In this section, I would like to list some foods we plan to give up, and how we plan to replace them. I want to make it clear that I am not the type of person to make rules that can never be broken. Also, I would like you, dear reader, to feel free to use whatever part of this section appeals to you. It's not that I will never buy sugar again, but honey suits me just fine for most purposes, and if I end up eating less sweet stuff overall, that's all the better for my health!!
So here's a list of foods, with comments for possible local substitutions:
1. Exotic fruit - replaced by local fruit; in particular, I am looking forward to exploring rarely used fruit largely unavailable in stores, that I can grow at home such as serviceberries and gooseberries and perhaps I will finally chop down the soon to be defunct ornamental plum tree and plant a fruit tree that would enjoy our exposed North-facing Foothills location.
2. Nuts and seeds - I am not sure what grows locally; certainly, I can explore pinon nuts and sunflower and pumpkin seeds as a start.
3. Olive oil - no olives in this climate, I am pretty sure; but of course, we grow corn, and sunflowers.
4. Rice - would I eliminate rice from my diet? I can certainly try to reduce it. I hope a lot of other grains are grown here - I imagine buckwheat, amaranth, bulghur, and maybe quinoa? Kamut?
5. Morning cereal - with children at home, Cheerios tends to be its own food group. However, most boxed cereals tend to be highly processed, and sometimes high in sodium, even when they are low in sugar . Luckily my kids like oatmeal, yogurt with granola, waffles, fruit for breakfast, muffins, etc...
6. Juice - available, of course, especially apple juice in season. However, orange juice (the yummy kind) tends to be trucked long distances in refrigerated trucks, making it a leading user of fossil fuels. Well here's my pet peeve as a physician: juice really does not pack the nutrients found in whole fruit. One could profitably eliminate juice from kids' diets, and focus for hydration on milk, water, and tea. Kids (not to mention adults) get too many calories from sweet drinks anyway. Here's a nugget: one study showed that the best predictor of adult obesity is consumption of sugary drinks (including sodas, sports drinks, etc...the trend in stores is to pay more and more for less and less sugar (Vitamin Water, Propel) - I say just drink water!!
7. Tea - oh yes, not local either. I am hesitant to eliminate tea from our diet because of the health benefits. I am hoping someone will research the benefits of herbal tea. I grow mint, of course (try "chocolate mint"), lemon verbena, and lavender, and use them to flavor drinks for the kids.
8. Sugar - not at all local, and a huge problem worldwide involving slave labor in Third World countries. Well honey, of course, is the obvious substitute. I am not sure how to use honey in baked goods, but I'll sure find out. Note that Colorado honey is a prizewinner - so you won't be depriving yourself here.
9. Seafood - once again, the health benefits of oily fish may make it difficult to give up. I do worry, though, about the consequences (and pesticides) of farming salmon. Maybe omega-3 in eggs will make up for decreasing our salmon intake.
10. Lemons - I saw a comment on one of the local eating blogs about a reader who just won't give up lemons. I understand, and honestly, my best plan so far is to grow my own (!). I think life would be sad indeed without Meyer lemons, and if I plan this right, I could have a small tree or two that come inside for the winter.
11. Chocolate...if you knew me, you would predict that I will make an exception here. I do need to lobby Scharffenberger to make it Fair Trade, though, as cocoa is another source of human exploitation.