Going through Grandma's Recipe Box

I am almost done reading/ listening to the audio of In Defense of Food by Michael Pollen. It is a good book, though I struggled with his struggle with "nutrition-ism". He went back and forth about if we should stress so much about what we eat. But in the end, his conclusion echoed a similar conclusion I came to writing my research paper last semester.

One of his suggestions, to eat foods that our grandparents would recognize as food, peaked my curiosity.  So I pulled out my grandmother's recipe box and starting going through the recipes. And there, in the little boxes, was the evidence of what has caused the diabetes and CVD in my family. Upon first run through of the little boxes, it looks as though 80% of recipes I inherited are desserts.  I always did associated my grandmother's house with cookies and sweets.   I have fond memories of her making a point to have special days with just me and her in  her kitchen. She showed me how to make her famous Peanut Brittle and Aunt Julia's (her sister) Divinity.  I really do appreciate that she made time for me, and showed me the things she knew how to do well. But it is clear where my sweet tooth came from.

As I dug through the box I did come across a couple of non dessert recipes but there was hardly a recipe in there that had more than one fresh vegetable. So I think I am going to have to look back at least another generation to find some whole food recipes.  More than likely I will be comprising my own collection of more modern whole food recipes. Hopefully, a generation or two from now, when (or if) my grandchild goes through my recipes, she will be able recognize that her grandmother's vegetable stir fry is still a healthy meal.  It is my hope that the family history of chronic disease will truly be history by then.