Hello All, hope you're enjoying this lovely spring day!

I am blogging today about pancakes, yet again because I have some very relevant information to impart to each of you.

Most of the pre-packaged foods we eat have more sugar and salt in them than you may think, and as I've been telling people this for a while, I decided to say it one more time.  The brand of pancake mix that I grew up with has the lovely African-American lady on the box and loads of sugar in the box.  Not to mention preservatives and fillers.  So this box has "enriched bleached flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, sugar, leavening ...... corn syrup solids, sodium caseinate, etc.   So, why does pancake mix (this particular brand at least) need sugar and corn syrup?  Also why does this simple food cost approximately $4.  Here is the rub, at least for me, you can buy a bag of flour, baking soda and baking powder for under $4, make your own pancake mix, store it in an airtight container and when you're ready to make some pancakes, just add some butter, eggs and milk and you have pancakes.  You can even get creative and make buttermilk pancakes or whatever your family likes.

Even syrup is not what you think.   The average pancake syrup has corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, which are two of the ingredients that make "pancake syrup" so sweet.  Try maple syrup as an alternative, which consists of, guess what?, only maple syrup.

I keep trying to enlighten folks because alot of the foods we love to eat are causing problems for infants, young children and older people because in the long term, all the preservatives and such that we've been putting into our bodies cause major health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, autism and obesity.

Now you may not want to hear me speak about this subject, but I will keep trying to enlighten all of you until a light bulb goes off in your heads and you finally get it.

Yes, it may cost a bit more to eat fresh food, and it does take a bit more time to prepare, but with a little advance planning (you know, that planning you do when you're going to a party or out on a date or whatever it is in your life that you plan for in advance) you can do it!  I have faith in you.  Better to take this precautions know when you have the option to do something about your diet, rather than later when the doctor tells you that you must in order to stay alive!

Your choice!

As always much love,

J

We are what we eat!

Hello All,

It has been a while since I posted here, so first let me say that I hope all of you, dear readers are doing exceptionally well!

Now to begin - my title today is "we are what we eat"!  I'm sure you've seen the recent commercial for a nutrition shake where the children are playing soccer and one mom says to the other - "does Susie look a little slow to you (the child is dressed in a donut suit); the other parent responds, "well kids are what they eat"!

Not only is this true of children but it is true of adults as well.  Some folks live to eat, and this is evidenced by  not only their portion sizes, but also the types of food they eat.  There is nothing wrong with fried foods every now and then, but on a daily basis, the fried food diet can lead to not only obesity, but high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and other health issues.  The same is true of folks who love sweets or salty foods.  The key to eating for everyone is follow the suggestions of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.  Their website is www.eatright.org.  On this site is a plethora of information about which foods to eat that fit not only your wallet, but also your cultural needs and dietary needs as well.

There is something on this site for everyone, from vegetarians to this with Celiac's disease.  I've include the link here for  your ease of use, and hope you will take a moment to do a little research so that you can eat better, and eat to live.

Much love as always,

J