Questionnaire: Sherrie

"Food for Thought:"

1) When you think healthy food, what is the first food that comes to your mind?
Blueberries - I came upon a list some time ago with a listing of healthy foods, and blueberries were listed as number 1 because of all the vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants, etc. that are packed into them.

2) What is the strangest food you've ever eaten?
There are some foods that seem strange to some, but quite ordinary to others. Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, in a family of hunters, we feasted on all kinds of wild (free!) game. I became quite accustomed to eating rabbit, venison and bear to name a few, and my mom was the master chef in preparing this fresh game in a variety of ways to tempt even the pickiest of eaters. Though that was quite ordinary in our community - it wasn't until I was older that I realized those foods weren't quite so customary to others.

3) Name one healthy food that you could eat every day.
Strawberries, without a doubt. Great in cereal, on top of yogurt and with shortcake for dessert. See? You could eat them at every meal of the day!

4) Name one healthy food you know you should eat, but just can't stomach.
Tomatoes in their "natural" form - I can eat them in salads and as a garnish on sandwiches, and of course, in sauces, but have never been able to just pick up a tomato and take a bit out of it like an apple. Yuck! And to Tessa's comment about beets - I love them! I could list that on the above question about a food I could eat every day. :)

5) On a scale of 1 to 10, how healthy do you think you eat? (1 being nothing but McD's and potato chips, 10 being nothing but health food)
It's all relative, I suppose. Compared to some people, I would probably look like a very healthy eater, but to others, perhaps not so much. I don't buy any cookies or potato chips (except for parties), I don't drink any soda, coffee or sweetened juices, and I don't drink or eat anything with artificial sweeteners (mostly because I don't like the taste of it). But that doesn't mean I eat healthy all of the time either. My boys and I bake cookies or cake on most weekends, and we indulge in a trip to "Timmy's" after church on some Sundays. We do have fruit or veggies at every table sitting (though they don't always eat them :) With that said, I'd probably give myself a 7 on the scale from 1 to 10.

6) Organic - better for you?
I believe so, and I choose to buy organic on any foods that are in their natural state (or close to it), like fruits and vegetables (when I can find them), milk, eggs, honey, sugar, etc. Yes, it's much more expensive ($10 for a bag of milk - and when you're going through 4-5 bags/week, that adds up quickly!), but I figure if I can do it, I will. If I had to cut expenses, then I'd buy the regular and not worry about it in the least. I don't know if it makes any difference, or if it ever will, but I figure it's certainly not any worse for me than the regular version.

7) Local - better for you?
Yes, I think so. And I choose to buy local whenever I can. The same as Tessa remarked, though, I'm not willing to go without pineapples, avocados, bananas, etc. because they're not grown locally. Once I joined a food delivery service that delivered locally grown produce on a weekly basis, year-round (Plan B was the name of the service). But in the winter time I could only eat so much kale, collards, and other things that I didn't even know what they were, or what to do with them. In attempt to stop wasting so much produce, I had a "drop out" of the service :)

8) Home grown/home made - better for you?
Yes, I believe so. Doesn't this go back to the other book we read over the summer about pie? Nutrition aside, there's another "x-factor" that makes home-grown and home-made seem better for you. At least, you can control what's going into your food and you can always pronounce all the ingredients in your recipe.

9) Ever tried a fad diet? How did it work out for you? Would you do it again?
No.

10) What is one thing that you would like to change this coming year to eat healthier?
Eat more fruits and veggies, drink more water, and more whole grain rice/pasta.

Bonus points: name any book (or cookbook?) that inspires you to eat healthier.
"In Defense of Food, An Eater's Manifesto" by Michael Pollan.
And for those of us with picky eaters, I like to use the recipes in Jessica Seinfeld's recipe book, titled, "Deceptively Delicious," with recipes like chocolate brownies with spinach, and hot chocolate sweetened with sweet potatoes (it's delicious!).