There has always been drama surrounding food choices in our household. When Ric and I were first married I got tired of eating baked potatoes. His response? “What will I tell people? I like to tell people that my wife and I like to eat steak and potatoes!” Little did he know that would be only the first of many public disgraces he would face regarding my food choices.
The next huge outrage came when I decided not to eat meat. The first time. Again it went back to all the memories we shared as carnivores and how that would all come to an end. I believe White Castle crave cases were somewhere in the argument. Well, now that he has accepted the vegetarianism, you would think the debate was over. WRONG.
There are always new ways to be enlightened about food. Thanks to my dear friend, who I believe is my secret twin, I learned of the evils of chocolate. These evils are way more alarming than the obvious dangers of chocolate. You see, while your children are opening their candy from the beloved Easter bunny, a large amount of that chocolate came from cocoa beans that were harvested by slave children in Africa. So, we stopped buying mainstream chocolate. Or, at least I did.
A few years ago there was the new information about BPA. Apparently it was causing all sorts of terrible health issues. I didn’t freak out about our baby bottles all that much, because the levels were relatively small in those. I did get rid of all canned goods and started buying only fresh or frozen veggies. It only made sense. The levels in canned goods were astronomical. I love my family. Case closed.
Now there is a new peril lurking in all of our pantries. BHT. It is a preservative, but people, it’s not pretty. It is a carcinogen. No loving parent would give their child a cancer cereal for breakfast, would they? I set out to purchase non-cancer cereal only to discover that roughly 96% of all cereal contains BHT. So here I was, in the grocery store searching for any cereal that did not contain the letters BHT. My firstborn child assisted and I figured it was a pain, but hey, I was saving the lives of those I love.
When we got home, I just assumed I was in the clear. See, I hadn’t enlightened Ric to this because frankly, I didn’t want to listen to the griping. I purchased some non-death causing breakfast food and all was well. Until firstborn spawn ratted me out. Yep, he couldn’t wait for his dad to get home to tell him of the startling percent of cereal that contains BHT. Thus began the newest and most ridiculous debate in our home.
Ric just doesnt’ understand how shredded wheat can be more harmful that some fruity sugar stuff. I concur that pure sugar is not the best choice, but given the option of certain death, I choose sugar. The obvious choice would be buy organic. My people would rather starve.
So here we are. I have relented and let them get their dangerous cereal when Ric is with me at the store. I have even enjoyed a bowl or two. And, if you were to invite me to your house and offer me a bowl of cancer cereal, I would politely eat it. Just be aware that when I leave, I will be taking the dangerous food with me and disposing of it as a service to you. No, I’m not a kleptomaniac; I am just a woman who loves her family and friends and when you love someone you do not let them eat a carcinogen.