CONTRADICTIONS

OK, so two big buses roll up and park in the hardware store parking lot. Signs on the buses indicate that they are full of football players coming or going to pre-season scrimmages. The high school young men exiting the bus match the image of football players, the handful of middle-aged coaches add to the picture. A picture of fit and trim athletes. Bus occupants then split off, half heading to the McDonalds and half walking to the Burger King on the other end of the block. So, I’m thinking to myself, why does a program, such as football or any athletics, provide meal stops for its athletes at fast food places with unhealthy food choices? Why is there not better planning to feed, nourish and refuel these hard working athletes who obviously value the “work” their bodies can do? And then of course, what is my own daughter’s soccer team doing for nourishment after a game or tournament? And what do we need to do to better “refuel” her, instead of what’s fast and easy?

Fast forward a couple days, farmers market in West Allis. Family of five comes up and wants to buy the biggest chicken I have that day – two parents, two teenage sons and a third son hitting his eating stride at 10 years old. The price of the chicken is $18 – “way too much,” shouts the father Rusty (really his name). so I ask him, does he take the family to McDonalds for a meal. “yep, and it costs a whole lot less to feed them there then that chicken,” he retorts. Trying to remain calm, I ask how much he spent last time they all ate fast food. “$20 he says,” with his wife adding that it was more like $25, about $5 per person. By this point, Rusty and family are walking away, too many personal questions about his food and spending habits.

But the point is this – we talk about cheap calories – McDonalds, fast food, bags of chips, etc. The truth - for $25 Rusty can feed his family a roast chicken (maybe not the biggest one, but enough meat for all with bones for a great soup), several pounds of potatoes and even a dozen ears of corn. I’m talking locally grown food. If Rusty wants to add organics to the health of his family, the cost does increase, but so do the nutrient contents and flavor.

So what is it about our culture that is willing to feed our own and our children’s bodies less than healthy food, while bypassing nutritious and easy to use options available at farmers markets, roadside stands and even the aisles of a grocery store? Why will we easily add high calorie/low nutrient processed foods to our carts, but bypass and even complain about the price of locally grown carrots, potatoes, fennel or chicken? I don’t have an answer, but the observation is pushing me to refine our own family’s food and eating styles. I know it means more thought and planning to eat at home before heading out than stopping on the road. I know that for many of us, it’s more about habit than true eating – stop at the gas station, get chips or soda (my son still wants to go to the gas station to fill up the van because his early years included the habit of such stop and shop purchases).

The summer bounty in your box this week will help you eat better. A nice lettuce salad, coleslaw or cold pasta dish are great before heading out the door, or as meals stored in a car cooler while on the road. Eat well, fuel your body right