What's cooking? Wednesday - healthy eating

Last Wednesday, I was flying to my daughter's house and couldn't make anything.  Today I am flying home so no cooking for me today either.  However...I thought I'd share some thoughts about eating healthily.

At the age of 42, my husband had a substantial heart attack.  He had no warning symptoms although he was overweight and his desk job didn't allow for much exercise time.  All that changed pretty much in the blink of an eye.  Talk about wake-up call...not only for him but for the kids and I.  We would all have to learn new ways of eating and living.

I remember taking my younger children to the grocery store shortly thereafter and my youngest daughter, age seven,  went up and down the aisles, pulling boxes and cans off the shelves (don't worry, she replaced them), reading their nutrition labels.  A fellow shopper asked me in a whisper if my daughter had a health problem.  :)  No, no problem, just trying to help her daddy.

I had to learn how to adjust recipes to lower their fat content and calorie content.  Out went the butter, shortening, the whole fat milk and other dairy products.  In came the egg replacer, olive oil and canola oil, the fat free milk.  Out went the huge portions of beef.  In came chicken breast and seafood.  Whole grains were substituted for enriched and processed grains.   I tried new recipes.  Some worked, some were flops.  But, this was a learning process for me and for the family and the changes we made were good for everyone, not just Dad.

Having a major life change can be really scary but if the whole family works together, new habits are easier to make and maintain.  Over the months after his heart attack, my husband lost 50 pounds and we all learned to drink fat free milk  :)