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SHOPPING LIST for PRUDENT DIETS Let your Couscous* be Your Guide *Couscous - A bulgur of North Africa: Steamed, finely cracked, wheat, or millet Mature, positive attitude is required to be a frugal shopper
in a CONSUMED IN MODERATION "When I was a boy," muses the man, "Mom’s trips to the grocery store were to buy staples "What’s a STAPLE? asks the modern cook, "I’ve checked 20,000 or more items in the super-market, the latest cookbooks and diet advisories, and nothing fits that description.""Your dismay is understandable," replies the man, "Since you try to comply with nutrition guidelines while confronted with a seriously unbalanced, frequently unhealthy mountain of choices. We can benefit by confining our shopping list to staples, which mean necessary foods and commodities : wheat is a staple crop." BESIDES - Almost a century of food development has been accompanied by serious effects : Upsurge in chronic diseases, early deaths, overloaded medical system - much of which can be attributed to unnatural fats and oils, empty calories, dietary imbalances, destructive cooking methods, bad eating habits. .A DISTURBING OBSERVATION - Our population is polarized in its access to "health foods", "organically produced foods", range-fed meats, and eggs produced by free-roaming chickens. The poor, are notably absent from the health food stores and upscale supermarkets, where the slender, healthier, opulent customers prevail. Guidance and hope is provided by THE GOOD AGE COOKBOOK - Recipes from the Institute for Creative Aging,(1979) by Jan Harlow, Irene Liggett, and Evelyn Mandel, Houghton, Mifflin Company, Boston. The Foreword explains that this was "a single effort - to improve the quality of life for persons over sixty-five. That means working together to revitalize our bodies, stimulate our minds, renew our spirits, and dispel many of the myths about aging by claiming our rightful place in the mainstream of life."You’ve got it right, Chums, it’s time to drop back and regroup! Here’s a few respected "oldies" that will remind us of the lost art of cooking everyday family meals based on staples close at hand. Obviously, later-day knowledge about best ingredient selections will influence final choices and recommendations : The Original Boston Cooking-School Cookbook, 1896, These books and their authors will provide guidance in selecting ingredients
for basic, economical, healthful, appetizing meals. Christine has been cruising
the retail outlets and listing products, fresh, frozen, canned, or otherwise
packaged, that qualify as "suitable".  Copied with permission: University of Michigan © University of Michigan www.med.umich.edu/umim/clinical/pyramid Back to www.wildegeest.org
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