Hungry in America

A few weeks ago I met a friend for coffee at a cute little coffee house in our neighborhood. We love going to this coffee house because not only are the drinks and delish, but the ambiance is so quaint and friendly. We can sit inside by the fire on a cold winter's night or enjoy the summer heat on the decked out patio. We also have a great time laughing, talking, drinking and eating here. My friend cozied up to her tea as I walked over with a slice of red velvet cake and two forks. She tried a bit and made the comment that the cake was really good. I said something about getting a slice to take home to which she replied, "I can't, I'm on a really tight budget." We started talking and I soon learned that money was beyond tight for my dear friend. It has come down to paying bills or eating.

Now, some of you may say, "Well, she was at a coffee house for goodness sake! She must not be to needy!". She had just been paid that day and was enjoying an all you care to refill $1.99 cup of tea. This would likely be her treat for the week.  Last year her husband lost his job from a company he had worked at for many years. Money was decent, they had benefits, life was going as planned. Their children were grown with one a college graduate and the other close behind. They didn't spend a lot of money, but they were comfortable. Once her husband lost his job they faced some set backs, especially in the area of insurance. My friend ended up getting a second job so she could help make the ends meet. Luckily her husband found a job, but the pay was not great. A few months into the job, he was jobless once again. He searched and searched and finally landed a job in a very small company. In this society small companies do not thrive too well and before they knew it he was jobless again. Three jobs in less than 12 months. This time he hasn't been successful in obtaining a job. Grocery store, home improvement stores and restaurants will not hire him because he is too qualified. Too many people are competing for jobs in the field he is in and quite honestly they are hiring younger, cheaper, less experienced workers because they do not have to pay them as much. At this point they make just enough money to pay for the house and utilities, but buying food s getting harder and harder. The do not qualify for assistance because they do make some money.

Tonight I logged on the computer to check my email and an article about going hungry in the USA appeared. It was so sad to read about all of these families who are having to pick medicine over food, people who do not eat lunch most days; one mother said she waters down the milk to make it last longer. In this great land of opportunity we have hungry bellies that shouldn't be hungry. What is happening when one must choose the water bill over eating breakfast?How have we gotten to this point?It not only saddens me, it angers me that we have so many needy families yet it doesn't seem like much is going on to help. Earlier this week a Senator from my state made some really stupid and hurtful comments about rape victims. The whole nation appears to be in an uproar over his words (rightfully so) and the media has been covering it left and right. I read an article that said backers and supporters are pulling their funds from this man....one article said a supporter pulled TWO MILLION DOLLARS from his campaign! TWO MILLION DOLLARS??!! I was so disgusted when I read that. I cannot believe anyone in their right mind would donate 2 MILLION DOLLARS to help fund political commercials, sell ads and help pay travel expenses of a Senator. How about taking that money and buying fresh fruits and veggies and leans meats and low fat dairy for the hungry children in our state? I wish the media would cover the real news of the nation, hungry families, as much as they are covering this political circus. Maybe if we had news stories and commentaries on school aged children who are starving or the elderly man who buys his antibiotics instead of bananas, just maybe people wouldn't be as needy. Someone somewhere will say something about "why should I pay for people who can't get off their lazy butts....". This isn't about people cheating the system (yes, I am aware some people do this), this is about the working poor, the people who are struggling to make ends meet and are still coming up a few inches short. There has to be a way to help these people! I want to help. I need to help, but I am just not sure what to do. I've been searching Operation Food Bank, Food Outreach and even some local Catholic churches to see if there is some type of volunteer work I can start, especially with autumn & winter just around the corner. After reading the article I walked into the kitchen and looked at the pantry filled with beans, pasta, rice, cereal and other kitchen staples. We have milk, cheeses, yogurt, veggies and fruits. If we were bound to our home we could easily survive days on end with what we have. This made me think about how often I run to the store for extra milk or more kiwi....what if we decided to not go to the store, but instead work our way through the entire stash of dried goods we have in stock? I would have to get creative at some meals, but it is totally do able. I think that will be the next two weeks challenge, eating only from what we have on hand, no extra trips to the store. This could really turn interesting and would be a great learning experience for our family. It certainly would show us once again how very lucky and blessed we are.

Here's a link to the story in case you are interested:  http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/going-hungry-america-distressing-humbling-scary-011618014.html

Chicken Nuggets

When the boys were younger and we were out and about on errands I would sometimes stop at McDonald's for lunch. At the time I thought a lunch of chicken nuggets, apples and low fat milk was a great option and I'll admit I didn't give it much thought. I'd always been fairly health conscious about food, but in this instance I now realize I wasn't all that health conscious. In my mom mind my kids were eating, their tummies were full and everyone was happy. Then I started to really delve into researching food and I was truly disgusted to learn the true nutritional value of a McNugget. From that moment on, McDonald's was banned from my menu. There was no way I would ever dream of letting my children ingest this crap into their bodies. My mom has fed them McNuggets a few times when they spent the night with her, despite my reminders and objections. This is a sore spot in our relationship to say the least.

