Today I am grateful for ... fresh, safe food

Little E is a fruit fiend. She would happily live on fruit alone if we let her. Today she ate: a frozen pear/raspberry square in her porridge; bananas, strawberries and kiwi berries for morning tea; more strawberries with her lunch; more banana with dinner. And that was a fairly moderate day! 

Yesterday I surprised her with a bowl of the first strawberries she had seen in a few weeks as the season seems to be ending here and she was just delighted. She peered into the bowl on her tray, realised it was strawberries, and looked up at me with a huge smile. She then carefully picked each one out and it was obviuos she was savouring them. Fortunately she also gobbles vegetables, including the green variety.

Anyway. I have been horrified by the news that Japanese fruit and vegetables, as well as tap water, might not be safe to give children. I am very careful about what Little E eats - up until the last week or so she really hasn't had anything with sugar (other than what's in her beloved fruit) and only very minimal salt. I figure I won't be able to control her diet forever, and at any rate I just want to ensure that what goes into her little tummy is as good for her as it can possibly be. The idea that the food and particularly the water that is available  to  give children might give them horrible illnesses is just awful. We're not talking about our completely first world problem of some things just being not as healthy as others, but the food that's on the shelves in the shops, and what comes out of the taps, being actually life threatening. What would you do? If you're Japanese you presumably don't have the option of just getting on a plane and going somewhere else. How do you feed your children, knowing that what's available might be down right dangerous? I suppose Japan is lucky in that it is a rich enough nation that it can import food if it comes to that.

So today I'm thankful that (so far!) I have a baby who is happy to eat what is fresh and healthy, and that I have easy access to food that not only meets those criteria, but is simply safe to give her. I have to say that it's not something I ever thought I'd need to feel grateful for.

To see who is grateful for what, this week visit And Then There Were Four (Maxabella is on holidays).