A couple of weeks ago, PJ and I took a trip up to Polo, IL to visit my 96 year-old grammie. Grammie calls me “nutri-pie”. Grammie weighs a whopping ~90 pounds, and stands ~5 feet tall. She lives in a 3-story farmhouse and shares the first floor with her dog “Darnit” and her cat “Squirt.” I could go on and on about her quick witted personality, keen memory, and charm, but today I am writing about why I should eat more like my grammie. It’s obvious, she has done something right, and maybe some of it has to do with how she chooses to eat.

#1) She plans ahead. Before PJ and I arrived, she had our menu for the weekend completed. Grocery shopping was done, veggies were chopped and prepped, and dessert was perched in the secret cabinet. If we all gave more thought to our weekly meals and snacks, we wouldn’t find ourselves starring into our fridge wishing that something tasty, healthy, and easy would land on our dinner plate. However, many times this turns into a quick trip to a restaurant where we spend more calories and money than we would spend at home.

#2) She eats slow. Really slow. We tried to slow down, I remember telling myself to put my fork down after every bite, but both PJ and myself found ourselves taking extra helpings just so we weren’t watching Grammie eat alone. Grammie tastes her food, she is the epitomy of the slow food movement…

When was the last time that I wasn’t multi-tasking while I ate, or looked down at my plate and was disappointed that my food was already gone? While we can’t eat slowly all of the time, taking more time to eat and really taste our food is precious.

#3) She eats locally. Dinner on Friday night came from my grammie’s Mexican friend who makes homemade bean burritos. Our pork chop on Saturday night came from Mr. Skeeter two miles down the road, and the corn, beans, and tomatoes came from her garden that you get to watch grow as you through her bay window in the kitchen while you clean up the dishes.

#4) She has sustainable food practices. One of my least favorite chores to do for Grammie is to fetch some sort of food item out of the freezer or fridge. Very few foods are in their original containers, no container gets thrown away, but is thoroughly washed, and dated with the new food. Visiting her every summer, I still recongize that old Schwan’s ice cream holder that now holds chicken soup, and same old butter containers that store green beans. Thank goodness she labels and dates everything or her sustainable practices could turn into a fetcher’s nightmare.

#5) She eats vegetables every day and she eats dessert-the real thing. She uses real butter, she uses real ice cream to top her apple crisp, but she eats a little, and she eats it slowly. I don’t think Grammie eats much dessert when guests aren’t around, but I am happy she does when we visit.

#6) She drinks an Old Style Beer a day, and listens to the Cubs on the radio. Need I say more?

I thank my Grammie for 31 years (and hopefully many more) of feeding me with healthy tips, deliciously love- filled food. Food memories are special for everyone, and I am lucky enough to have an amazing example, that has influenced much of the Dietitian I am today.