Eating Healthy: Overcoming the “Cooking Obstacle”

Eating Healthy: Overcoming the “Cooking Obstacle”

by | Mar 2, 2015 | grocery shopping, Nutrition, Whole food

Cooking ToolsThe most common excuses I hear for not eating healthier are: “I don’t have time”, “I don’t like cooking”, and “I’m an awful cook”. These are the excuses of modern life.

We are so busy rushing from here to there that time has become a precious commodity. Additionally, our taste buds, conditioned to prefer heavily sugared and processed foods, are unaccustomed to the natural flavors of real whole foods. This perpetuates the fear that healthy cooking wont taste good. Compounded with the fact that most of us were raised on convenience foods and not taught basic cooking skills as children, cooking has become a foreign experience instead of second nature.

As a result, one of the biggest obstacles to eating healthy is cooking. The perception that cooking is a burden and a chore has become an epidemic. Cooking requires you to stop and focus on your physical needs and be creative as you combine flavors and textures to produce tasty combinations. Our society places more value on the immediate gratification of food fulfillment, overlooking not only the health benefits of cooking your own meals, but the pleasure that can be found in taking the time to prepare and share a healthy delicious meal. (more…)

Eating Healthy: Overcoming the “Cooking Obstacle”

Processed foods: the good and the bad

by | Feb 15, 2015 | grocery shopping, Nutrition, Plant-based, Whole food

Not all processed foods are unhealthy.

Not all processed foods are unhealthy.

When we hear the term “processed food” the first thing that comes to mind is the obvious, junk food. However, not all processed foods are bad for you.

What makes a food processed is that it has been prepared or treated by either a mechanical or chemical method that increases its shelf life (canning, dehydration, the addition of preservatives), changes it into something new (grains to flour to bread, transforming raw vegetables into soup), or improves its flavor, color and/or texture (adding sweeteners, artificial flavors, thickners). (more…)

Eating Healthy: Overcoming the “Cooking Obstacle”

Transitioning to Vegan One Step at a Time

by | Feb 12, 2015 | Nutrition, Plant-based, Whole food

stepping stones

Take it one step at a time.

An acquaintance asked me the other day, “Don’t you miss eating normal food? I could never eat such a restrictive diet,” her expression filled with a mix of indignation and curiosity.

We all have our different reasons for why we eat what we eat. Some of us use food as a way to find comfort (fresh baked cookies to cure the blues), while others luxuriate in the physical pleasure of experiencing exotic flavors and textures. There are those that focus on what they can’t eat in order to avoid an allergic reaction or lose those unwanted extra pounds. Food choices are emotional decisions, a way to fill the void when we are feeling lonely or insecure, or as a reward to celebrate an accomplishment.

Just like all the different ways we choose what we eat, there are many ways to be vegan. The interpretations range in extremes from advocating animal rights, to eating imitation meat and dairy replacers in order to hold onto the familiar, to the exclusion of all but raw organic whole foods. For me, being vegan is about consciously choosing what I eat, focusing on foods rich in nutrients that will support my body and its healing process. (more…)