is that an oxymoron? LOL I think so!

Anyway, I belong to a faith that encourages members to "give something up for lent." For years I struggled with this concept, because, crazy person that I am, I didn't just want to give up candy and then whine for six weeks when I couldn't have a Peppermint Patty. I wanted my "give up" to have meaning.

This year, as I pondered the "what will I give up" question, it suddenly dawned on me how much I eat just for entertainment.

Actually, my son sort of hastened my discovery. He will not eat my cooking anymore. I make roast beef; he wants chicken...and off he goes to Kentucky Fried. I make chicken; he wants fish. Off he goes to Long John Silvers. This is sort of the curse of living a hop, skip and a jump away from a bustling shopping center. Food abounds.

But isn't that true for a lot of us? I wake up and generally don't eat breakfast -- unless we have doughnuts or M&M peanuts handy. I eat a small lunch and a small supper so I can have snacks while watching TV. While millions of people in the world are just happy to have something to eat. It never even dawns on them to be picky. While we live a lifestyle of wanting what we want and only what we want. And sometimes using food as entertainment.

Examining my eating habits and my son's it was easy to see we've totally misconstrued the entire pupose for food.

So this year, I'm going to spend my lent doing what I call Food Truth. I'm only going to eat when I'm hungry...and then I'm not eating doughnuts or the M&M peanuts. I'm going to realize food is fuel and I'm going to look for nutritional content on the labels.

But...in order not to go overboard in the other direction...I'm also going to recognize that eating is supposed to be pleasant. I won't eat cardboard boxes. I might even learn to prepare a new dish or two.

I don't expect to understand the plight of the millions of people in the world who go to bed hungry...but I do expect to put a little reality back in my eating habits.

Food truth.

Want to join me? Want to eat when you're hungry and actually give more than a passing nod to nutritional content?

Oh, and...if you've got a recipe...low fat or just plain really nutritious, I'd love to see it. Actually, I'd love to post in the Homecooking section!

susan