5 Things I Learned from my Mother about Nutrition

 1. Ding Dongs aren’t sustainable food….

My earliest memories of picnics on the spit in Homer, Alaska (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer_Spit) were in the Summer of ’69. My Dad was operating heavy equipment on the Spit that summer and he stayed in a hotel in Homer. We would go visit him on Sundays after church, all dressed up, driving 70 miles from our hometown, perhaps via a gravel road in those days in our VW. I remember Ding Dongs from those occasions and of course as a kid, loved the foil covered circular sweetness and who knows what that white stuff inside was/is? Even though I loved Ding Dongs as a 4 year old, these prized packages were not found regularly in our home. They were only purchased for these special outings and that was it. My mother, Carol, was a home economist by schooling and a teacher. She was always on to the latest nutritional news and I know what she must have been thinking when she bought those Ding Dongs. I must say how proud I was recently when the subject of Ding Dongs came up, my 13 year old daughter said, “what are Ding Dongs?”.

2. Plain yogurt is just plain good for you….

My 5th grade teacher (and my sister and brother’s), Naomi Andersen, made yogurt at school for a project way back in the 70’s.  My mom picked up on this recipe and got into a kick and she would make her own yogurt at home.  It was that really good tangy yummy yogurt.  I had no idea that this yogurt was great for our digestive tracts or that it had good bacteria in it that we need in our gut or that it didn’t have any extra flavorings or sugars.  But, I knew there was something about that yogurt that was special.  My brother recently told me he eats plain yogurt and doctors it with brown sugar because that’s what Mom used to make.  Carol would be proud.

3. Sugared cereals are a once in a blue moon purchase for good reason….

Four Mack kids chowing down cereal from boxes laden with Tony the Tiger or Lucky Charms was rare.  We were the Cheerios and Rice Krispies family.   My Dad (John) was instrumental in preparing our breakfast foods during the school year.  Every morning he was up early fixing a large pot of hot cereal to sustain us for the next 4 hours.  We had oatmeal, Malt-o-Meal and other grain cereal usually with raisins and milk and too much brown sugar.  I loved it when the raisins were cooked in with the hot cereal and still do.  I must say I have a bad memory of a chocolate flavored grain hot cereal.  It was nasty and I’ll never forget it…maybe that’s why I’ve forgotten the name.

4. Real peanut butter is the good stuff….

A staple in our home was Adams Peanut Butter.  We’d never want to be the first to open the jar because we’d have to stir in the natural oils and we would lament to our Mom as to why she didn’t buy Skippy. To this day, I love natural peanut butter and can’t go back to the sugary brands with the hydrogenated oils.

5. Apple Cider Vinegar rocks!

This revelation came much later in my life. My Mom, Carol, left this earth in 1999 and I’ll miss her always. Sometime in 1999 when she visited me in our new home in Portland she brought with her a copy of the Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar booklet that sings the praises of ACV. On a trip to the store with Carol, I ended up with Braggs ACV and their Liquid Aminos (like soy sauce) in the cart.  I had to chuckle when the amazing health benefits of ACV came up over and over again in my nutrition class last year. Carol always was a master of health foods.  I dug out that book and read it cover to cover in honor of her.