Week 6 - 10 Weeks of Real Food Mini Pledges

Mini-Pledge Week 6: June 2 to June 8 – Do not eat any food products that are labeled as “low-fat,” “lite,” “light,” “reduced fat,” or “nonfat.”

Yep that's right!  I'm saying that low-fat or lite food is not REAL food or dare I say it healthy!

I too was a part of the low fat craze in my late teens and early 20's but when I read Michael Pollans book in Defence of Food I was shocked to learn that the whole low fat campaign was pretty much a hoax and no one was willing at admit that they were wrong and put an end to it.  

Here is a quote from his book:  "At this point you’re probably saying to yourself, Hold on just a minute. Are you really saying the whole low-fat deal was bogus? But my supermarket is still packed with low-fat this and no-cholesterol that! My doctor is still on me about my cholesterol and telling me to switch to low-fat everything. I was flabbergasted at the news too, because no one in charge – not in government, not in the public health community – has dared to come out and announce: Um, you know everything we’ve been telling you for the last thirty years about the links between dietary fat and heart disease? And fat and cancer? And fat and fat? Well, this just in: It now appears that none of it was true. We sincerely regret the error."

So let’s put the low-fat craze behind us and move forward by embracing the right portions of real food and real food only. No more faked low-fat products where according to Pollan, “fats in things like sour cream and yogurt [are] replaced with hydrogenated oils” and “the cream in ‘whipped cream’ and ‘coffee creamer’ [are] replaced with corn starch.” And just to be clear this pledge applies to all reduced fat products including milk. When the fat is removed from dairy products like milk some of the beneficial nutrients are lost with the fat as well. 

Banana smoothie for Weight gain

Back In October Asher got really sick and lost a couple precious pounds. He is already a light weight so we knew we needed to do something to get the weight back on him. 

At the time we bought a package of extra calorie Boost, I know yuck! But at that time we needed to add calories to his diet and that was the easiest way! And it worked. I avoided looking at the ingredients list... 

Then I did a little research on how to help kids gain weight and I learned that flaxseed oil was great to add to almost  anything because it is flavourless and adds a good fat. I started adding it to his pasta, drinks you name it and it worked! 

Lately Asher has been maintaining his weight but we would like to see him gain a bit more since he is still a light weight, probably due to a relatively healthy diet with little junk food or sugar. Which is a good thing, but he is very lean! 

He loves smoothies and always wants one when Gord and I drink our Shakeology, so I made a super simple smoothie for him this week a couple times. Banana, whole milk and about a Table Spoon of Flaxseed oil. 

Might look gross with the oil on top but he LOVES it and it mixes in well! 

And guess what! He gained a pound this week! Love that! 

Out with that nasty Boost and in with the Banana Smoothie for snack time!