Societal Food Rant
A couple nights ago I was cooking dinner and looked over at our countertop, where I had stacked the two cookbooks I was using. Both of these have been well-used, to the point that there is very little spine holding the pages together. And in that quick glance, I felt a gush of love for these books that have honestly brought me so much over the years. If we were to accidentally drop either of these books onto the floor, we’d be in trouble. I would have to create a project for my kids, asking them to put the pages back in order, and they, in turn, would likely request that $3 be placed in their Greenlight accounts in exchange for the work. Because….kids today!
I made teriyaki chickpea burgers from the “Peaceful Kitchen” cookbook by Catherine Perez (@plantbasedrd), and Root veggie fries (with carrots, what we had) from “Bad Manners: The Official Cookbook.”
2014 and 2015 are the years when I started really exploring food and how we eat. I listened to the audiobook version of Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan which really explored how we as a society perceive food. I listened to this as I was commuting between work in Hyde Park and where we lived up in Roscoe Village, so a part of me can’t fully separate my memories of this book from staring at exhaust pipes while stuck in traffic on 90/94, BUT, even with all of that, this book really got me thinking. I remember there is a chapter that talks about the whole concept of not having time to cook, and how this idea was introduced into American homes through marketing from the processed food industry. We can’t focus energy on cooking for ourselves and we need to cut corners with what and how we eat- this all originated from the companies who wanted us to feel this was a PROBLEM so that we would buy their products. How’s that for food for thought?
Soon after reading Pollan’s book, I received Bad Manners: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck (formerly Thug Kitchen) as a gift. I really enjoyed cooking out of that book, and from there I sought more- more cookbook authors, more plant-based medical professionals on Instagram. I learned of the differences between veganism and plant-based eating, and went deeper into recipes that have minimal or no salt, oil, and sugar. I was introduced to the Esselstyn family (who I’d love to be a part of- Caldwell, Ann, Jane, Rip- please invite me to the next family celebration) and others in the plant-based space: T. Colin Campbell, Dean Ornish, Neal Barnard, and Michael Gregor. I read books like How Not To Die (Micheal Gregor) and The Pleasure Trap (by Douglas Douglas J. Lisle and Alan Goldhamer). Through that I was introduced to more people- Dr. Yami Cazorla-Lancaster, who wrote A Parent’s Guide to Intuitive Eating: How to Raise Kids Who Love to Eat Healthy and had a really great online presence (I once reached out to her on IG with a question and she sent me a voice recording back- she is just a lovely, lovely person with such a positive message about life and health). I also stumbled upon Catherine Perez who lives on IG under the handle @plantbasedrd and I loved every single recipe of hers. I loved this all so much that I earned a plant-based nutrition certificate through the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. I consider that summer (2018) to be when I officially switched from being vegetarian to vegan and mostly whole food plant-based. I viewed the modules on the dairy industry during that certificate program and quit consuming dairy right there on the spot. There was no way I could continue participating in that system, and I don’t miss it one bit.
In one of my lifestyle medicine lectures during my coaching training, the lecturer brought up how saturated our surroundings are in fitness resources. Obviously this depends on where you live, but look around next time you are out and about. Look at the gyms and boutique fitness studios, the specialized fitness apparel industry, what pops up in your feeds. Where do people go to learn how to cook, to learn how to eat? We just aren’t taught any of this. You can’t just hand someone a head of cauliflower and tell them it’s good for them. Where are the teachers or community kitchens that show people how to make a quick and simple meal? Where are the resources that help guide folks to options that will be satisfying, after years of taste buds being hijacked by salt and sugar and oil?
Maybe preparing food is so important to our health that it needs to be prioritized. Maybe having “fast” food to help get us through the evenings is more of a disservice than we think. Maybe we can integrate cooking and eating with the other slices of life that are important to us- connecting with family, enjoying time with our kids. It doesn’t have to be one or the other, does it? Saying this, I do have teenagers and definitely KNOW that evenings can be challenging. Some nights require the easy button. But getting your home set up so that the easy button allows for the goodness that food can bring us is still possible in many ways.
In February my family attended a Chicago Blackhawks hockey game, and the evening we attended was focused on the ‘Hockey Fights Cancer’ campaign. They do this for many major sporting leagues, these ‘Stand Up to Cancer’ for the MLB or NHL ‘Hockey Fights Cancer’ nights. They have special jerseys around these nights and folks write the names of loved ones on signs which they hold up. It’s very emotional, because it is something that has impacted literally everyone. People have lost people they love, or have friends and relatives whose quality of life is currently diminished by cancer treatment, and it’s a scary time. There is so much suffering everywhere. But, these evenings, whenever I catch them? They make me rage a little (okay, a lot). When we entered the United Center in February and saw that it was the ‘Hockey Fights Cancer’ night, my husband instantly said, “Uh oh…” and this was becuase of ME. Like, oh boy, this is going to rile Lindsay up. And you know what? It DID.
And you want to know why it did? Because there is nothing health-promoting that you can purchase at a concession stand on a ‘Hockey Fights Cancer’ night. All around us, what were people consuming? Carcinogenic processed meats and processed cheeses poured over fried chips, beer poured into standard cups and also into these plastic ‘hockey drink sticks” in the shape of a hockey stick. Beer, beer, more beer, so much beer. And guess what? All this shit causes the very thing that everyone is standing around in tears about, because of how cancer has impacted them and their loved ones. It makes me so angry, because people have had the wool pulled over their eyes, and it’s impacted them deeply, personally.
I was playing at a friend’s house once when we were young, probably about 8 years old, and the friend’s mom came in the front door with the day’s newspaper in her hand, which she had collected from their driveway. She was angrily cursing and muttering to herself. I looked over at my friend, who shrugged and said, “She gets really mad about all the plastic they use to wrap the newspaper in.” My rage at the ‘Hockey Fights Cancer’ nights is my version of Mrs. Reed being pissed about all the plastic bags used to deliver her newspapers. We all have our thing.
The scoreboard in purple for ‘Hockey Fights Cancer’ night.
This is a post about joy in food, and it’s also a post on sadness. Because the government, even our doctors… no one is really doing anything to fix this. So many are on track for a future of poor health outcomes, and there are so few accessible resources available for genuine support (and I’m not talking about medications, which place a Band-Aid over the problems related to the standard American diet, or surgeries). The USDA has been mired in conflicts of interest since its inception- and this agency sides with Big Ag over citizen health every time it can. We’re all on our own here, as the healthcare system is close to bursting and healthcare costs skyrocket. And let’s be honest- it isn’t healthcare, is it? It’s sickcare, and if we are left to go through the system as it stands, we all become its victims.
But swinging this back around to the positive- not all is lost. Instead of being victims, we can be participants in the health of our society. We can each make our own small changes each day or explore different foods that satisfy us. We can share foods with others and build on community. We can participate in community supported agriculture and urban gardens and farmers markets. We can come prepared when we go out somewhere, or we can eat beforehand. We can ask for what we want (that one is for me- even I am still working on this!). And yes, this means that sometimes we have to sit there while those around us consume what’s available. But if enough of us are sitting around, maybe what is offered will be more inclusive, over time. It’s a hope to have, isn’t it?
As my coaching business grows, I would love to bring cooking skills and meal planning into the mix. I have found so much enjoyment in plant-based foods. I know you will too.
Manchurian green beans with tofu from the ‘Forks over Knives Flavor’ cookbook by Darshana Thacker, and I also found the recipe online here, just for you!
