Girlfriends' Locker Room: The Homemade goodies diet plan

December 22, 2003

The Homemade goodies diet plan

THERESA: Holiday time is for many working women the only time we hit the kitchen and make like June Cleaver. And back in the 1950s when June and a lot of real-life moms were cooking up snacks every day for their families, most Americans ate healthier and weren't so fat as so many Americans are today. Why is that?

I thought about this as I was baking up holiday goodies all day Sunday. Brownies and raspberry bars and date nut bread and pumpkin-raisin bread and even fudge. My house smelled so wonderful. And I'm not done yet. My college-age son, home for Christmas, still expects sugar cookies and gingerbread cutouts. OK. No problem. We'll do that together tonight or tomorrow. This is the only time of year I go into baking overdrive. And it's fun.

And if I can moderate my own intake (Fudge? Forget it!) it's not SO bad to indulge in at least some of these goodies. When we bake our own treats, we use natural ingredients, not high-fructose corn syrup and transfats (if you avoid Crisco and margarine, pre-packaged cookie mixes and ready-made piecrusts), which are so unhealthy. My raspberry bars are made with oatmeal, my date nut bread is full of nuts and walnuts, and the pumpkin in my pumpkin-raisin bread is supposedly one of nature's top foods, health-wise.

One of the most interesting books I read this year was "Fat Land : How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World," by Greg Critser. It's an excellent book about how America's eating habits have changed for the worse in recent decades. Critser, who's battled a weight problem himself, details how trends in the food industry, more reliance on convenience foods and super-sized restaurant portions have made so many of us fat and unhealthy. This book will change your whole outlook on french fries and Twinkies, I promise.

And it'll help you see that it's healthy to get in touch with real food, in your own kitchen, made from fresh, pure ingredients, not pre-packaged, not picked up at a drive-thru window. As I bake up my favorite holiday goodies this week, I'm resolving to start hitting my kitchen more often in the year ahead, to cook up my own excellent food all year long (and yes, OK, with ingredients that are healthier than the stuff that went into my holiday fudge!)

APRIL: I could not agree more. I hit the kitchen and spend a weekend day churning out gravy, or a nice casserole, and even desserts. This doesn't happen often but when I am able to do this, it relaxes me and I feel like I am creating something that's not processed or unhealthy.

Comments

I pretty much avoid processed foods. I don't drink soda. I definitely think this makes weight control easier. Stuff made with fresh, simple ingredients tastes better and fills you up more, I think.

Posted by: Laurie on December 22, 2003 11:51 AM

Hi! Thanks for the advice. I run and convince myself that I need the extra calories, but I will once again(New Year's Resolution?) strive to eat healthier. It is so hard, since I have no health issues,feel fine,with people telling me I'm thin(though I'm really not), but I know it is important to be proactive for my future health. I love your features, so thank you all with best wishes for a Happy Holiday!

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