Notes from a bitch – nutrition…

A few Sundays ago I watched 60 Minutes and caught a segment highlighting the work of Alice Waters, the “mother of slow food.” I was inspired by Waters’ love of food and her passionate belief that everyone is entitled to good food.
I couldn’t agree more!
I was also impressed that Waters works with grocery store chains and food distributors to increase access to locally grown food in communities across the nation.
Fantabulous!
But when challenged about a common critique of organic food…that it is expensive as hell…Waters’ responded…
“We make decisions everyday about what we’re going to eat,” … “And some people want to buy Nike shoes – two pairs, and other people want to eat Bronx grapes, and nourish themselves. I pay a little extra, but this is what I want to do.”
Blink.
Oh my.
I wish my diet was only limited by the decision of whether to purchase new shoes or to nourish myself with Bronx grapes.
The reality is that my diet has more to do with to eat or not to eat than to shop or to nourish and I know I’m not alone.
When I started teaching life skill classes at a transitional housing shelter for homeless pregnant teens in St. Louis Missouri, I quickly realized that many of my students could teach a master class on making a dollar stretch. A good place to witness their resourcefulness was in the kitchen – trust me, making $160 in food assistance last a month takes serious skill.
With the help of a nutritionist residents came up with quick, healthy and affordable meals that could be frozen and heated up later. They eventually put all their recipes together in a cookbook that I still use today.
What they didn’t do was weigh their nutrition against the joy of shoe shopping.
What concerns me about Waters viewpoint is that she is a very influential person who is helping to shape public policy. As I said before, her genuine affection for food and belief that healthy food is a right is inspiring.
Promoting healthy food is a must-try recipe, but folks should skip that extra tablespoon of privilege if they want it to nourish the masses…