I have always had a love for food. Growing up, there were very few things that I did not like to eat.
Both of my parents enjoyed cooking, and plus most southern events (i.e. - tailgates, football, special outings, you name it) mostly revolved around food.
In college, my eating habits were not the best. But as a part of my college education, nutrition played a important role in my coursework. As I became older and wiser ;), my passion to continuing my growth and knowledge in nutrition has continued. It plays a big part of my personal and professional daily life.
I love to joke with my husband and say that he married me because I could talk football (Hey, it is hard to find a girl who can hold her own when it comes to talk about pro-style vs. spread offense or what personnel the other team is in.... ) and I could cook. Side note.... SINGLE LADIES! Quickest way to snatch up a fella is to feed him some home cooking - promise! ;)
Even when my husband and I were dating, I had always stuck to the 80/20 rule. The majority of the time, I cook healthy. I do have the cheat meal or day.... But it is all about keeping it in moderation.
When we found out I was pregnant, I was determined to make sure that I was putting the good stuff in for both myself and the little guy (yep-had that feeling from the beginning it was a boy LOL). Once he was born, I was lucky. He took to breastfeeding a lot easier than I expected. Do not get me wrong, there were some bumps, and it was not an easy road. (I will save my breastfeeding journey for another blog.)
Overall, there is no doubt our son came with a love for food like his mama. Since I was breastfeeding, nutrition was still of the utmost importance to me. As we moved into introducing food at 6 months, I felt it was important for me to be a part of this with him. So I chose to make the majority of his food. I will admit, I did keep pouches for back up. Overall, we kept it simple. Steam and mash fruits and veggies, after the no allergic reaction period. We moved on to the my favorite part, making up combos special fruit and veggie combos. When the time was right we introduced proteins, and so on.
He cut most of his teeth very early. So around 10 months, he was ready for whole food. We dove right into the baby led weaning approach, and never looked back. Pretty much since then, he eats really anything and everything we eat. (He is 15 months, but I think he eats like a 5 year old - no lie.)
Due to my family, upbringing, and education, nutrition is very important. One aspect of nutrition I struggle with is choosing organic or local? Many people have their opinion about this....
I admit, I largely buy local over organic. This is not to say I do not buy organic, here are several things I consider when choosing.
-Chemicals - This is a big one for me. I want to make sure to avoid pesticides and any other chemicals. Logically, organic would be the way to go, but if you are considering the small farmer selling roadside or at the farmer's market then more than likey he or she maybe using less pesticides than a giant industrial operation.
It's best just to ask. Get to know your local farmers! They take great pride in what they grow. Not to mention local produce will be richer in nutrients, since it was picked more recently. Another thing I will reference a lot, since I am also a mom on a budget, is the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen. This reference list can help anyone make the right choices regarding when to buy organic, local, or not.
Community - Not only is it better for the planet to buy local, but it is putting money back into the farm plus supporting the local economy.
Taste and appearance (smell) - Yep no brainer here. I am a very visual and smell sensitive person. Especially when it comes to food. The prettier the better, and tastier! In August, there is nothing better than a fresh batch of peaches, ripe and ready to be baked in a delicious crisp!
Local no doubt wins the prize here. Produce is harvested and brought right to the market stands to sell. Organic is imported in (no telling the travel it went through before hitting the shelves), so the peek of freshness will be somewhat lacking.
Volume- The amount of what you are eating matters. If you are eating an apple a day, then you definitely want to consider buying organic. If you eat an apple with your peanut butter once a week, then consider buying the local produce that may have been sprayed.
So how do you choose between organic and local? What are some of your favorite farmer's market finds?
Shannon
Taste and appearance (smell) - Yep no brainer here. I am a very visual and smell sensitive person. Especially when it comes to food. The prettier the better, and tastier! In August, there is nothing better than a fresh batch of peaches, ripe and ready to be baked in a delicious crisp!
Local no doubt wins the prize here. Produce is harvested and brought right to the market stands to sell. Organic is imported in (no telling the travel it went through before hitting the shelves), so the peek of freshness will be somewhat lacking.
Volume- The amount of what you are eating matters. If you are eating an apple a day, then you definitely want to consider buying organic. If you eat an apple with your peanut butter once a week, then consider buying the local produce that may have been sprayed.
So how do you choose between organic and local? What are some of your favorite farmer's market finds?
Shannon