What to Eat?

Grrr.

I thought I had it all figured out.

Made a meal planning thing around the carbohydrates we love and everything. WROTE the meal plans on my frikkin' calendar.

Then I watched a documentary. And starting doing some research.

As it turns out, it seems that old food pyramid is not a good nutrition and dietary aid. They revamped it right:

But I don't really get it ... 6 oz of grains?? At first I thought it meant like 2/3 a cup. That's is? Per day? Then I started looking at my carb labels. They are mostly in grams (so convenient). Oatmeal is 40 g/serving which is 1.4 oz. Pretzels are 28 g/serving or .9 oz. Angel hair pasta: 56 g/serving = 1.9 oz. 100% whole grain whole wheat bread, 1 serving is one slice is 38 g or 1.3 oz. OR to make it easier, 6 ounces is about 170 grams.   OR to make is really easier, they recommend 3-6 servings (or the amount of pasta you get in one meal at Olive Garden). The old pyramid said SIX TO ELEVEN. Catch that? The previous MINIMUM is the current MAXIMUM. Weird huh. 

And then fruits vegetables and milk are measured in Cups ... and meat, 5.5 ounces ... how much is that?  A half a cup of peanut butter?

Are there still four food groups?

Also, can we JUST CONVERT TO THE METRIC SYSTEM ALREADY?! Gah! People!

Here's what I think: carbs are not our friends and refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) are bad. Worse than bad. They kill ya slowly. Like cigarettes. People are making TONS of money on soda and candy and sugar and HFCS and America is not a socialist country (maybe you've suspected as much). We are red blooded capitalists. Which means we ARE not our brothers keepers, by Jango, and if it makes money, shut up and let people choose how they die. IT'S OUR AMERICAN RIGHT.

They told us it was high fat diets that caused heart disease. They were mistaken. Read the information. You eat too much sugar. Your body TRIES to compensate by producing insulin. But you eat too much damn sugar! Then your liver turns the sugar into super storable fat. But if your liver and other organs get all fatty, that's when you start having all kinds of problems ... heart disease is the number one killer in America. Interesting, if you read the nutrition part of that link ... doesn't say eat whole grains. Says cut back on fat 3 times before is says cut back sugar. I think their info is outdated. I think sugar. I would bet MONEY on sugar baby. That gritty white stuff is not natural. Not like salt. :)

I think cutting down sugar is the key, especially the refined sugars. I think recognizing how much of what you eat is essentially sugar in various costumes is vital to healthy living. You need carbs. If you are 5 years old and run around like a monkey all day, you can probably have all the carbs in the world. If you are 20+ and sit at a desk all day, carbs are turning into sugar, turning into fat, killing you softly. 

The only thing is, HOW DO I MAKE MEALS NOW? What do we eat? Will Chicken and broccoli fill them up?? Honestly, I can't fathom serving a meal without a carb. That's ok, right? They say 3-6, one per meal or so. Its ok, right? Can I trust them?

I bought trail mix (not the candy kind). And fruit leather (with NO HFCS). And fresh fruits. Applesauce, no sugar added. Vegetables. Lean meat, jerky (they ate that crap down fast!), ham, and turkey. We try to consume our carbs early in the day so they can be used as energy. My kids are super active (all fat kids should get a free trampoline), I'm not too worried about their weight, I just want to make sure they have healthy choices. I don't have any candy here (sad face) (but Easter is coming up).

In summary ... I guess? Grown-ups - eat less carbs, no sugar, smaller portions, etc? Kids - limit sugar, buy a trampoline, protein, fruits, veggies?

All I really need to know is, CAN I HAVE POTATO SALAD AT DINNER TONIGHT??  Cuz I really want potato salad.