Since I have been relatively "blog silent" so far this year, I thought I would share what I have been doing...mostly, reading and research. When I'm not tending to the kids or the house, shuttling us to preschool or church, running errands, or scouring the Internet for houses for sale (yes, we're still looking), I have my nose stuck in a book or magazine.
I read mostly non-fiction, because I love learning about new topics. My latest interest is nutrition. It all started as I was researching food allergies (more on that in a later post) and discovered that many food allergies are related to the "additives" and other junk in all of our processed foods. That led me on a search to discover just what we are eating these days and how to select foods that will provide the best and most nutrition for my family.
Below are three of my recent favorite finds. I had heard of these books quite a bit, but never got around to reading any of them. You may have already seen or read many of them. If not, I encourage you to check them out. While a lot of the nutritional basics are repeated in each book, each one gives a distinct slant on specifics and provides a treasure of nutritional know-how in itself.
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at This, Not That by David Zinczenko with Matt GouldingI believe this was the original Eat This, Not That book written by the editor-in-chief of Men's Health Magazine in 2007. In it, Zinczenko gives valuable information on the nutritional content of many of your favorite foods and restaurant staples, including suggestions of what to eat and what not to eat at your favorite fast food and sit-down restaurants. This book is a simple and easy beginner's guide to making the best choices at restaurants, the supermarket, and even your favorite holiday gatherings.
Eat This, Not that for Kids by David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding
A practical tool for any parent, Eat This Not That for Kids provides valuable information on some of your kids' favorite restaurant fare...even those that are not available online. Some of the information is common sense, some of it is rather shocking. For example, did you know that Chili's Pepper Pals Chicken Crispers pack an unbelievable 41 grams of fat? And Romano's Macaroni Grill's Kid's Double Macaroni 'n' Cheese contains over 1,200 calories...and that's the kids' portion! Zinczenko also provides an entire section on school cafeteria and vending machine options as well as several recipes for giving kid-friendly fare like mac and cheese and nachos a nutritional makeover.
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his, Not That: Supermarket Survival Guide by David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding This is my favorite Eat This, Not That book so far. The book opens with a sort of primer on nutrition, including how our foods have changed in the last 20-30 years (with the introduction of such things as high fructose corn syrup and trans fats) and how that might be impacting our nation's current struggle with obesity. These changes aren't simply limited to process foods, either. Even our meats, dairy products and produce pack less of a nutritional punch than they did decades ago, mostly thanks to "advances" in farming techniques which result in growing plants and animals faster and "stronger." Zinczenko also uncovers some sneaky marketing tactics used by food manufacturers to "dupe" consumers into believing highly-processed, nutrient-lacking foods are actually good for us! The bulk of the book is spent going section by section, aisle by aisle through your supermarket and comparing name-brand product against name-brand product. It is a lot of information, and all of it is beneficial.
I'm also wanting to check out two of Zinczenko's more recent books: Eat This, Not That: Restaurant Survival Guide and Cook This, Not That: Kitchen Survival Guide which gives practical, nutritious recipes for duplicating some of your favorite restaurant meals at home.
For a complete list of books, plus practical tips and nutritional information, visit EatThis.com.
Do you know of any other helpful nutritional resources? If so, leave me a comment and let me know. They'll probably find their way to my stack of books (or list of web sites) soon.
