So I don't really talk family all that much. I mean this Blog is supposed to be about me...duh! But last night, the yummee and I watched this show called Extreme Couponing. There were these crazy coupon people that would do everything from dumpster diving, to stalking the neighbors and other store patrons, to organizing their entire garage to accommodate a lifetime supply of deodorant. The coupon crazies considered this a game, a challenge, an OCD "we will beat the grocery store" life commitment. The "Coupon Master" went into a grocery store, racked up $5400 in groceries, and with coupons only spent a total of $240 dollars. He donates goods to his local church...thank goodness, because any man that would use 300 toothbrushes needs serious dental help! The one thing I noticed though is all this food and the household items were prepackaged, jarred, canned, frozen, boxed, and mostly name brand. So yes, you made have 50 jars of Ragu spaghetti sauce and 100 frozen entrees, but that doesn't work in my household.
A little background - my oldest son was a puker as a baby and toddler. And at around age 7, possibly earlier, he would get these stomach pains and get terribly sick. We had him X-Rayed, #1 and #2 sampled, scanned, checked, poked, and it wasn't until a few years later we found out he has an immune disorder. A very rare disorder that causes his body to attack food....why, you ask?? No clue!! But this causes his body to pretty much attack the lining of his esophagus, stomach, and intestines. So we took him to an allergist and along with keeping a food diary and closely monitoring what he ingested, discovered there were foods that he just couldn't have. Dairy, eggs, beef, cabbage were the main no-no's. But not only did we cut those things out, we discovered after reading label upon label upon label, that what we were all putting in our bodies was....C.R.A.P!! High fructose corn syrup, dyes, pesticides, and ingredients that were just down right unnecessary were being packed into foods. There is also what is called GMO's, genetically modified organisms...what?? what?? Yeah, doesn't even sound appealing. So, began our journey of organic, all natural, no preservatives, no prepackaged high sodium and fat containing atrocities. Keep in mind, this is not an OCD kind of thing. I don't have a melt down if my kids want Pop-Tarts. Everything in moderation fueled with real food and a healthy active lifestyle keeps everyone pretty happy. Of course, having these allergies is not easy, as we just learned, the foods his body reacts to can change. Now he is no longer allergic to beef, eggs, and cabbage but mustard, onions, and strawberries. So just when you think you have the menu of life down, nope, nature comes in and slaps you around. I actually thought it would be easier with the new allergies. Boy was I wrong. Do you realize how many foods have these 3 ingredients in them?? Here's a short list: Salsa, spaghetti sauce, BBQ sauce, ketchup, baked beans (canned), and prepackaged seasonings such as Lipton soup mix, soups, broths...oh yeah, fun! Try telling a teenager they can't have mustard, ketchup, BBQ sauce, or A1 sauce. However, we tried to look on the bright side! He can now have a full breakfast with eggs instead of just the bacon and sausage. He can have baked goods with eggs as long as it doesn't have milk in it (still allergic to dairy). I have gotten really good at changing ingredients and making things so that my teenager doesn't feel deprived or left out. THANK GOODNESS for my yummee. He is truly the chef in the house and he now makes his own pasta sauces, spices, salsas, and BBQ sauce....all onion and mustard free!! The other thing I think about is...what if this happened to me as a child?? Food companies hardly ever put ingredients on items. Grocery stores didn't cater to diabetics, allergy sensitive, gluten terrified people back then...and I am not THAT old!! Now, there are stores and restaurants that cater to people with allergies or intolerances, but you still have to be aware of what and how much you put in your mouth!
We are truly lucky to be able to go back to the heart of cooking with vegetables, fruits and herbs, and make foods that are just more flavorful and natural! And...I know almost every ingredient in any product in the store. We shop at Trader Joe's, Costco, and the all natural aisle at our local grocery store and rarely go down the middle aisles where all the crap is!
So to the Extreme Coupon crazy people...I may clip more coupons and stalk deals on razors, toilet paper, and deodorant, I won't be stocking up on your unhealthy, packaged, name brand "whatever will make this product sit on the shelf" longer foods!
Disclaimer: Unless, we are talking about Pop-Tarts!!
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