Last week, while writing about reducing sugar intake, simultaneously I was preparing for the annual cookie party I host with my dear friend, a dietitian and fellow kitchen extraordinaire. I love cookies, sure, yet eating cookies is not why I love the cookie party. Besides an excuse to gather and celebrate the season with friends, it’s an opportunity to remain committed to one my favorite holiday traditions: making buckeyes. Buckeyes aren’t really cookies, as they’re not baked, but making them for the party has become a favorite holiday tradition.

Do you know that the average American eats 100 pounds of sugar each year? (1). When we wonder why our metabolism is off, blood sugar is whacky, we can’t lose weight and we’re suffering from an obesity epidemic, could sugar be the culprit? Just like in last week’s article with inspiration for drinking less alcohol (more sugars!), I cannot emphasize enough the importance of simply eating less sugar. Considering sugar, like alcohol, is addictive, we need a plan – not just willpower – to overcome infinite, pervasive longings for sweets.

It’s not surprising that alcohol consumption increased dramatically in 2020 and the next few years thanks, in part, to the global pandemic (1). Working from home, stress coupled with fear, the convenience of having alcohol nearby (all the time) were just some of the factors contributing to more drinking (2). For people over 40 suffering from mood disorders, alcohol consumption was even more pronounced (2). As the mental health crisis rose to mainstream conversation, views about alcohol and behaviors began shifting.  

While I love Thanksgiving week and its invitation to slow down, what follows for me is a period of shame, fear and frustration: Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday. These days become dismal with lack, comparison and desire. My financial status and related compromises tell the tale of a single mama running a small business while struggling to make ends meet, give her children more, and live fully when her pocketbook is sparse.  

Even while on vacay, I’m a working single mom. Whether it’s a big travel day or a rest day, I plan all logistics – lodging, directions, trains, tickets, rental cars, gas, communication, activities, excursions, laundry, tours, plus meetings with chefs, farmers, proprietors. I check emails, meet virtually with clients, write articles, plan programs, create social media posts.  

I also plan all the meals, hydration and supplements for pleasure, focus, sleep, motion sickness and “what if” scenarios because: 1.) nutrients matter; 2.) food is harder to procure while traveling; 3.) good nourishment can make the difference between enjoying a cultural experience or watching it crumble.

I’m writing from the train between Milano and Firenze in Italy. It’s the second summer I brought my two kids here, exploring for purposes beyond simply traveling, exposure to new cultures or instilling in a sense of self-sufficiency, curiosity and vigilance. We are here for more than reuniting with my ancestry, though that’s certainly one reason I’m drawn to Italy.

And the food – simply, it makes traveling easier knowing I can be well nourished. Yet not all food in Italy is good for us, as we may naïvely believe.

My son became a teenager this week! In addition to considering his life experiences and how I love being his mama, I reflect on a baker’s dozen years of feeding him (and his sister) healthy food to nourish his rapid growth. I’ve prepared thousands of intentional meals made primarily with whole foods, typically eaten at home and, sometimes, at co-ops, health food stores and from-scratch cafes. I recall dozens eye rolls for saying “no” to Standard American Food, criticisms for fixed food values, and exclusions from events due to my choices. I’ve also receive ample “thank you”s. 

This is the 100th pieces I’ve written for my column, “A Nutrition Mission” in the Idaho Mountain Express, our local newspaper. I pondered a poem: “100 lessons from 100 nutrition articles.” However, as our government threatens our public lands, and neighbors lose jobs that protect and educate about sacred natural spaces, what seems relevant is recalling Mother Earth’s wisdom. Stinging nettles, for example, are indicative of spring – potent, with a protective sting to awaken us!  

It was a regular Wednesday evening and, bored with our typical dinner rotation, I planned something different. Falafel! Simple, healthy, and with toppings I knew my kids would eat (tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, feta, tzatziki, pita bread). I recalled that they enjoyed falafel the previous time I’d prepared it but (oy!) I was mistaken! They balked at the baked-then-lightly fried chickpea and herb patties and made a mess of deconstructing dinner. Dang! Mom failed. Or did I?

I received two requests for protocols in this month’s column: immune support and hormone balancing. Big topics! Both complicated. Yet, nutritionally, both boil down to these basic concepts: eat a wide range of colorful, whole, uncontaminated foods, manage stress well, and spend ample time outside in nature. Keep reading to learn more.

