Transform your health by upgrading your kitchen…
Without breaking the bank!
In this modern world of ours it can feel like we are stuck in a hamster wheel, forever chasing health. We are bombarded with enough health and wellness information to make our minds boil! Television is filled with advertisements for miraculous drugs and nutraceuticals and there is practically a new fad diet for every day of the week. Some people claim veganism or fruitarianism is the way to total health while others extol keto and gluten-free diets and others still a total reliance on animal-based foods. I mean do we eat no sodium or add tablespoons of mineral salts into our water bottles? Should we eat no fat or high fat? It can seem like we need a master’s degree in nutrition just to decide what to fill our grocery cart with! But what if I told you that it’s actually pretty simple? I know that may seem crazy but just stick with me for a minute here. Maybe picking a perfect diet isn’t the point. Maybe the real point should be that food is what nourishes our body and allows us to develop into our happy, healthy selves. Maybe there isn’t that one perfect diet. Maybe we just need to re-focus on food. Perhaps our bodies have their own master’s degree in nutrition! Maybe instead of stressing about diets we should just start eating. This guide was created to show you how to build a nourishing diet without the stress… no degree required. So take a deep breath, follow these four guidelines, listen to your body and transform your health.
Fill your kitchen with high quality foods:
Companies these days tend to focus more on profit than the quality of their product. Rather than emphasizing the nutrients of the food they produce they tend to concentrate on the shelf-life and coloration. On conventional farms, animals are raised inhumanely, in dirty compacted environments with little to no opportunity for movement, sunshine or fresh air. Now that sounds like a pretty miserable and stressful life. Science today has found increasingly more links between chronic negative emotions such as loneliness, depression, anxiety and stress with poor health outcomes (research psychoneuroimmunology to learn more). The point is, conditions like that do not promote health and if our food is sick and miserable it won’t be very nourishing and health promoting for us in return. In addition to being beneficial to the environment, sustainably or organically produced foods are more nutrient dense. As a whole they are notably higher in antioxidants and micronutrients. Meat, milk and eggs raised on sustainable farms tend to have a healthier fat profile, meaning they contain more omega-3 fatty acids which is crucial for our body’s health, and they have a higher vitamin content. Organic produce also lacks toxic pesticide, herbicide, and fertilizer residues while organic meat and milk lacks antibiotics and growth hormones. When buying quality foods check labels for the following certification stamps; biodynamic, Non-GMO project or Non-GMO verified, certified naturally grown, certified humane and USDA organic. It is important to remember that companies will frequently market non-sustainable, GMO, chemical-ridden foods as healthy. Products will frequently be designed in ways that make their products feel safe, homey and natural. When in doubt read the label and select products with whole-ingredients that you’d find in your grandmas' kitchen. Terms like artisan, all natural, locally produced, superfood and functional food are not regulated and can therefore be used at the discretion of the company selling the product. Also, a product labelled with “no artificial flavors or colorings” does not necessarily mean it is made with whole-foods. Keep in mind that the federal government does not require companies to list GMO ingredients so if you want to keep your diet free of GMOs buy organic when possible. Any organic product will have no GMOs and no synthetic fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides or food additives. I know this can all be very overwhelming so take a deep breath and remember that nobody expects perfection from you, simply be aware and look at food products with a discerning eye by checking ingredient labels and looking for trusted certifications. Now I realize that buying organic foods can get expensive so I’d like to provide you with a helpful tool to ensure you buy organic only when it’s most important. Every year the EWG (Environmental Working Group) researches which produce have the most and least chemical residues. The chemical ridden “dirty dozen” should be bought organic to avoid these toxins while the clean 15 can be safely purchased non-organic to save our budget. Here is 2021s dirty dozen; strawberries, spinach, kale/collard greens/mustard greens, nectarines, apples, grapes, cherries, peaches, pears, bell and hot peppers, celery, and tomatoes. The clean 15 which could be bought conventionally include; avocados, sweet corn, pineapple, onions, papaya, frozen sweet peas, eggplant, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, kiwi, cauliflower, mushrooms, honeydew melon, and cantaloupe. Two other great ways to save money on quality food is to shop at farmers markets and/or join a CSA through a local farm.
Be selective with your cookware:
Whether you are just beginning your journey towards a healthy, sustainable diet or are well on your way to achieving your goals, one of the easiest things to overlook is cookware. However, what you cook in and how you store your food plays a big role in how nutritious and toxin-free your food is. If we are going to be putting effort and money into eating high-quality chemical-free food the last thing we want to do is negate these efforts by cooking or storing in a chemical leaching container. Also, if you don’t have the money to buy all the high-quality foods you are yearning for, optimizing your cookware and storage containers is a great way to optimize your health. Such as simply doing away with aluminum foil in exchange for unbleached parchment paper or beeswax wrap. To optimize your kitchen, all you really need is a good knife, one quality pan and a few glass storage containers (or mason jars). You can also limit the toxins plastic containers release by allowing your food to completely cool before putting it into the container. One of the best materials for cooking is cast iron as they can withstand high temperatures, does not require soap for cleaning, lasts forever and is extremely durable. As long as they are properly seasoned, they are just as non-stick as Teflon pans. Similarly, a properly seasoned stoneware pot or pan will easily last a lifetime and are great for baking. Although stainless steel is not the worst option it can release chromium, aluminum and nickel into food. If you are going to buy a stainless steel pan aim for 18/0 – 18/8 varieties as they have lower nickel content. To test the quality of your stainless steel appliances, apply a magnet, if it sticks then the nickel content is too high. Of all the cookware options, Teflon should be avoided. It is also important to find a water bottle that won’t leave toxic residues in your water, aim for glass or stainless steel.
Learn proper cooking techniques:
As our societies have evolved we have lost touch with some of our traditional food preparation techniques. Most notably, soaking, sprouting and sourdough fermentation. These processes make all the helpful minerals found in whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds more available for use by the body. This is accomplished by activating the enzyme phytase to break down the naturally arising phytate which binds minerals, preventing their absorption in the body. Combining all three removes the most phytate but even practicing one of these techniques is a wonderful way to make food easier to digest and increase mineral content. The best way to soak is to add coarsely ground or freshly cracked grain to warm water with sourdough starter or lactobacillus (found naturally in fermented foods). To breakdown the raffinose carbohydrate responsible for gassiness and poor digestion, add some baking soda to soaking beans and legumes. Rinse your legumes after soaking. For an added bonus, soaking can help shorten cook time. Because nuts, legumes and grains are all seeds they can be sprouted to activate them to "grow into plants". This sprouting process reduces phytates and inflammatory lectins making minerals (and other nutrients) more available. However, the seeds are more susceptible to mold and can become overly sweet and mushy when sprouted for too long. Sourdough fermentation is accomplished by mixing flour with a starter culture and water. The resulting dough should be allowed to slow-rise and sour leaven. The product has more minerals, helpful bacteria, a lower glycemic load, higher quantity of B-vitamin and can be easier for people to digest.
And most importantly keep it diverse and fun!
Cheers to happy lives and happy kitchens,
-Maria Bellavia
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