Anyone else watched the independent film King Corn on PBS lately? It’s been shown several times as part of their Independent Lens series. Whenever I see it, it makes me want to eat better… healthier. The problem is, how do you do that in Peoria?
One obvious thing is to get fresh foods from farmers markets such as the ones at Metro Centre and down on the riverfront. But where does one get, for example, grass-fed beef around here? And is it even possible to avoid high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) if you want to? Sure, you can give up soda, but that doesn’t even scratch the surface of the products that contain HFCS.
Any suggestions? Or any stories on how you’ve tried to eat healthier and either been successful or given up?
It might cost you more in time and money…but it is possible. Naturally Yours might sell grass-fed beef. Kroger has buffalo meat, though I’m not sure if it’s grass-fed. It might be free-range, but the two are not the same.
The best way to avoid HFCS? hah! That poison is in everything from ketchup to bread. It’s cheap, sweet and makes you fat-big food companies know this too. There is plenty of info on the net about why this stuff is the devil.
I’d say go back to basics…a paleolithic diet of sorts. If you like sweets, get it from fruits and berries. Stay far away from processed foods-the longer the ingredient list on the back, the worse off you are.
Many stores are trying to offer healthier products. Some local chains around here even have dedicated sections. But don’t be fooled. Many products labeled as ‘natural’ are still filled with crap.
Happy hunting!
http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/thestew/2008/04/high-fructose-c.html
CJ:
We’ve been getting private beef from farmers for a while now (pork too for that matter). It involves a minimum purchase though (for us – uaually a whole side of beef, or half the cow) and freezer space for it. It’s not cheap, but it gives you some cuts of beef that you wouldn’t buy in the store (expense) as special treats as well, and is much cheaper than buying it in small quantities from a natural food store, and it’s local.
I can probably turn you on to a farmer or two doing this if you’re interested contact me privately.
We haven’t cut *all* hfcs out of our diet, but we’ve managed to do most of it–but to do it affordable you need to buy in larger quantities. That’s easier for a family of 9 than 4 or 5, but still doable at any size.
“Sure, you can give up soda,”
That’s a great start.
Giving up soda at home is something I’ve done because I don’t want our kids drinking it, plus it’s not really good for you. I think it contributes to osteoporosis, but I might be wrong there.
Dr. Oz, Oprhah’s health guru and author of a number of books, lists HFCS as one of the 5 top things you should eliminate from your diet. I try to buy less prepackage sweets, etc. and make more things from scratch or buy them from bakeries. I love the treats from Great Harvest Bread Co. and Apples Bakery. I am assuming they are HRCS free. We do not keep soda in the house and never order it when we go to fast food restaurants. It is just more calories and other junk on top of already high calorie food. But . . . sometimes when your family is on the move, a fast food restaurant is just what the doctor ordered and then you just have to go home and have a piece of fruit and be at peace with your decision.
I would encourage the River Front market over the Metro Center. Vendors at the river front market are only allowed to sell items grown/produced in Illinois. The one time I stopped in at the Metro Center market they were selling bananas and lemons, big disappointment. You might as well go to Schnucks. It would be nice if there were more meat options at the riverfront. I think I only remember seeing chicken. At the market in Champaign they have a couple of different local farmers that provide beef and pork.
There is some interesting info out there for Smart Growth initiatives where communities create programs to encourage locally grown produce as a way to curb sprawl. Organic farms, local produce growers can theoretically make more off the land they own, increasing the the value of the land. But it tends to take more work and more education than just simply growing corn n soybeans.
Peoria needs more locally grown stuff and needs more farmers markets. With all these big largely unused parking lots, there could be a bevy of markets available. Having a farmers market in Campus Town a couple days a week would be a awesome !! I miss the markets in Europe. They were hands down the best places to get food. Even the farmer’s markets here just don’t compare.
I highly recommend the buffalo at Kroger.
Unfortunately, if you want to get the bad stuff out of very much of your diet, you are looking at spending more than most people have in their food budget. Perhaps we need to revive the “victory garden”?
If you can wait a bit for it to open, you can go to Whole Foods in Sheridan Village.
I would highly recommend planting some things yourself and then preserving them (if you want them longer than they are in season). I know it’s labor intensive, but tomatoes, herbs, onions, some peppers and squash are all pretty easy to grow. Some varieties of squash are almost foolproof. There are great resources online for how to plant organic, heirloom (not genetically modified) vegetables with minimal effort. In the long run it is much more cost effective than purchasing all those from vendors on the riverfront.
If that seems too time-consuming there are always CSAs, which entail purchasing a share in a local organic farm. They, in turn, weekly deliver to a pre-determined location a certain number of pounds of whatever is in season at that time. That can be an adventure because you don’t have a choice in what vegetables you get. Some CSAs can include meat and dairy as well. There are a couple in this area, but the shares sell VERY quickly.
Remarkable that the program didn’t compare fructose with its just as bad twin; sucrose.
When we lived where we had more land we used to allow the neighbors to come and stake out their little plots and plant and harvest at no cost. It was just our way of helping out. We had about three acres that we let out like this.
Seniors or those in condos, apartments or with no yards can use the old fashioned box like planters and use them for veggies. Tomatoes grow on hanging trees now and if you don’t have a big family usually these small grow areas will work great. Not too much and not too much work and usually can be put up at waist level on a porch easy to work with.
