Food Resolutions

I caught up on some Dr. Oz episodes over the holidays...while walking on the treadmill, I might brag. Anyway, I've made some resolutions about food that I think fit very well with food allergy issues:

1. I resolve to work toward elimination of foods containing high fructose corn syrup. Dr. Oz says this cheap sweetener is quickly absorbed by the liver and converted to fat. Who needs that?

2. I resolve to not buy any food containing trans fat. It raises bad cholesterol and lowers good cholesterol. And it contributes to heart disease. Who needs that?

3. I resolve to eat 9 fistfuls of fruits and vegetables...every day.

4. I resolve to visit more produce stands and farmers markets in an effort to buy fods locally and in-season. Read Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" for inspiration.

5. I resolve to avoid buying packaged foods with ingredient lists that require a magnifying glass, a dictionary of chemistry terms and more than 20 seconds of my time to read. If I can't pronounce it, my family doesn't need to ingest it.


I'll stick with five resolutions for now. I do believe we need to get back to bread that contains flour, sugar, salt, yeast and water and cake that calls for flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt. That's it- the basic ingredients. Food allergy families often follow these resolutions as they look for foods that are minimally processed. I know I've gotten a bit lazy though and I know I can do better. I must do it for the health of my family.

What are your food resolutions for 2010?