It’s pretty simple: eat real food, raised well, in moderation and variety. I’ve been a vegetarian activist and I’ve scarfed down a half pound of chocolate. I’ve raved over mac-n-cheese with kielbasa and grew up eating escargot. Now that I garden in the Pacific Northwest, I can’t bring myself to repeat that particular experience.
I believe that well-grown produce is better for the earth, and for you. We’re only beginning to understand how micronutrients, flavenoids and other elements of healthy whole foods affect our wellbeing. It would be a mistake to forget the long line of “better than nature” foods that ultimately proved to be health fiascos, like hydrogenated oils, once a “health food”, currently being phased out by the FDA. We’re just learning how our gut affects our immune system, and how micronutrients impact our health. Until we do, the one thing we know is that we’ve been adapting ourselves to nature for a long time.
I believe there are no bad foods, and no miracle cures. The most conscientious healthy eater I ever knew, who never let refined sugar pass her lips, consumed nothing but frozen sugar water during hospice. Being able to bring a little comfort and energy to her in those final days was a blessing for all, and figuring out how much sugar to put in the ice so she could consume it was an ever-changing challenge. Turmeric shows promise in treating inflammation, but it won’t replace pain medication. It might reduce your reliance on it though, and taken in moderation it’s unlikely to hurt, so why not have some real curry?
If you read through the new research into spices, dozens of them have various healthful properties. Doesn’t it seem possible that humans evolved to crave cinnamon and cumin and lemongrass because they’re good for us? I think it does, but I’m concerned by the tendency to take very preliminary research and respond by extracting a single “active element” to take in concentrated quantities. It may be that we find some of those elements, like aspirin which comes from willow bark, are useful when extracted. It may also be that we discover over time that they can be more harmful than helpful, or simply can’t be utilized when isolated. Have some delicious food with freshly ground quality spices and you’ll do no harm.
I was a vegetarian for 8 years and believe meat and dairy are over-consumed in the American diet, but I craved salmon while pregnant and have an abiding love since childhood of fresh whole milk. I think it matters more how your food is raised than whether it had a mother, and any food can be healthy in moderation, absent allergy. I would prefer to eat meat from a farm in Snohomish that had one final terrible day (as do we all) than vegetables harvested by migrant workers exposed to toxic chemicals. I’d rather eat something raised locally than something shipped, but since sour oranges don’t grow in Washington, my marmalade is made from the ones I find imported by a local Halal market. I adore good marmalade, and supporting a local specialty grocery suits my ethics too. Moderation in all things…
On this blog you’ll find recipes to feed the soul and the body. You’ll find sweets your Grandpa might have made, and you’ll also find gluten-free, dairy free and low-carb recipes developed to support friends and family on specialized diets. There is only one thing I hope you’ll find in every recipe: love.