Eating for Two

In another life, given the choice, I would ask to be raised by vegetarians, maybe even vegans, so it would be easy to devote myself to a healthy lifestyle.  After thirty years of eating meat, bread, and dairy, it feels like it may be too late to turn back, though that’s probably just my own lack of fortitude in the matter.  Swearing off the meat and potatoes-based meals planned for family gatherings feels like a dismissal of “family values,” a denial of the culture that raised me.  I’m not sure I have the heart to do that.  I'm also not dedicated enough (at the moment) to upend my current American lifestyle and swear off all of the things that I probably shouldn't be eating.  I generally stick to the Aristotelian mantra of "moderation in all things" and hope for the best.  
 

Last year I read Crazy, Sexy diet (Eat Your Veggies, Ignite Your Spark, and Live Like You Mean It!) by Kris Carr, a cancer survivor who fought the disease by changing her entire lifestyle.  I was inspired, but fell back into my old habits of eating when I didn't have the time or money to recreate the magic. 

Recently, though, a life change has made me rethink my beliefs about food.  My husband and I are expecting our first child. I am already thinking about the implications of raising this child in a much more health-conscious world than the one in which I was raised. Though I haven’t been as strict about my own diet as I should be (the queasiness of early pregnancy caused me to trade in my usual lunch salads for peanut butter sandwiches and crackers), our food culture has caused me to think even more about what my child should eat.  For the first years of my child's life, food decisions will be almost entirely my responsibility.  

Is Gluten Free a Good Gig?

I worry about gluten, which a few close friends have sworn off as poison, and hope all the sandwiches and crackers I’ve been eating to settle my queasy stomach won’t seep any gluten poison into the baby’s digestive system.  Is the GMO wheat a serious concern?

BPAs and Plastic: Urban Legend or Serious Concern?

I drink mostly water, often two or more liters a day, but I almost always drink water from disposable plastic bottles I carry to all of my classes.  Even worse, I refill the plastic bottles many times before I lose the bottle or trade it in for a new one.  Is the plastic that holds my filtered water going to harm the baby? 

"Milk: It Does a Body Good"...Really?!? Growing up, my parents instilled in us the importance of drinking milk at every meal for health.  Remember the Got Milk? Campaign where celebrities were photographed wearing milk mustaches with quotes about the importance of drinking three glasses a day for good health? It's been going strong since 1993!  Though I grew up on milk, I switched to water or wine with meals many years ago after a milk-free semester in Spain. The milk tasted sour to me when I returned.  Now, I’ve been advised to add calcium to my diet for the baby, but I’m not sure cow’s milk is the best choice. Is it better to add more milk and processed cheese to my diet or to take fake calcium in the form of a supplement? 

Folic Acid, Fish Oil, Fiber...The Vitamins and Supplements Craze!
On the topic of supplements: I’m taking the recommended prenatal vitamins, but my husband thinks I should also be taking fish oil so our baby will be a brilliant physicist instead of an English teacher. (So far, I’m not taking the fish oil!)  Does anyone really know the long-term effect of adding vitamins, minerals, and other supplements to our diet? 
 

At our local grocery store, I stand in front of the pasta shelves immobilized and overwhelmed by all the choices.  Do I buy the Barilla PLUS, advertised as a good source of protein, fiber, and omega 3s from natural flaxseed?  Is it worth paying double the price for Barilla PLUS instead of Mueller’s classic enriched macaroni product?  Or, even more expensive, should I buy the gluten-free De Boles multigrain pasta made with rice, quinoa, and amaranth?  

I finally opt for the Barilla, but when I come home at night, my husband has picked up a box of hamburger helper for dinner instead.  Since I am easily turned off by food smells, I skip the hamburger helper  and eat a bowl of honey nut cheerios and milk, which advertises lots of whole grains, though I know it’s also full of sugar.  

I wonder about what my mother ate when she was pregnant and if she worried this much about food toxins and supplements. Is this a situation where ignorance is bliss?