Sometimes we say things so frequently, or they are bandied about in public so often, that we come to believe them, true or not. Often, when that is the case, we just swallow our doubts and don’t speak out, for fear of offending or of being thought behind the times.
As far as I am concerned the insistence that there are “no bad foods”, is one of these false truisms of the day.
Yes, of course, it is context driven. If I am starving in a war zone and find a box of Twinkies for my children, because Twinkies have calories, they are—in that moment—a very good food, since they are the only food.So I will agree that in the context of starvation, there are probably no bad foods. But in the context of everyday American life I want to challenge the notion and put it right out there: there ARE bad foods.
What foods are bad?
Those that contain poisons, for starters. Did you know that Jamoca (TM) Almond Fudge from Baskin Robbins contains methyl and propyl parabens, known to be endocrine disruptors? Good grief! I walk all over the drug store looking for shampoos that do not contain parabens and there they are: in my grandchild’s ice cream cone! That will teach me to be more careful. Actually, when it comes to ice cream I try to follow Michael Pollan’s suggestion of looking for foods with five ingredients or less.
Fish is good, but some is bad. Yes, I’m afraid, bad. The FDA says “do not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.” It even cautions us to check with local authorities about the pollution levels of local waters before eating that holiest-of-holies from my childhood: fish caught in streams or lakes by your own family or friends. Now that’s sad.
Bad: those foods which would make children think we eat merely to stay alive, instead of eating for social bonding and enjoyment and for optimal health and happiness. Face it: our brains are wired to enjoy food. And that’s good. Examples of this would be any food that children are asked to “heat up” in the microwave and eat alone.
Also bad: foods full of “empty calories” in the sense that there are few “real” ingredients in them and lots and lots of chemical additives to give them their “loft” or “shape” or “shelf life”. An example would be the legendary Twinkies or their cousins Snoballs, Ding Dongs and Donettes. I ask you, does that sound like food? Really bad: foods that are covered with pesticides which need soap and water to make “safe”. For a list of the most pesticide-prone fruits and vegetables, see this list from the Organic Consumers Association.
Good: real food (ingredients), cooked at home and eaten together in a spirit of joy. It does not have to be fancy; it does not have to be gourmet or expensive. And ?occasionally—someone else can cook it for you, as in a restaurant. But don’t make it a habit, if you want to balance your budget!
Sheila Scrobogna (of Kartini Clinic) and I are working on a book for 2011 to be called Feeding Children on A Shoestring that we hope to make simple and useful for parents who want to give their children the best but have a limited budget to do so. Write us here if you have ideas, comments or suggestions.
