what happened to the food network?

by 9 Comments

When I was in college food network was in its infancy and the term celebrity chef was a few years from being part of the daily lexicon. From years of watching the food network I learned a lot, branched out and tried new foods, and became more confident in the kitchen. Some place down the road a lot seems to have changed with celebrity chefs and food programing on television.

The chefs on the food network used to seem so passionate about teaching us about food. Every time I tuned in I felt like I had been personally invited to the kitchen to learn how to make their favorite dish. It was the next best thing to learning in the kitchen with my mom. Alton Brown taught me about the science of food, Bobby Flay taught me how to grill, Emeril taught me to try and enjoy my time in the kitchen and there were other chefs that left an impression on me. Even Rachel Ray, who had less prior cooking experience taught me how to make quick meals.

Now food programming across all channels and even HGTV seem to have succumbed to a sensationalist style that focuses on competition and is more about personality than substance and teaching.

Because of those early chefs I believed that all chefs cared about what people ate. I believed they wouldn’t endorse products they wouldn’t themselves use. When I see Rocco DiSpirito and Carla Hall endorsing Kraft Recipe starters.

Screen-shot-2013-08-13-at-2.57.10-PM

Duff’s face on a boxed cake mix, icing and ice cream it makes me come unglued. The box claims it is bakery quality. Nothing about the ingredients in that cake are bakery quality. 14772620_201310260914

 

I feel strongly that people should learn to eat well and take care of themselves and that should involve the smallest amount of process food you can muster. When the chefs that put themselves out there as people who know good food start talking about how easy Kraft recipe starters it makes teaching people about real food even harder.

If they decide to endorse products I wish they had higher standards. They don’t all have to be Jaime Oliver and champion the cause of people eating better, but it would be nice if they didn’t perpetuate a problem they were at one point actually helping to solve. Getting people who are afraid of the kitchen into the kitchen is the first step to a healthier life and they were good at that once.

Do you think that celebrity chefs have a responsibility to their fans? Should they be helping to educate people on eating properly?

how to choose happiness

by 4 Comments

5 tips to choosing happiness wit wisdom and food

I used to hate happy people. Happy people used to really rub me the wrong way. How happy they were just irritated me for some reason. It wasn’t until recently I realized that the reason they rubbed me the wrong way. I wasn’t happy. When you are in your own miserable little world it is tough to understand how someone could be so happy. That was me. I don’t know if I would call it miserable but I certainly thought the glass was half empty. I was definitely sabotaging my own happiness.

Today I would say I am happier more often than not. I work hard every day to choose to be happy and positive. The harder I work at choosing to be happy the easier it seems to get.

Amazing how you can change your own state-of-mind. Now I am closer to believing the glass is half full. I don’t sabotage my own happiness (nearly as often). Now I can’t understand why people waste so much energy being angry and negative. These are my 5 tips to help you choose happiness.

Look for the good

You find what you look for in life. If you expect the worst from someone that is probably exactly what you will get. I know I am not perfect and I have tried to stop assuming everyone else is as well. I have had to train myself that when a person or situation has me irritated or angry to find the positive. It is a very Pollyanna approach to life. When you are standing next to that relative or co-worker that drives you crazy try really hard to find one nice thing about them. “Uncle Gary is a total buffoon, but he has a big heart.” If you can’t find one nice thing to say about the person or situation maybe you should limit your time with them.

Pick your battles

You will waste too much energy if you try to correct everything that crosses your path. Pick the ones that mean the most to you. It is important to me that my husband texts me when he is leaving work. I get very worried and upset if he forgets. How he does the dishes isn’t as important. If he does it different than I would I let it go or do it myself. If I had to have it all my way we would be miserable. The key to this is that if you choose to keep quiet about something you need to also let it go. Staying quiet and staying irritated isn’t healthy. Staying quiet and shifting your attention to the fact that you are just happy your husband is doing the dishes will make you feel better.