Often, it feels mentally restrictive to “eliminate” certain foods or beverages, even with intention to feel better. Many people express hesitation to work together because they aren’t ready to “give up” coffee, alcohol, gluten, sugar. In truth, I don’t require anyone to restrict anything against their will (though we discuss the attachment). Readiness is key. When we’re ready to feel better, we’re ready to try letting go of what may not be serving us.

The concept of “the never-ending meal” doesn’t mean eat endlessly, particularly not during the holidays – please consume mindfully. It means prepare every meal to feed into the next. Find your meal planning flow. The basic idea: each time you prepare food, make extra of something and set aside one or more ingredients for subsequent meals. It’s simple, versatile, and uses leftovers creatively to avoid waste and overwhelm.

I’m just home from a rainy week in Spain where I created authentic Andalusian meals using out of seasonal, fresh foods from the region for a women’s retreat. The experience was nourishing and memorable though exhausting from the effort of procuring local food in a foreign country using my less-than-optimal language skills. I chopped onions, garlic, peppers and tomatoes for days while standing on a marble kitchen floor; over-ate and under-slept; and traveled home on three airplanes across two countries and an ocean over the course of 32 hours.

I returned to another packed schedule: elections, clients, planning an annual women’s yoga retreat, writing this column, and most of all some time and meals with my kids. Whew!  

Eating more plants doesn’t mean you have to be a vegetarian or vegan. Simply, incorporate more roots, fruits, veggies, grains, nuts, seeds, seaweed, herbs, spices, and fungi (technically not a plant) into every meal. Truly, why do we still not understand that plants are SO good for us? The Average American eats 1 fruit and 1-2 veggies per day, with only 10-12% of Americans meeting the 5+ per day recommendation. As many of us struggle with health challenges and making ends meet in this economy, increasing plant nutrients affordably into our meals is a vital – and viable – goal.

Summer flaunts the perfect season to relax, unwind, connect with friends, family and nature, be adventurous… In reality, summer can feel more stressful – we contend with irregular schedules, kids at home, entertaining houseguests on vacay while we work, tourism, traffic and construction. Planning a simple weekend campout ignites extra effort, anxiety, to-dos. Long days, social activities, late nights equals less sleep, more exertion, increased potential for short tempers, irritability, and the inability to enjoy the moment. We know we need to slow down, yet we remain ramped up!

My kids and I did not embark on an Italian “vacation” simply to visit the birthplace of pizza and gelato or trace our family’s heritage. No, it was a work trip dedicated to food discovery, with reconnaissance for upcoming family food retreats. We under-scheduled most days to enjoy being a part of the vibrant, fresh life enticing us with scents of waffle cones and freshly baked croissants. We ate simple meals. I shopped in mini-supermarkets, touristy farmers markets, bars (yes, “bars”), pasticcerias, panneterias, and massive grocery stores.

...the largest object next to me at the terminal workstation was a woven basket full of food. My second carry-on contained a small cooler bag with our lunch, plus a small tote with non-perishable bars, seaweed, jerky, dried fruit. Eating during travels is anxiety-provoking (for me), as finding nourishing foods can be a formidable chore. Considering most people get sick when they travel – added stress, poor sleep, less exercise, strapped time, irregular mealtimes, cramped quarters, new exposures, unforeseen challenges, lots of waiting – it's worth having a plan with food I enjoy.

YES! It does. Despite all the pushback from modern agricultural systems and special interest groups promoting the safety of conventionally grown foods, eating foods grown as naturally as possible is, at the very least, the most responsible thing we can for our one Earth. We humans are extensions of nature – we literally, physically, and biochemically would not be alive on this planet without nutrients and nourishment from Mother Earth.

Last weekend I taught a “Sourdough 101” class at my friend’s shop – an endeavor to bring her farmer-husband’s organic food to the small town that sprang up generations ago during southern Idaho’s agricultural boom. Over time, sugar beet farms expanded, and the commodity market thrived, while residents spent their time and dollars in bigger cities, shopping for mass-produced, convenience foods in a system they helped create. The town center dried up – no place to buy local melons, milk, eggs. With little to draw people in, the community shriveled under the hardly-fertile cropland encircling town.

Over the years, I’ve slowly slipped from eating organic food 95-100% of the time. Two decades ago, it was a requirement for me, and easy considering the plethora of food options in Portland and no children to feed. The effort became more challenging while raising a young family on a tight budget in the Wood River Valley’s high cost of living. Even so, I anchored to the belief that how our food was grown was more important than almost anything else.