My average blood pressure for the past few days is 115/73. A few weeks ago I thought I’d never see a reading under 120 but then one day I got one and gradually over the next few weeks it happened more and more often to where this is now the norm and I’m disappointed if it’s above 120. This is all from cutting out salt and therefore most processed food.
I’ve had to do a lot more cooking than I would normally have done as once a week we’d normally get takeaway and on one or two other nights we’d have frozen ready meals like frozen vegan burgers or sausages. It’s this aspect that I’ve found most difficult. If only the food industry would stop filling foods with salt and sugar but they will only change if consumers demand it and as usual I find myself in a minority. I’m reminded of this cartoon I saw in Private Eye magazine recently.
Who says vegans don’t have a sense of humour?
When the kids have friends over they’re often not impressed with the selection of food we have. Food choices that to my mind should be widespread like using wholemeal pasta, wholemeal rice, and wholemeal bread are shunned. If children have never been exposed to wholemeal foods then they will dislike it the first time they taste it but we should all be eating wholemeal and yet if you go to the supermarket there’s often just a single wholemeal pasta to choose from hidden in a wall of white.
Daniel used to walk to school with a boy in his year who sometimes liked to stop at the shops on the way to school to get a snack or drink. One time Daniel decided to buy a drink too and got sparkling water. Daniel’s friend was shocked and horrified: he couldn’t understand why Daniel would choose water over a sugary drink. We don’t even have orange juice in our house because it’s full of sugar and not good for you. Kids often ask for this when they come over too and I have to disappoint them.
What does all this mean? It means I’m the dreaded parent with the very un-kid friendly fridge and pantry. I’m sure our house is on the banned list for Halloween trick or treating since the year we handed out fruit rather than lollies. We don’t have soft drink and crisps and white bread and orange juice in our house. Sometimes I wish I could be less eccentric and more like everyone else just to fit in. But then I think nah, fuck that.
rachel.blog 
As always, I like your attitude, Rachel.
You are my inspiration for a few things including food habits. Please don’t fit in!
Often children are very skeptical about food they have never tried before and tastes they don’t know (and some adults, too). People who are used to high amounts of salt and sugar might not be able to appreciate the true taste of food.
Having lollies on Halloween is not going to ruin anybody’s health and I very much doubt that giving them fruit on Halloween is going to make them eat more fruit. The point is how well one eats for the rest of the year.
“Nah, fuck that” – beautifully said 😀