Good morning readers! I have some great news to share… You know how I'm always griping about my computer issues to you (sorry), well GET THIS. Remember those two months of post drafts I thought I lost? My miracle worker, Bryant, got them all back for me!!!!! It only cost me $220, which was worth it. If anyone around West Michigan needs a miracle worker to recover lost data, email me so I can put you in touch with him. 🙂
I thought you might want to see pictures from my cousin's wedding Saturday. I've never been to an outdoor wedding and it was gorgeous! It was at a Park in Jackson, Michigan, a couple hours from where I live.
Look at how pretty this is:
Here's the whole wedding party:
Aren't the cupcakes fun? Each color represented a different flavor cake:
Look how cute the bride and groom are! Here they are with her Grandma, my Aunt Lois. Aunt Lois has been a faithful reader of my blog since the very beginning, almost four years ago! She is an absolute sweetheart, loved by everyone. Hi Aunt Lois! 🙂 By the way, the lighting at the reception didn't mix well with my iPhone, as you can see..
OK, on to the Real Foodie chit chat for today!
- You'll love this good news! My friend, Karen, sent me a link to a Men's Health article, “The Health Benefits of Eating Full Fat Cheese.” Her words: “Yay…'full fat' is in mainstream vernacular!!!!” Here's an excerpt: “And if you're worried about your cholesterol, chew on this: Danish scientists found that when men ate a whopping 10 daily 1-ounce servings of full-fat cheese for 3 weeks, their LDL (bad) cholesterol didn't budge.” Not that cholesterol is something to even worry about, but it's still interesting to see it put this way in a mainstream magazine. Read more on healthy fats and cholesterol.
- Have you seen this? Do Students Eat Like Prisoners? Here's one of the worst facts presented here: “Percentage of school food operations that meet the recommended standard for saturated fat in their meals: less than one third.” (Sorry I forgot who sent this one to me.)
- Read an excerpt from a insightful recent post by Melissa, “Yesterday we went to a funeral of a friend of my husband's from the Knights of Columbus. He was a dynamic, giving, charismatic man who died of a heart attack at age 60. His two grandchildren are not quite three and one. He was a good man, a very good man, but he had very bad habits. Nothing like gambling or anything, but the man loved the drive-thru. He had issues with his weight, his blood pressure, his clotting factors, and blood sugar. He was always volunteering and was a model of generosity and he didn't shy away from sodas, french fries or processed foods. We had worried about him since a heart attack a few years ago but despite his deep concern for others he couldn't seem to do what was necessary for his own health. It's a crazy paradox because if he has stayed healthier he could have had ten, fifteen maybe even twenty years of vibrant activism ahead of himself and he could have served even more people.” Here's the full post, For whom the bell tolls.
- Thank you Jenetta who sent me a link to this latest push for vegetarianism. The movie, Fat Sick and Nearly Dead doesn't present its case like that at first, of course, but somehow when I saw that raw juicing was their main weight-loss plan, I knew. Sure enough, the post on their site, “Protein during your reboot” confirmed it. The other unsettling thing about drinking so much juice is that green veggies like kale really should be lightly cooked, as Sarah explains in her post, “Think raw veggies are best? Think again.” I wonder if most vegetarians would remain so if they knew there was another option besides eating meat from factory farms? Read my post on that called, Are Meat-Eaters Ruining the Earth? It's too bad, because the weight loss story really is inspirational. Here's the film trailer:
- Having said all that, I did just read an interesting article from Donielle called, A Nourished Vegetarian. When my friend, Sonia, was still vegetarian, she ate a lot of non-meat animal foods too, so I'd guess that she also was a nourished vegetarian. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on all this!
- Kristin's PR people asked if I'd let you know that Farmageddon is showing in NYC this week, find out more here. Here's Kristin's recent Kitchen Kop guest post: Help spread the word in YOUR city to protect food freedom! Watch the trailer:
Have a great week!
KP says
I am curious about when my kids go to college. How will they eat healthy when they are living in a dorm?
Freebies says
that is a tough one, I know it was almost impossible for me when I went to college. It would be awesome to know if their are any collage age healthy eating bloggers!!
jenetta
KP says
When I was in college, I didn’t know about real food. But my kids do and they eat healthy and they avoid HFCS, artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives because they don’t like the way they feel when they ingest the mainstream fake food. BUT, when they are in college and dependent on the dorm food . . . . then what? One of the great things about college was not having to worry about preparing food and cleaning up after it. Classes, studying, and socializing took up all the time.
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
I thought I did a post on this once but can’t find it!!! I’ll keep looking!
Melissa @ Dyno-mom says
I have been thinking about that myself a lot lately and working on some ways of teaching my son some decision making criteria since he will be a senior in the fall. The issue of milk is bugging me, as the college cafeteria is full of non fat junk. But there is a great blog done by a student. Check it out:
https://mummyicancook.blogspot.com/
KitchenKop says
I’m doing a post on this for next week, so I’ll include that link. I hope you guys will jump in and add your suggestions then!
Kelly
Melissa @ Dyno-mom says
Firstly, we just watched the “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” documentary just a few days ago. I wondered about the protein and fat, too. Everyone I have known who did a strict, raw, veggie juice fast struggled terribly with lightheadedness, headaches and irritability. Clearly we need fat and proteint. Thanks for pointing it out.
Secondly, I am seriously geeked out that you linked to me. Seriously…Geeked…Out. Thanks a million!
leah says
I was glad to get your take on “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” since my hubby and I just watched it this past week. I am a huge believer in traditional foods and have followed a high animal-product, WAP-type diet for several years, but I really enjoyed the film. I don’t agree with everything that it said, but I believe that juice fasting for the purpose of healing can be extremely beneficial. I have a friend who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer a year ago and she is almost cancer-free today due to treatment similar to Gerson Therapy. The guys featured in the film were juicing for weigh loss, true, but also to heal a rare disease that they both had. They were successful in that and today are off of their medications. I didn’t feel like the film was a push for vegetarianism at all..while meat and other animal products were high on their food pyramid, they were still there. I agree with the fact emphasized in the film that Americans as a whole don’t eat nearly enough fruits and veggies and that increasing our intake through juicing or other means, even if it includes some cruciferous vegetables that haven’t been cooked, will be a huge improvement on the average American’s diet. So I’m not disagreeing with what you said, Kelly, but I think that if you can chew up the meat and spit out the bones, this film is still a great source of inspiration for a healthier lifesyle.
Freebies says
That was my take..too. I am not convinced that juice fasting is the all to end all for everyone- but it was a very interesting film.
I really liked that it showed getting garbage foods out of our body = healthier bodies (and bodies that may not need medication to control health issues).
Just so everyone knows if you do want to check this movie out, it’s on netflix instant.
jenetta
Katie says
Great to read the list of cruciferous veggies to be cooked. I didn’t realize that arugula and radishes were on that list, since those are such common salad veggies.
Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama says
Yes, I think it’s possible to be a nourished vegetarian, especially if you aren’t too strict. That is, perhaps you would eat soup made from bone broth from time to time, and definitely eating eggs, milk, cheese, etc. Maybe eating fish, too. With these foods plus the usual coconut oil, veggies, fruits, nuts, etc. it is possible to get the full range of nutrients without eating the actual meat. I don’t think *I* could do it because I crave (pastured) meat, but some can.
I still refuse to believe that vegan is healthy, though, because it’s deficient in key nutrients. No diet that “requires” supplementation can be healthy or sustainable!