I roll with the super healthy here in Rio de Janeiro. It's kind of odd seeing I've never been a part of a "healthy" group before. Hell, in college my dietary triangle consisted of fats, salts, microwaveable, pasta, and alcohol.
Of course, things change. Living in a country where fresh fruits and veggies are not just readily available but actually cheaper than other food has helped quite a bit. I felt I was on the right track.
That was until I entered into the super healthy super Mom group. These are the ladies that do yoga at least 3 times a week, also throwing in a run now and then. All of them have had natural births (meaning no pain killers) and some home births. They read labels, do not normally consume sugar, and their kids do not know what McDonalds is.
And it's a good thing. These Mommas can tell you where to find the rare fresh milk of Rio de Janeiro and if that one type has to be boiled or not before drinking. They know the organic fairs and which organic stores will deliver staple items on a weekly basis. They can give you whole wheat, no dairy, no sugar recipes that only taste slightly like cardboard. It's eye opening.
At the same time there are problems. There are things I don't want to know. I do not want to know there is msg in my bouillon cubes. I really don't want to know what msg is because I plan to keep on using my precious cubes! I live in Rio and there is no way I'm going to boil a whole freakin' chicken just to get some broth. Cooking here is time consuming enough. Next I'm going to have to convert my laundry area into a chicken coop just to make sure they are antibiotic free. Heaven forbid, actually give the bird up totally! I'm already done with pork. What's next? Vegetarianism? I'd rather stop eating all together.
It's almost enough to make a lady feel subpar in the taking care of your family/spouse department. And this isn't just reserved for Moms. My sister-in-law has my brother-in-law on a special no taste, very expensive diet too. Steamed veggies and whole grain rice are becoming a staple when out to lunch with friends. Are we all growing up or just trying to avoid daily doses of Metamucil?
In the end, it is a good thing. I find myself, at the very least, adapting my own diet. My children see veggies on their plate twice a day, if not more. Hey, you can bring a kid to veggies but you can not make them eat. And fruit is now part of my vocabulary outside of apple martini. That's a good thing.
Will I be giving up real pizza, fries, greasy Mexican food (when I can find it), butter, or sugar. Hell no! But maybe I'll put said butter on some broccoli and the sugar on some strawberries. It's a start, right?
Well, you can make a (bio)chicken broth and place it in a ice cubes tray(s). Freeze it and remove one (or two) when you need it.
ReplyDeleteLike I said, you guys teach me something new every day :)
ReplyDeleteI was vegan in college and still eat mostly veggie. But now I eat fish and eggs but I am pretty snobbish about my fish. I think there is that side when we know about it-- we can't go back. And anyways sometimes we need treat ourselves. I want my kid to be a veggie, but yikes. Try explaining that to my Brazilian grandma. She would be slipping the kid meat every time I turned my back.
ReplyDeleteI am guilty of splurging on Salmon. It's my favorite fish and super expensive here.
ReplyDelete"And fruit is now part of my vocabulary outside of apple martini."
ReplyDeletehahaha i love that! I also did the vegan thing for a while (living in Santa Cruz, CA you get those pamphlets of little dead chickens in chicken conentration camps every time you step out of your house).
But the great thing is, living in Rio, you actually have to put forth effort and money to not eat heatlhy.
I miss... sardinhaaaaaaas ! Fresh filets of sardines, salted and coated with a manioc flour before being fried.
ReplyDeleteSardinhas com chopp - a delicias!
ReplyDeleteTGIF!!
So that's why you gave me that look when I asked you where you were going after school; I hadn't read your article. I spent the rest of the way home thinking about how and why my kids don't know what MacDonalds is! By the way, O does know what a chip (sorry that would be a fry) is!
ReplyDeleteHe may not know what one is but he sure did like them at the party Friday! lol
ReplyDeleteYes, I always feel a tiny bit guilty when we go to McDonalds. On the way that is. Once I'm there it's all fatty heaven
I looked up MSG by the way. I'm totally traumatized now.
ReplyDeleteRachel on my next trip to the US I'll gladly bring you back some packets of all-natural bouillon cubes! I used them all the time before moving here and never thought to bring them with me on the plane.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in college my diet mainly consisted of Ramen (of course), bean & cheese tacos, frappacinos, and beer. But I convinced myself that putting pico de gallo on my tacos was all the veg I needed and the cheese on the taco was my diary and the beans, my protein so it was all good. And of course, I never looked better in my life!
ReplyDelete