Family Table: To the Market
March 1st, 2010 by Elizabeth Phillips
In recent years, study after study has linked a routine of shared family dinners to kids’ health. Researchers at Ohio State University included it in three key behaviors that reduced childhood obesity by 40 percent. Other studies link it with perks such as better grades and a reduced risk of substance abuse. The benefit is established. So why is it so hard to eat together?
Most of us parents struggle to balance time with our kids and our other responsibilities. For parents with limited skills or resources, cooking can seem like a luxury. I confess that I don’t know how I’d make supper happen if I didn’t have the inclination, funds, and support. But I want to do a better job of helping you eat with your kids. So I decided to get schooled, starting with a trip to the grocery store with a dietitian.
Jessica Leu, MS, RD, LDN, of Church Health Center Wellness (formerly Hope & Healing) met me at the Kroger on Summer Avenue for an hour of guided marketing. To call herself a dietitian, Leu had to complete a degree, pass a test, register with the state, and engage in continuing education (“nutritionist” is generally a fuzzier term). Petite, bespectacled, and healthy-looking, she clearly knows what she’s doing, and gave me a toolkit full of strategies for feeding a family healthy, home-cooked food, without spending too much time or money.
On arriving, I pulled my grocery list, with my weekly meal plan scribbled on the back, out of my pocket. If I thought I was going to impress Leu with my organization, I was wrong. She produced a wallet bursting with coupons, and got to work.
Lesson #1: Affordability is key. Leu teaches her clients to use healthier foods than the fast foods and junk foods that are making them sick. She reminds families of diabetic kids that in order for their child’s health to improve, the whole family has to change. “You can’t withhold a food from your child then eat it yourself, or say that if you eat a ‘bad’ food, you’re bad.” It’s crucial to plan affordable meals that the whole family can enjoy. Savvy deployment of coupons goes a long way; so does having a budget.
She lives her own advice. “My goal is to feed my family on $90 per week,” she confided as we trolled the aisles. Leu scours flyers and uses her coupons on sale items (“They double coupons here, at Piggly Wiggly, and at Schnucks.) to score items at less than half-price. She avoids impulse purchases by limiting store visits to once a week, saving dishes based on frozen or canned foods for later in the week, after she’s used up her fresh items.
Though she likes to buy her produce at Easy-Way because it’s usually fresher, she raves about Kroger’s frozen vegetables. (They have an amazing range, including mirepoix blend — usually onion, carrots and celery — the base for everything from soups and stews to pasta sauces.) Whenever they have 10 for $10 specials, she tells me, she stocks her freezer. “Frozen vegetables are better than fresh sometimes, because freezing locks in the nutrients. They haven’t been sitting all week.”
Here are some other healthy bargains and tips.
• Soy-based meat substitutes such as Gimme Lean instead of ground beef, Veggie Patch meatballs, Yves burgers, Morningstar Farms sausages — all cheaper than beef, contain no fat, and are “on sale a lot!”
• Sandwich Thins or Kroger whole-grain tortillas are lower in carbs than buns.
• Soy milk costs less than organic milk, is low in fat, and causes fewer dietary problems.
• Canned fruit is a good source of vitamins C and A, comes in no-added-sugar varieties and for many families provides a “realistic, attainable” snack or dessert option. Leu makes a cobbler by microwaving Grape Nuts cereal, soy milk and canned peaches.
• Canned soup can be high in sodium, but its convenience and low cost make it a thrifty alternative to eating out, especially with a grilled cheese sandwich. (She recommends 2-percent cheese, since lower-fat cheese doesn’t melt right and tastes awful.)
• Canned vegetables: Leu especially likes diced tomatoes, artichokes, and all kinds of canned beans (see recipe below).
• Dry beans: A big fan of slow cookers, Leu suggests buying bagged beans and cooking them in the crock pot.
• Canned fish: Albacore tuna costs more than chunk light, but tastes so much better that Leu has won over clients traumatized by chunk light. She also extols the merits of canned clams. Unusually high in iron, they can enhance many dishes. If you’re squeamish, Leu suggests puréeing them into your tomato sauce.
• Frozen fish: Amazingly, Kroger’s cod was wild-caught Pacific, which means that it comes from a fishery that is not in danger of depletion. Cod is high in protein, low in calories, and great in a taco.
Black Bean Burgers
If you’re not sure how to use canned beans, try this quick and delicious recipe. Serve it with a side of cabbage and carrot slaw tossed in a healthy buttermilk ranch dressing. Then enjoy your kids’ company for a minute or two.
Serves 4
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed
• ¾ c stone-ground cornmeal
• ¾ c salsa, drained
• ¼ t cumin
• ¼ t Ancho chili powder or chili powder (optional)
Makes 4 burgers
1. Mash beans well.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix to a sticky consistency.
3. Use a non-stick spray to coat an ice cream scooper and make 4 scoops. Spray skillet and warm over medium-high heat.
4. Place burgers in skillet and flatten with a turner to make patties.
5. Cook until brown (about 3 minutes), then turn and repeat on other side.
Garnish with cilantro and plain, non-fat yogurt, and serve.
Nutrient Information per Serving
Calories: 191, Total Fat: 1.6g, Protein: 8g, Fiber: 7.7g