Tuesday, September 14, 2010

A note.

My friend wrote me a note. Said friend was worried about feeding her family perfectly. She wondered how far she would have to go to make real, God-made food standard in her house. She said:

"I made homemade chicken soup for my family, but I didn't make my own noodles. Do you do that? I also make my own spaghetti sauce, but I don't make my own spaghetti. Maybe this is the wrong question, but at what point down the processing chain does something stop being God-made? Just the thought of having to make everything my family eats from scratch makes me feel even more tied to the house than I already feel."

I understand this sentiment very well. Here's some of my reply to her, just in case any of you feel the same way:

"It is never my hope to cause people to worry. All we can do is our best.

All that you put into preparing meals for your family is wonderful, and to be commended. The good that you do is not negated by the "un-perfect." People can become really crazy about this and get really overwhelmed and worried. I think that's counter-productive.

My priority list goes like this:

1. Do my best to make dinner, and have us eat as a family. (I think this is the most important)
2. Start adding in good things as my knowledge (and desire to do so) expands.
3. Expand my repertoire of healthful dishes that use whole food ingredients.
4. And by so doing, I reduce things that are clearly bad, like hydrogenated oils and processed sugar, etc. until they are no longer things I buy and use, just as a natural consequence.

Way to go with avoiding processed foods as much as you can, and taking more and more steps toward better things. I know it has made big differences for us, and it makes me glad now that when we slip-up, we notice the change. Today I ate a salad with a store-bought dressing on it and got a tummy-ache. That's progress! Wahoo!

Now I have more motivation to take and extra five or ten minutes one day to make a batch of home-made salad dressing and we enjoy it and feel better. But I haven't grown, picked and pressed my own olives to make oil, and I don't see that happening in the near (or distant) future.

Do your best. Read the ingredients list on the packaged goods you buy and get the best stuff you can. Keep making meals and improving on that as you are ready and desirous. It is a labor of love, but it's not supposed to consume you--you are supposed to consume it!

Enjoy what you eat! You are doing great things.

April"

Making changes gradually isn't overwhelming, and as you continue along the path you'll realize how far you've come. It's very encouraging.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for this sensible and reassuring post. Worrying only depletes our energy, and is counterproductive to improved health.

    I appreciate your perspective very much.

    ReplyDelete