Eat your vegetables: battling malnutrition the old-fashioned way

Malnutrition is the problem where someone is undernourished and is missing vitamins or minerals from the diet. This unbalanced diet was a common problem in ancient and medieval times, mainly because the nations were developing, and the poorer classes tended to be limited to a grain diet. This is still a problem in developing nations today, but it's still a problem here in the US. In this week's post, I'll attempt to unravel why this is STILL a problem in the US. There's two ways to combat malnutrition, dietary supplements or eating right.

When growing up in our house, it was mandatory to eat your vegetables. There was no sneaking them past my eagle-eyed mother. There was no fussing and there was never any negotiation. They were always there, staring back at me. And, after enough staring, I grew to like them. Growing up with a serving (or two) of vegetables on your plate is a disappearing trend. In the US, we have maintained a surplus in our food supply to the point where we export the extra, yet we still have problems with nutrition in the US. What's going on?

Instead, we are leaning towards a white bread, white rice, and bleached flour diet with vitamins added back in (fortified or enriched). This never made sense to me. The one product I never understood was the "Splenda Essentials', it's an artificial sweetener that is fortified with B-vitamins, fiber, or antioxidants. You know where you can also find antioxidants, B-vitamins, and fiber all in one? Vegetables! If you can afford to buy artificial, fortified sweeter, something tells me you could afford vegetables.

I think that the malnutrition problem is more of a choice problem rather than a lack of buying power. Two large programs in the US which help people out with food encourage vegetable consumption. Food stamps can be used to buy vegetable seeds under Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). You can start a garden using tax dollars! Then, there's the Women Infant and Children (WIC) program also offer the option for fruits and vegetables. And just like any government program, there are regulations and restrictions. (and I checked, and pizza is not considered a vegetable under the WIC program, they seem to have more sense than the school lunch program). But, alas, it's up to you, the consumers to make the right choice to fight malnutrition with all your available resources. Whether it's supporting your local grower, or you're receiving assistance from the government, there ARE options to eating well.

Vegetables are great either fresh, frozen, or canned. While I love vegetables fresh, I would encourage you to work it into every meal, whether they are boiled, steamed, or even roasted. In fact, last night, my mother served beets and turnips, blanched and frozen from our garden the season before. I guess some things never change.

The next time you're out shopping, look into your cart, how much color is in there? And I'm not talking about the packaging, look at the color of your food. Just like anything else, vegetables are an acquired taste, but the nutritional benefits from eating well are well worth it!