Canned Food

We used to use a lot of canned food especially for vegetables “sides” at dinner. Open a can of corn or green beans and you’re good to go. THEN I read, Pandora’s Lunchbox! WOW! Halfway through the book, I said to Presvytera, “Either I have to stop eating or I have to stop reading!” Thankfully, I did neither. Here is the Amazon description:

In the tradition of Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore’s Dilemma comes a fascinating and cutting-edge look at the scary truth about what really goes into our food. If a piece of individually wrapped cheese can retain its shape, color, and texture for years, what does it say about the food we eat and feed to our children? Former New York Times business reporter and mother Melanie Warner decided to explore that question when she observed the phenomenon of the indestructible cheese. She began an investigative journey that took her to research labs, university food science departments, and factories around the country. What she discovered provides a rare, eye-opening—and sometimes disturbing—account of what we’re really eating. Warner looks at how decades of food science have resulted in the cheapest, most abundant, most addictive, and most nutritionally inferior food in the world, and she uncovers startling evidence about the profound health implications of the packaged and fast foods that we eat on a daily basis. From breakfast cereal to chicken subs to nutrition bars, processed foods account for roughly 70 percent of our nation’s calories. Despite the growing presence of farmers’ markets and organic produce, strange food additives are nearly impossible to avoid. Warner digs deep into the ingredient lists of purportedly healthy foods, and what she finds will change the way readers eat—and how they feed their children. Combining meticulous research, vivid writing, and cultural analysis, Warner blows the lid off the largely undocumented—and lightly regulated—world of chemically treated and processed foods and lays bare the potential price we may pay for consuming even so-called healthy foods.

Around the same time, Presvytera was revitalizing her blog In Service and Love and we began working with better food options. We rediscovered the taste and ease of frozen veggies. I remember my parents always having frozen in the house when I was growing up, but for some reason we had slipped into the pattern of canned. Can you say S O D I U M? We’re back to frozen and not only are they tastier, they end up being healthier.

That reminds me…..since we’re fasting, I’ll be enjoying some bean soup this weekend. YUM

This post is written for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge sponsored by the Preachers Institute. You may find other blogs participating in this challenge. I hope you enjoy this year’s Advent journey.