Thought I’d share an interesting factoid about gelatin. It’s a common food question, according to my local paper’s food section. Gelatin originates from animal skin. It is made from collagen which is a protein. When mixed into very hot or boiling liquid (usually water), gelatin crystals will dissolve and become part of the liquid solution. When the gelatin mixture cools, the gelatin crystals begin to form clumps that trap the liquid. The gelatin will begin to thicken as the mixture cools, but won’t gel until the temperature gets around 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

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We all have to eat. I have spoken with thousands of people in the course of conducting my nutrition business, and have discovered that people eat for a variety of  reasons. One might think that asking a question such as “Why do you eat,” would result in a couple of common responses, but what a surprise we received. Answers ranged from the obvious: because my stomach was growling and because it was mealtime, to, the food was talking to me; I was bored; I needed to eat before drinking booze; I have to eat before taking medication; I had to carb up before working out;  food means comfort when I’m depressed; I’m on a special diet; the food smells good; food tastes good, and more.  Why do you eat?

There was one answer we almost never heard: I eat for health and wellness. Perhaps many people do eat for the health results, but the concept does not seem to be the uppermost reason for eating. Do you know of what a healthy meal consists? Do you eat healthfully and (importantly) deliciously?

I always felt that it was not only cheaper to eat for health (no doctor visits and no missed days of work), but fresh foods tasted so much better than overcooked foods. It became a goal of mine to provide my family with really healthy foods that the hubby and kids really wanted to eat. They probably didn’t think much about protein to carb ratios, or care about the nutrition content of the foods, but I did.

The family loved the meals I served, and it wasn’t until they visited their friends homes that they began to notice a big difference in the meals that were served in other homes. My daughter was surprised that one of her friends had a brother who existed on cocoa puffs. The rest of the family ate hot dogs and Kraft mac’n cheese, for the most part. One of our neighbors never ate anything unless it was cooked. Canned foods were his primary food source. He had 6 feet of intestine surgically removed due to low or no fiber meals. Even his physician cautioned him about his food choices, but he wasn’t convinced. He died in his early fifties. He never smoked or drank. His son, having the same diet, suffered the same fate of intestine removal, but changed his diet and is living  healthier and with far more energy than before the surgery. Good for him, I say.

So, what are you eating and why? Those of you who, like me, are willing to share ideas and recipes for health success, leave some comments for others.

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