by Debbie Peterson
Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, healthy food was for “hippies.”
I remember going into health food stores with my mother. They all smelled the same. An earthy, patchouli, rotting produce smell. They were always small and rustic and the people who worked there, were, well, hippies.
We ate healthier than the average person. My single mother kept junk food out of the house, and exposed us to healthy foods. Of course, being a single mother, we did have an occasional TV dinner. And she did allow us dessert every so often.
By the time I was an adult and making my own food, my friends would tease me for my “granola” way of eating. My co-workers would wait curiously for me to open my lunch bag to see what weird, healthy food I was eating each day.
The mothers in my first play group were inspired by the healthy snacks I brought for my son, feeling embarrassed that they brought unhealthy treats. Soon, they would bring healthier snacks too.
It wasn’t until my kids were grammar school aged that healthy eating began to become trendy.
It was just then that I decided to follow my passion and become a health and nutrition counselor. It was perfect timing. People were becoming aware that healthy eating wasn’t just something hippies did. More and more people were shopping at Whole Foods Market. The local health food stores got busier and nicer. Organic food became mainstream.
And now, well, it’s beyond a trend. What makes me even more happy isn’t that people are becoming healthier and knowledgeable about health, but that businesses are beginning to recognize that healthier workers/staff/managers make for better business.
We were recently asked to post an infographic by Boardwalk Honda in Egg Harbor Township. They reached out to Nourish to see if we would help them “spread awareness of healthy eating throughout the holidays.” We posted it on Facebook before Thanksgiving, and now here it is on our blog. We have one suggestion on something they have on the infographic: Don’t swap heavy cream for fat-free half and half. We don’t believe in fat-free dairy products. If you’re trying to reduce saturated fat, use regular whole milk or a non-dairy milk like almond or coconut milk. Coconut cream makes a great whipped cream!
Let us know if you have any comments, questions or suggestions for being healthy over the holidays.
How do you stay healthy?
