To begin today, we need to meander back to my primary school in the 70s and school meals. I have a memory of steamed puddings and blue custard (but this may be wrong). What is definitely clear in my memory is over cooked, green beans 🤮. I still get upset thinking about them. I can still get the sensation on my teeth – I referred to them as squeaky beans. I have done a recent poll of colleagues and friends and they all have similar memories.
I was very privileged to have a Mumma and Grandmother who really stressed the importance of vegetables with meals. GranMcG was a nurse in the war when food was rationed. She used to talk to me about how she would get the nutrition of her patients up with what they had. My strongest memory was how she described having to mash parsnips and add essence to make them taste like banana. Another was to add sugar to cucumber to make it taste like melon. She let me eat pomegranate back then, when they were not the everyday items we see packaged and sorted now. Gosh I made a mess but revelled in the flavours. I was brought up cooking and by the time I left home to go to university, I was self sufficient to cook and chose to go into self catering accommodation. I did not want to go back to canteen food. Reflection point: Get your kids involved in cooking either with you and on their own.
You are what you eat! Crikey – that can be quite sobering! I am a …..fill in the blanks. I will come onto my main meal yesterday, but right now I going to confess to my snacks from yesterday:
I am a handful of hula hoops (bbq beef flavoured) and a strawberry string (think sugar meets UPF) and a chocolate bar 😞. That sounds awful (but at least I am honest).
But I was also a homemade Thai green curry and the thing is, it had green beans in it with no squeak! It had lemongrass, spring onions, green beans, mushrooms and new potatoes with skin on (GranMcG would not be happy with the fibre giving, vit C giving skin removed).
Five portions of fruit and vegetables a day is a lot -400 grams! Might be good to read that again… 400 grams. Many people think it’s just five different types (we will come onto that)- no it’s a portion quantity. It’s probably worthwhile having a quality sense of how much you are eating.
Variety is key too when it comes to our plant based diet. We are encouraged to eat > 30 plant based varieties a week! No Way Lorraine – 30? Yes 30, but this is plant based and includes nuts, seeds and herbs/spices! It is doable but more importantly- it’s tasty 😋!
To effectively merge recommendations for portion sizes and food variety, we may need to re-evaluate our perspectives and beliefs surrounding food and eating habits. Let’s revisit the example of the squeaky green bean and my former senior partner from my last practice. He had a principle of never asking someone to do something he wouldn’t be willing to do himself. I find this approach to be quite grounding. It’s my belief that we can always learn to eat better and try new foods, regardless of our age. Often, we confine this notion to teaching children about healthy eating. However, children will generally only explore the variety of foods we present to them. It’s intriguing how we eagerly sample new cakes, sweets, and treats without hesitation, yet we approach anything green with caution. I understand that this behavior stems from our evolutionary past of hunting and gathering, but we have the ability to move beyond those instincts now!
So I was determined to give the green bean a make over in my mind and in my mouth. I am pleased to say I succeeded.
The key is to watch how you cook and handle your veg. My Mumma (and bless him now Dad) cooks vegetables beautifully. Mum always has done and was very clear on this big life lesson: do not over cook your vegetables.
I first got over the green bean squeak by adding it to my chicken noodle soup. My daughters love this soup and there are about 6 different vegetables and herbs in it. I loved the addition of the green bean! Next, I ate it in salads and stir fries and tray bakes. Beautifully cooked and zero squeak. In fact the mouth feel is more of a crunch than a mushy squeak.
We all have the opportunity to improve our eating habits and explore a wider variety of foods. However, with the increasing cost of living, budgeting becomes essential. Just yesterday, I picked up all my vegetables from the clearance section in the produce aisle, and the chicken I used was leftover from the freezer. I refuse to pay full price when there are better options available, and you shouldn’t feel obligated to either!
My diet is not perfect – I am what I eat and my diet a work in progress. However there are things I know I do well which are to seek out as much variety as I can and learn to re-experience things I have previously discounted.
Love You: Love what you eat and eat the rainbow 🌈 🥰
Love you: Health and Well-being with Lorraine 