Earlier this week my friend, Trena, blogged about chicken nuggets. Like me, she fed her child McDonald's chicken nuggets and didn't give it much though. Food was in the belly, everyone was happy and life was good. Like me, she started researching food and also discovered the gross truth surrounding these little McNasties. Basically, a McNugget's main ingredient is corn and the remaining ingredients contain alarming things such as partially hydrogenated oils and anti-foaming agent. What??!! Trena decided to stop eating the McNasties and has decided to make her own nuggets. I'm happy to say I know at least two families who say no to McNuggets!

A day after reading Trena's blog I came across a disturbing article about a 17 year old girl who has lived her whole life on chicken nuggets. According the the article this girl became very sick and even stopped breathing at one point due to malnutrition. She told the news that she consumes nuggets daily and that she hasn't eaten a fruit or vegetable in nearly 15 years. She does occasionally eat toast, fries and potato chips, but that is pretty much the extent of her diet. Her mother reports that she has tried to get her daughter to eat other foods, but the girl refuses. At one point Mom even tried to starve the girl in an effort to get her to eat other foods. In my mind I have to hold Mom somewhat accountable; who let's a two year old only eat chicken nuggets? My Alex is in a very picky food mood and if I let him he'd live on certain foods, but as his mom I am responsible for introducing a variety of healthy foods. He may not eat it the first or second or even the tenth time, but I never stop offering. Luckily the girl in the article is alive, is at home on bed rest and is being pumped full of vital vitamins and minerals that her body is lacking. I cannot imagine what her skin, bones, hair and organs look like. She is slowly killing herself that's for sure.

Chicken nuggets are on meal plan for the week because I know the kids like them. Instead of running through the McDonald's drive-thru or buying a bag of questionable frozen nuggets from the store, I will make my own. In our house I have the kids help so they are more inclined to eat the nuggets. I buy all natural, antibiotic free chicken breast (did you know the feed the chicken eat contains antibiotics that passes through their system and into yours when you eat them). I cut the chicken into small pieces, dip them in milk, roll in seasoned crumbs and bake in the oven. I serve these with kid friendly sides such as green beans and homemade mac & cheese. Usually they are a crowd pleaser. Sure it takes a little more time & energy, but I know what my kids are consuming and I can guarantee one thing, anti-foaming agents are not listed!

Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm

Every time I log onto my computer I am taken to the Yahoo main page where news stories run across the middle of the page. The stories are usually highlights of current events, Hollywood gossip and politics, but sometimes they throw in fun, random articles. The other day when I logged on an article about food popped up so I decided to read it. It was interesting and a bit scary to read.

Did you know…….

1. The food our grandparents ate is not the same food we eat today, nutrition-wise? The food we consume today contains fewer nutrients than food produced 40 years ago. Researchers looked at over 40 different foods and discovered the following decreases in nutritional content:

·        Protein 6%

·        Calcium 16%

·        Iron 15%

·        Riboflavin 38%

·        Vitamin C 20%

2. Cow’s milk contains hormones that may cause cancer. In the 70’s, a typical cow produced 10,000 pounds of milk annually; today a cow produces about 20,000 pounds annually. Cows sure didn’t change, but their feed did. Cows are typically fed an added hormone of rBGH or rBST (recombinant bovine somatotropin). rBST has been linked to cancers such as breast, colon and prostate.

3. Conventional produce can contain as much as nine different types of pesticide. The Environmental Working Group lists peaches as the worst fruit, due in part to its thin, delicate skin. Apples, celery, blueberries, strawberries and spinach are also high on the EWG’s list of pesticide laden produce.

4. Over the course of the past 40 years, the number of daily calories available to Americans has increased by 500 calories. That is about 52 extra pounds of fat per person per year! We can thank easier access to fast foods and processed foods for this.

5. Even the composition of a chicken has been altered in the past 40 years. When we compare a chicken in 2011 to a chicken from the 1970’s we see 266% more fat and 33% less protein. This is due to modern farming practices such as cramped housing environments and unnatural diets.

6. Eating a nutritious diet costs 10 times more than eating junk food. Researchers have calculated the cost discrepancy between healthy food and junk foods and found that 2,000 calories of junk food rings up at a measly $3.52 a day. For 2,000 calories of nutritious foods, the researchers plunked down $36. What worse it that out of every dollar consumers spend, only 19 cents goes toward the food. The other 81 cents goes toward marketing, packaging and manufacturing.

These statistics really make me question the foods I buy and prepare for my family. Last week I stopped by Aldi’s to buy some flowers and noticed how cheap the fresh produce was priced so I bought plums, nectarines, cherries, apples, bananas and grapes. All of that produce, the flowers, a box of graham crackers cost under $16. What a great deal, right?! Then I read this and I questioned what I had just fed my family. Nobody should ever have to question their food! Where did food go wrong?