What would grandma say?

Remember those good old days when granny would serve a plate of greasy starch with sugar and pour a tall glass of cold fatty lactose? Yummy. Many people see food these days with health-sensitive eyes. It is not a bowl of ice cream; it's a fat pill, and about two extra hours in the gym. It is not crispy chicken; it's 4.5 ounces of trans-fat and I'm suing! Americans seem to be more and more "health conscious," and ironically more and more obese, generally speaking. Why is this so? Apparently, we believe the fast food industry is plotting our slow deliberate death by biscuits and gravy. Until very recently, Kentucky Fried Chicken has been in the middle of a lawsuit from The Center for Science in the Public Interest for the amount of trans-fat used in their foods. KFC is an American icon. They have been around since the 1930s. Suddenly, in the last few years, Americans blame these establishments for having to eat "finger-lickin' good" food from fat fingers. KFC has announced they will switch to using a healthier soybean oil to cook the majority of their fried foods by April 2007. Good for them. McDonalds has also gone through their share of lawsuits from those who believe eating a Big Mac a day should be a healthy habit. Dude, a burger's a burger. It was not always like this. In the 1950's, magazines had advertisements for various food products that would ask girls and boys if they were tired of being so skinny. Tired of being skinny? Going further back - have you seen pioneer dresses? It's hard to believe there was such a thing as a plus-sized pioneer. There are exceptions, but the fact of the matter is that, back in the day, Americans didn't seem to worry so much about their eating habits, yet people seemed to be more fit than the general public of 2006. Granted, one can look fit and still be unhealthy, but their active lifestyle made up for all the pancakes fried in bacon grease. We can learn from this. There was an article in TIME magazine (June 2006) by Michael Pollan that said: "Don't eat anything that your great-great-great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food." If you went to the grocery store with your ancestors, can you see them picking up a tube of Go-Gurt, saying "I always wanted this!" Pollan makes a great point when he said: "Eat food, not food products." That is a major factor in our society today. Healthy foods get brushed aside in our search for health products. Scientific advancements have made so many food products available and, along with microwaves, our children must think that mac+cheese+otter+pop = a well-balanced meal. Great-great-great granny must be turning over in her grave. If we want to feel our best and still enjoy life, all it takes is simply going back to our roots. You can start by driving a horse and buggy to school. If you thought finding a spot was hard now, try parking a Clydesdale. Or bring a handcart - this will count as a workout and will help you get in the mindset of simplifying your life. No stopping off for a coffee and a cream cheese muffin, bring a basket of homemade bread with some cooked chicken that you slaughtered the night before. Don't worry about adding salt and creamy, churned butter. The walk home will burn off anything you ate that day, and then some. Seriously, we would feel healthier and less guilty if we made some smart decisions at the grocery store by buying the staples and spending a few more minutes making healthier meals. Don't forget the treat! They now make chocolate soymilk. Now that's something Great-great Grandma Blanche didn't have.