There are many advantages to modern food practices, and many
disadvantages. I’ve had Crohn’s disease for my entire life. It started causing
problems in high school, and I had to start cutting foods out of my diet when I
got deathly ill in 2006, when I was 20. It was relatively under control until
2012, and it took another three years to find the problem. But, over the last
ten years, I’ve learned a lot about food.
We won’t even start with nutritional value, or how
“enriched” foods don’t provide the necessary nutrients. Let’s start with the
literal ingredients in processed foods.
There were four types of ingredients that I avoided on my
own; in order, they were eggs, lactose, all dairy, and gluten/wheat. When I
found out I had Crohn’s, I was put on the FODMAP diet, which added foods to the
list, without adding back any others. The number one ingredient on this list is
high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
1 1) Eggs: I am allergic to salicylates and sensitive
to sulfites (preservatives). Salicylates are the main anti-inflammatory used in
multiple products, including aspirin, all over the counter pain medicine except
acetaminophen/Tylenol, and some foods, including red wine, the skin of red
fruits, and eggs. My allergies started with medicine and eggs. Over several
years, I started avoiding baked goods, pasta, and then anything made in a
factory with eggs. Read the ingredients carefully, the next time you buy candy.
Most candy is made by a small number of companies, and almost all chewy candy
contains eggs. Therefore, most candy is made in a factory that also uses eggs,
which are powdered, and can end up in candy coatings. Egg is also in some
sauces and dressings, and in most breads and pastas.
2 2) Milk ingredients: milk products are used in
almost anything with flavor. These products are also usually powdered, which
means I can’t eat anything made in the same factory with milk. Milk is usually in bread items that don’t
contain egg.
3 3) Gluten/wheat – is used as a thickener in most
products, especially any soups or anything with sauces. And then, of course,
the majority of bread products.
4 4) Sodium, HFCS, juice from concentrate, corn syrup, added sugar, etc.
I challenge you, not to avoid these ingredients, but just to
start reading labels. Imagine that your child, your spouse, or you yourself are
at risk for food sensitivities. Browse the gluten free items. Compare the
nutritional facts on regular items and vegan items (no egg or milk). Look at
the difference between vegetarian and vegan items. Avoid HFCS as a diet for one month. Buy a
cookbook that includes information on becoming vegan, eating organic, or
getting all of your vitamins from foods.
To get you started, here are some simple tips:
1 1) Buy brown rice pasta, which is gluten free. It
has the same amount of protein as normal pasta, and will remove one source of
gluten and eggs from your diet, adding diversity.
2 2) Buy only fresh or frozen vegetables with no
sauces, and add your own spices. Mix them with whole grain rice or roasted red
potatoes. You can add olive oil, basil and cherry tomatoes, or garlic and
parsley. Almost every vegetable is good with sautéed onion and garlic, salt and
pepper. Or, you can try chili, cumin, and lemon. Check out online recipes for
recipes for side dishes.
3 3) Use dairy-free milk, such as soy milk, nut milks
or rice milk. Coconut milk is great for baking, and you can use the vanilla
coconut milk for baking sweets. Unsweetened soy milk is great for most other
cooking projects, and it has protein, vitamins and nutrients.
4 4) Use uncured meats (uncured bacon is incredible),
and grain fed and hormone free meats.
5 5) Buy as much as you can from local farmer’s
markets, fruit stands and stores like Sprouts.
6 6) Growing herbs inside is difficult, but rewarding. Start with basil. You can leave it in its original planter, with partial sunlight and plenty of water. The soil should always be moist, and the planter should be able to drain. When you trim the basil, leave two sets of leaves at the bottom, and the plant will continue to grow. Also, try not to let it flower. When the top of a stem gets bushy with large leaves, trim it down. I haven't had much luck with other herbs (if anyone knows how to grow cilantro or parsley inside, some tips would be very greatly appreciated).
8 7) Rosemary grows really well as a bush in most climates. Just water it occasionally.
But more than anything, learn how to cook
from scratch for you and your family. It’s hard at first, and it takes twice as
long as you expect, and no one else is going to tell you that. So start simple.
I’ll be posting recipes in the near future, but here are some resources for 30 minute meals.
And now, the uncomfortable part. Corporate
farms are highly efficient and produce more food than any farmer could.
However, they use genetically modified foods (GMOs). Some of these
modifications change the nutritional value of foods. Any food that’s made
sweeter loses vitamins and natural fiber. Fiber helps increase the number of
vitamins absorbed by your system. Some of these modifications are beneficial,
and decrease the needs for pesticides. Permaculture, which studies sustainable
farming, uses combinations of plants to fight off pests and prevent nutrient
deprivation of the soil. Community gardens with vegetables and fruit trees
would go a long way towards increasing access to healthy foods, so, of course,
you no longer get land with a house. Just a tiny back porch. No room for a dog.
No room for kids to play. And no room to grow vegetables.
Best of luck to you,
~Alison
