Eat for Life

Creating food that is healthy and delicious really depends on your desire to cook and most importantly the right ingredients.  We have found that organic foods, such as fruits, vegetables and squash are much more delicious, because they are harvested at the right time, are not mass-produced, or treated with wax to make them more appealing or sprayed with pesticides.  The same is also true for meats, fish and poultry.  We choose to buy grass-fed organic beef, lamb, wild Sockeye salmon, and organic chicken that have not been fed with growth hormones or god forbid corn meal. Just as we are not designed to digest corn, so aren’t cows either.  They eat grass. We try to buy organic foods whenever possible, especially locally grown. There are many local farmers’ markets around cities; you just have to look for them.  Google farmer’s market and you’ll find many in just about every city. As an example here’s a link to some in the Phoenix metro area. AZ Farmers Market They are fun and there is always something going on. Kids love them, people bring their dogs, and everyone is usually in a good mood.  People are typically not in a rush, and are always happy to tell you about their products. Isn’t farmer’s market stuff more expensive? Actually not. The prices are very competitive and you have to remember, that you are getting really healthy foods that will change the way you feel and experience food. For the most part, humans don’t really think about their relationship to food any more. If you stop and think for just a pause, most folks receive prepared foods everywhere, a TV dinner, a drive-through, restaurants, etc.

The real understanding of the power of food which fuels us, only truly manifests when we pick them out with an intention of creating a meal for ourselves and families.  Feeding ourselves properly and nutritiously is not an inconvenience, rather it is a necessity. Eating healthy and becoming healthy cannot really be mandated by anyone other than you. It’s a conscious decision, a mental leap if you will.  There is no “cheating” of “oh once in a while it’s ok to have bread, or pizza or cereal” you have to stick to your decision to eat clean and healthy. When we travel, we try not to eat processed foods, but if we don’t have any other choices, we choose only minimally processed and organic. Usually we just opt for raw foods if the other choices are processed. Remember it is a conscious decision to eat “Clean and truly Healthy” not a cleansing or a diet that you try for 30 days. Eating clean is a choice not a sacrifice, you’re really not giving anything up, you’re gaining strength, vitality and balance by choosing a gluten and grain-free way of life. Don’t just eat to overcome hunger, instead celebrate your food.  You have to cook for life!

Check out Paul Jaminet, Ph.D. and his amazing site, Perfect Health Diet, on healthy eating. His book will be out this fall.

So here are some ingredients that we use in our kitchen and recommend.

We purchase our Salmon and other fish, including lamb from the Fish Hugger, and our grass-fed beef and pork from The Meat Shop. In our kitchen you’ll find lots of veggies, such as bell peppers, onions (green and scallions too), garlic, broccoli, Kahle, tomatoes, celery, kohlrabi, cabbage, etc. see our recipes for more. We try to stick to berries for their antioxidant punch and occasionally will indulge in slightly less nutritious fruits, such as apples, pears, and citrus fruits.

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Here are some more mysterious ingredients that we think you should know and become comfortable with.

Organic Honey (preferably local honey – works great against allergies). Coconut Crystals from Coconut Secret are a great option for those who are still looking for a little bit of sweet. We use these as sprinkles on desserts. Low GI of 35, gluten-free completely organic, just wonderful stuff.

Celtic sea salt, Redmond All Natural sea salt. We use both, and both have all the necessary nutrients and minerals needed.  Sea salt is so much better overall and the best part is that you actually need less.

Agar:  Eden is a good brand.  It is a gelatinous substance derived from seaweed, we use it primarily in baking.

Almond flour:  Honeyville blanched almond flour is the way to go, absolutely.  Everything else turns out lumpy.

Coconut flour: Tropical Traditions has a great consistency

Arrowroot:  It is a binding agent. We use it in a variety of dishes ranging from baking to cooking – a little goes a long way.

Cacao powder:  We use Organic Cacao Powders, but prefer Dagoba Organic Cacao Powder, both are great and are unsweetened.

Chocolate:  We use Lindt and Dagoba Organic Dark Chocolate.  Both are over 73% cocoa, and are better due to the low sugar content.

Coconut Aminos: We use it instead of soy; when the coconut tree is tapped, it produces a highly nutrient-rich “sap” that exudes from the coconut blossoms. This sap is very low glycemic (GI of only 35), is an abundant source of amino acids, minerals, vitamin C, broad-spectrum B vitamins, and has a nearly neutral pH. It is wonderful, you should pick some up from Coconut Secret.

Coconut oil:  Tropical Traditions Organic, the beauty  with using coconut oil is that you need so little for a big pot or pan of food. It is a wonderful oil to cook with and it always ensures that your food turns out right. Don’t worry – it will not taste like coconut!

Pumpkin seed oil: It is not that easy to find. Some specialty shops carry it, and it’s expensive. I currently import mine from Austria.

Grape seed oil: Spectrum has a good one. We don’t use much of this oil as it is a bit pricey, really does not have any flavor – we’ve used it before in baking. We prefer baking and cooking with coconut oil.