Cerebellum: I’m guessing they didn’t mention sucrose because the film was about corn and corn-related products.
If you have the room and the time I recommend that you plant a garden. Right now planted in late March I have up chives, onions, beets, lettuce, spinach, and peas. We picked asparagus yesterday. I have set out onion plants, kohlrabi, and cabbage and seed potatoes. I will soon plant corn, over 20 varieties of beans and field peas, okra, watermelon, cukes, squash, and cantalope, tomato plants, peppers, and sweet potatoes . We have done this for over 30 years and fill two freezers and put up 100 plus quarts of tomatoes in various forms. Even if you have a small yard you can grow vegetables; we did when I was a kid on East Lawndale. Folks living through the Depression and WWII knew how to garden. I learned from my parents and neighbors. I also have a small orchard with over 25 fruit trees. If you don’t know how to garden contact the Ag Extension folks or go downtown to Hamilton and Washington streets and talk to the good folks at Kelly’s. I was there this morning and the place was packed but well staffed with someone there to lend a hand to answer all your questions.
By the way if you grow more than you can use, give some to your local favorite food bank. Also, don’t forget your friends and neighbors.
Why not go to Kroger and Aldi and ask them to start stocking healthier foods? Tell them Peoria wants to eliminate HFCS from our diet and we need their help. Tell them the alternative of aspartame is unacceptable.
They will stock on their shelves what you are willing to pay for. They will remove those items you will not buy.
SO PEORIA, LISTEN UP! Stop buying what’s there as if that is your only option. Stop going to McDonald’s and other fast food places. There is nothing there that is worth the time you might save…
kcdad, while getting rid of McD’s and the others is a nice concept, it will never happen.
I used to go by the McD’s on Prospect and War on a daily basis and it boggled my mind on two points:
One, the overall amount of people that eat that, for the lack of a better word, garbage; two, the amount of people that have no problem feeding their babies and small children french fries and burgers.
When I grew up, my parents had a huge garden. The space is still there but they don’t plant it to capacity as they don’t need that much produce. Maybe they should and sell it to you guys!!
You all offer great advice. Here is my two-cents:
1. Eat ORGANIC! Kroger and Schnooks both have fairly decent organic sections [possibly a tad cheaper than Nat Yours].
2. Stay away from sugar, artificial sweeteners, foods with high acid content…all food for cancer.
3. It is not just the food you need to look at. Check the containers!!!! Learn about your plastics [water bottles, milk jugs, etc]. Toxins from plastics, certain metals will leach into your food.
3. Do not use anything plastic or styrofoam in microwave… The list goes on forever.
Mahkno says: “Peoria needs more locally grown stuff and needs more farmers markets.”
I looked at the application for the Riverfront Market that runs 17 weeks. It is $170 if you pay in advance for all 17 weeks. You are under jurisdiction of the Peoria County Health Department. You may be responsible for collecting and submitting Illinois sales tax, providing your own tables and tents, etc. For the little guys (someone like my parents who have the space to grow lots of stuff) this is a lot of work and expense selling tomatoes at 3 lbs. for $1. 🙂
That is $10 a week to set up to sell stuff. That’s a really good deal. Throw a couple of folding tables in the truck and some tarps and sell your veggies. Sounds pretty straight forward to me. Your supposed to submit sales tax if you have a garage sale also but who does that? They have made it pretty cheap and easy for the “little guy” to set up shop and sell their produce. The important thing is you can only sell Illinois grown produce unlike the Metro Market where you can buy any wholesale to resale from anywhere.
The city, state, and federal governments should not be taxing people to sell or buy food. Period. They responsibility should be to provide safe healthy venues for people to do just that.
Is there any truth to the rumor about Whole Foods coming to Peoria?
yes. the truth is that’s the rumor.
There’s nothing about a Whole Foods coming to Peoria on the Whole Foods website. There are three or four stores on their list of planned new sites or relocation/renovations in Illinois, and Peoria isn’t on that list. Until it is, I wouldn’t hold my breath.
I’ve been out of commission for a bit, but when when I saw the title King Corn I assumed it was about King Hinton’s spanking of the unions and the public during his 10 minute rant last night. What a JERK! Hey King, you wanted the big bucks and that board gave you the contract. Did you deserve it? NO! Do you even have a clue just how deep you are in over your head? I BET YOU DO! Your rant told us that! Gosh, did that relieve your “back problem” for the time being? Maybe that release will save taxpayers more money so it was good that you got to vent – I do believe your’s was the first public rant by a 150 superintendent…I bet you are more secretly proud about that than pocketing your undeserved paycheck and “bonus” for meeting budget – let alone double dipping in the TRS pension pool.
Now, when you go to NY to meet again with your Edison buddies, watch your backside – Or should I send them an email suggesting THEY better do that?
You may be able to threaten district employees, but trust me – I’ll still inform the public.
Nite nite King Hinton.
^oo^~
Another rumor regarding Whole Foods….a hangup may be the unwillingness of CEFCU to move out of their current spot.
A friend of mine that works in the Midwest Region of Whole Foods wrote me that she didn’t know about any expansion into Peoria. She said they were going into a lot of new markets in the next few years, but she would have noticed Peoria since she went to BU.