Celebrate your wins

Celebrating your success, no matter how small, is a form of positive reinforcement. If you feel like you made it through the day without complaining about a co-worker you should recognize that and pat yourself on the back. Recognizing that you worked hard at something and achieved it will give you more confidence and desire to keep going forward. We tend to look for positive feedback from others more than we do from ourselves. When others fail to give it to us we feel miserable and the downward spiral commences. If you give yourself the positive feedback you need it will help you keep striving to do better. Eventually other people will jump on the bandwagon and shower you with the compliments you desire.

Learn from your defeats

You won’t nail it every day. Some days you are going to be a negative nancy. Don’t let it get you discouraged. Don’t use it as your out. Think of this as training. If you are an athlete of any kind and you have a bad day you don’t quit the sport. You go home think about what you could do better, get some rest, do something fun and head back the next day with more gusto than the day before. If you want to choose happiness you have to do the same thing. If you have a bad day or just a bad moment take a second to reflect on how you could have done it better next time. When next time comes and you do it right don’t forget to pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

Act as you would expect others to act

This is the big one. This is the one I feel the strongest about. It is the golden rule for a reason. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The old adage “you get more flies with honey than vinegar” never stopped being true. It works for everything you just have to start doing it consistently to see the results come back to you. Don’t complain about how rude a person is and then forget to use your please and thank yous. If you think someone should be nicer to you try being nicer to them. They may feel the same way and if someone doesn’t extend the olive branch you will never know. Happiness begets happiness and angst begets angst. If you want more happiness in your world put more happiness out there. It is small things like saying excuse me when you need to walk in front of someone browsing at the store. Maybe they pass that along, maybe they don’t but you can feel good about how you treated someone so it doesn’t matter what they do with the gesture.

happiness tips | wit wisdom and food

It is yours to choose. You can choose to be happy with the world and work to make it a place you want to be a be. You can choose to be angry with the way the world works and fight and argue with everyone in your path. You can choose to let go and enjoy the moment or complain about how bad the experience was. When I started on this journey looking for the good wasn’t easy. I found that if I didn’t have anything nice to say then saying nothing was the next best thing. If you aren’t ready for all the tips start small and just try not to add any negativity to the world for one day.

 

unsolicited advice

by 4 Comments

DSC_0050

I have a bit of advice for the calorie counters and chronic dieters out there. Stop counting calories. Stop feeling guilty about failing at the diets you can’t stick with. Stop beating yourself up about the pounds you can’t lose. Stop eating low-calorie things that pass for food.

This advice comes from hearing too many people talking about snacking healthy. I have seen these snacks that count as healthier. The second ingredient is usually sugar. Sugar equals empty calories. Calories you don’t want. Calories you don’t need. If you want to be healthier eat food that fills you up and makes it so you don’t want to snack.

If you want to lose those pounds and keep them off you are going to have to eat real food three times a day. Food that makes you feel full after you eat it. Veggies and high protein foods are a good start. If you don’t want to cut out your beloved bread and dairy at least find products made from real ingredients not processed food like stuff.

You are going to have to cook to be healthier. Prepared microwave meals and starter mixes aren’t going to cut it. You will need to find some skills that will get some real food onto your plate. You can still use the microwave just change-up what you are nuking. Maybe the crockpot will be your new best friend. You could try your hand at gaining some old-fashioned cooking skills. It will all take some adjusting but it will be worth it.

Questioning authority is going to have to be your motto. You will need to forget the things you learned in high school health class. There is no food pyramid. A national diet handed down from a government known for making deals with different lobbies isn’t your best bet. You are going to have to do your own research and become your on lab rat. You will need to cut things out of your diet and make drastic changes to find out what makes you feel your best.

Start with cutting out added sugar. Stop snacking and don’t eat those empty calories that are notorious for putting on the pounds you dread. Watching adults with poor eating habits doesn’t break my heart. Watching overweight children eat crap does break my heart. They can’t pick their food they trust us to do it for them. If you won’t do it for you do it for your kids. Teaching them to eat and make real food is as important as making sure they get an education. Please make them and yourselves move more. Walk, run, or just dance. Pick something and do it and be active. The longest legacy you can leave your children is a proper diet and how to take care of themselves.

Take care of yourself and the ones you love.