From Picky Eater to Let’s Eat Lettuce: My Journey with Food

NOTE: Although different from my usual style and topics, this blog is one of great importance. I hope you enjoy a peek into my personal journey with food.

If we’ve recently met, you may know I love Jesus, people, and fruits and veggies. If we are better acquainted, you’ve probably witnessed my passion for pizza. But if ours is a life-long friendship, you may be aware of my former (self-imposed) title: Pickiest Eater Ever.

No kidding! My childhood menu was limited to grilled cheese, pizza, peanut butter, chocolate shakes, and when I got a tiny bit older, chili dogs (Portillo’s only…extra cheese). No veggies and very little meat. And fruit? Well, does jelly on a PBJ count? Yah, guess not.

So how did I go from “Picky Eater” to “Let’s Eat Lettuce?” I will briefly outline my story and hopefully inspire others who currently live with a finicky child or adult.

A New Way to Eat

I don’t want to bore you with details, so I’ll bullet a few milestones that jump-started my journey.

In high school I worked at Pizza Hut (yay me!) where I discovered variety in the salad bar and pizza toppings.
In college I discovered more variety. (I love you Mom, but Ketchup does NOT go on everything.) Seriously, when I discovered mustard and mayo, a new world opened for me!
Fast forward to post college and my first teaching job. A few friends (thank you, Juliet Meyer) taught me to meal plan and cook basic meals – homemade soups, simple meats, and yes, my all-time favorite, “Fat Man’s Ice Cream.” (Message me for the recipe).

Slowly, my picky pallet began to evolve.

Then I became a wife and mom.

What Am I Feeding My Kids?

My children’s preschool and elementary years propelled me into an investigation of diet and behavior and my view of food changed forever. Again, briefly, I learned:

Food effects behavior – especially food products with high sugar, food dyes, etc.
I became aware of food sensitivities.
I learned about pre-diabetes and how to prevent it.
I remembered what I discovered about variety and cooking so I planted a garden and brought my kids into the kitchen. We reduced the sugar and increased the protein. We decreased the food products and raised whole food consumption.

Mind you I never did this perfectly. Yet, at home and in my classroom, my nutritional passion grew. Nutrition education became a mantra and my picky eater image faded away.

More Nutrition Education

Then, I took a graduate-level class entitled “Preventing Obesity in Children” where I discovered:

“Food related diseases are the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States…”
“Childhood obesity is the number one public health problem of the twenty-first century.”
“American children may be the first generation in modern history to live shorter lives than their parents.”

Let that sink in. In fact, read it again: “American children may be the first generation in modern history to live shorter lives than their parents.“

Yet, I learned we are not helpless. In fact, “interventions that promote healthy eating and physical activity during childhood and adolescence, may not only prevent some of the leading causes of illness and death, but can also effect direct health care costs and improve the quality of life.” *

At that time, the recommended fruit/veggie servings per day was 4-5. (By the way, now it’s 7-13!!!)

With the need for more fruits and veggies and childhood obesity on the rise, I dug deep and pushed harder for fresh real foods in the classroom. I developed an Early Childhood Physical Education Curriculum and increased nutritional education with my students and their parents.

Year-Round Greens

Then a marvelous event occurred. I learned one of my students lived on a hydroponic farm. I’ll never forget my visit to this child’s home during a snowstorm and my great delight at rows and rows of sprouts growing in cozy warm greenhouses. It was veggie heaven!

Of course, that mom visited our classroom with samples!

Of course, my students tasted the sprouts she offered!

Of course, I sent pictures to parents of their children nibbling on sprouts!

FRESH VEGGIES YEAR-ROUND! It was mind-blowing!

But CAN we even EAT 7-13 servings? (I don’t, do you?)

Around that same time a friend introduced me to fruit and veggie capsules.

Wait. What?

I had seen WAY TOO MANY health products in the past, so I said, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

But my husband said yes.

He was sick and tired of being sick and tired. (Bronchitis for Christmas anyone? Yes, every year around the holidays.) He began to eat those strange capsules every day and lo and behold, colds came and went, but were mild. No bronchitis. Whoot! Good for you, honey! (…not for me… I eat okay… Better than most, right? Okay, I still love pizza, but I have salad first. Well, sometimes…. alright, next time. Hmm…I never eat 7-13 servings a day.)

Time to Move (I don’t mean exercise, I mean MOVE!)

Just after my husband started taking Juice Plus+, we moved. We left Wisconsin and moved to Florida.

Goodbye winter, hello sand.

Goodbye brats and beer. Hello, shrimp and Bushwhackers.

We traded salting our sidewalks for salt on our Margaritas.

You get the picture…and I left another garden behind. (Okay, it was just a small thing in a repurposed sandbox, but it grew stuff!)

I left my classroom and my dreams of hydroponic gardens.

We were just settling into Florida when the pandemic hit. I spent time digging in the sand (big sandbox!), wondering how I’d ever grow anything in this new climate. My Juice Plus+ sponsor said, “You know, we sell an aeroponic Tower Garden…” (Bless you Anneka Hudson!)

Juice Plus FOREVER!

It was amazing how my husband really didn’t get sick during our move, even with all the stress. And we survived Covid pretty well. My hubby said, “I’m taking Juice Plus+ forever!”

I said, “Okay, I’ll be a partner and buy their aeroponic Tower Garden!”

Win. Win.

Since then, I’ve discovered this amazing company that is backed by 25 years of research. I know other companies make similar claims, but these are the REAL DEAL with blood drawn, placebo groups, all that science-y stuff! In fact, Juice Plus+ is THE MOST RESEARCHED NUTRITIONAL BRAND IN THE WORLD.

Those crazy capsules contain WHOLE FOOD providing variety and nutrition that work in synergy for maximum absorption as God designed food to be used.

And get this, the company provides EDUCATION through videos and sharing their research for the oldest diners to the littlest pickiest eaters. (Including FULL CLASSROOM CURRICULUM FOR THEIR TOWER GARDENS!!!) Who wouldn’t LOVE to have a Tower Garden in their classroom!!!

Sheesh! Do you SEE why I get excited about this???

Look, here’s the bottom line: I love food. I love to eat. I don’t always eat what is best for me, but I want to take care of the body God has given me. We cannot possibly eat the 7-13 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables we need for optimal health. Juice Plus+ helps bridge that gap. The Tower Gardens provide year-round FRESH, chemical free produce. Finally, I LOVE, LOVE the education they provide.

Obviously that’s not the end of my journey. (Thanks for reading this far!) I still love a good grilled cheese. But I now know my body needs more to thrive, and so do you. I think I’ll go make a pizza and a salad.

*Schumacher, Donald,” Overcoming Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence: A Guide for School Leaders,” Corwin Press, 2007.