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Beth Aldrich; photography by Jason Riker

Mom’s the Word

by Katie Schroeder | CS magazine | January 30, 2012

It’s no secret that Chicagoans love food... sometimes, to a fault. Former TV and radio personality Beth Aldrich was always a foodie, but after reevaluating her life while recovering from a devastating car accident in 2007, she decided to earn a degree as a certified holistic health and nutritional counselor. Now, the Wilmette resident talks about her newfound (and husband-approved!) love affair.

In Real Moms Love to Eat, you advise readers to go back to childhood memories of eating, like Sunday dinners at your grandmother’s house, when food wasn’t the enemy.
I love the part about food nostalgia because [those memories] make up so much of who we are. In our culture, we put a lot of emphasis around the meal. But somewhere along the way, specifically with women, we develop these ideas—like that cake that gave you a bloated stomach—and start holding vendettas against food.

What about when we overindulge rather than deprive ourselves?
You want to find a sweet spot where you’re happy with your relationship with food and not trying every diet that comes down the pipe. When we overindulge, I think we get past that sweet spot. People will go overboard, but then they’re not focusing holistically on their health. Every time I go to the movies, that popcorn smells so good, and I get a small. And every time, I get stomach cramps and lay in bed crying. If you pay attention and say, ‘I remember! [Laughs.] That’s the guy who took you out, had sex with you and left you on the curb the next day.’ That food is not going to respect you the next morning.

You call yourself a food expert. What do you mean by that?
It’s number one, a passion. Number two, it comes from being a mother. And then also through my [education] at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. We studied every dietary theory there is and then how to implement them into the holistic model. We learned respect for the various ways people eat.

Why do you think the kitchen is such a gathering place?
It’s the heart of a home. I’ve created my kitchen to be a place for my family to gather, with a large kitchen table, an island with seating and the sink in the island, so I can have conversations with them while working at the kitchen sink.

About the title of your book... why moms?
Because I can speak experientially to being a mother and what it entails.

So there aren’t a bunch of North Shore moms running around refusing to eat?
No, on the contrary. I think the women up here eat beautifully.

Aldrich’s Chicago Favorites...

Restaurants? Oak Tree is so kid-friendly and the food is great. More Cupcakes: love them with a capital L. It’s so elegant, like you’re getting a gift. We lived in Chicago for 20 years and come in for dinner all the time—the restaurants are phenomenal: Naha, Paris Club, NoMI Kitchen.

Anything else? East Bank Club—they accommodate beyond belief. And I love that Rosie is here. She’s one of the most charming people I’ve ever met.