Healing nutrition

Comfort food. Means many things to many people. Depending on what's going on, comfort food could be chocolate, a great steak, or what I've been craving lately, mashed potatoes with chopped onions and butter.

Strange combination, I know. I've gotten looks for it from college on. When it's what your body craves, and it's good food, do it.

Nutrition... In a country where 60% of adults are overweight and doctors are now warning of overweight toddlers, I have to wonder how much of it is about nutrition. I look at the cheapest food in our grocery stores and it's all processed beyond recognition. It's full of fillers and chemicals that are supposed to be safe for us that I no longer trust. The food that really is good for us, whole grains, fruit, veggies, grass fed meat, clean seafood, is some of the most expensive.

I stopped at the Emergency Food Shelf Network this morning to pick up the current $17 bundle they had. In the package was 3 apples, a muskmelon, 3 pound bag of potatoes, 3 bell peppers, a pound of carrots, a package of celery, a couple pounds of onions, a pound of hamburger, a pound of skinless chicken thighs, beef kielbasa and pork sausage.
You can also get a vegetarian pack and a mega meat pack. Today they had new potatoes as freebies, and other stuff you could buy for much less than you would pay at the store.
Even better, they are willing to accomodate my food allergies. Since they have several different ethnic populations that can't eat certain things due to religious practices, they have learned to be flexible.

I have to wonder about our emotional, mental and spiritual nutrition. From my own life, I know I've eaten when I'm not physically hungry, ie my stomach wasn't growling. Or I was emotionally upset, trying to fill a void that no amount of food could ever fill.
A good chunk of that was empty calories with no nutrition behind it. Pop, candy, whatever sweets I could lay my hands on when the parents were too busy leading their own lives to give me the time of day.

Things to ponder.