Hello, my name is Sheranna Catoe and I’m a Crock Potaholic. I’ve been abstaining for about a week now and am doing surprisingly well. I say abstaining, but the truth is that I have no choice because I got rid of my crock pot stash the same day that I purchased an Instant Pot.

My daughter had held an intervention and presented me with all the negative health risks of continuing down the path of slow cooked food prepared in my old crock pots. She pointed out that these old pots may be leaching lead into the food that I have been consuming and feeding to my family and friends. She spoke with tough-love when she said that I needed to do some research on the subject and that I’d be very surprised at what I learned. She pulled on my heartstrings when she spoke of irreversible illnesses that could be caused by these slow low doses of lead poisoning. She showed she knew me well when she challenged me to step out of the box and break this cycle of nutritional abuse. And then, she supported my decision to rid myself of this lifelong problem by adding her three different sizes of crock pots to the already ridiculous number that I had taken from my main kitchen.

While I may be being just a little melodramatic (okay, a lot melodramatic) about this transition in cooking style that I’m going through, I am very serious about the topic. The past year of mine and my husband’s lives has brought about some major—MAJOR—changes in how we approach and eat food. We’re not on any bandwagons. Trust me when I say, that isn’t the reason that we’ve made so many changes. It really is because of a quest to be obedient in the area of food and nutrition. In the Bible, 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

So, with this scripture in mind, I’m listening. What I heard told me that crock pots may not be the healthiest choice in food preparation. Not to imply this was the only way that I ever cooked, it wasn’t by a long shot. And, the Instant Pot won’t become the only way I cook; however, today the Instant Pot is my cooking vessel of choice and the first thing that I have prepared in it is a yummy Stew Beef or, in my case, Stew Venison and Vegetables.

Have you made any changes in your eating habits or upgraded any of your cooking appliances recently? If so, I’d love to hear what you are doing to make better nutritional choices; so, please share about it in the comments below and…

Let’s Grow Together!