Our Health Journey

Wouldn’t it be great to have a dietitian and a nutritionist plan and prepare our meals. If we want optimal health and if we want to prevent certain diseases; obesity, cardiovascular and type 2 Diabetes, we could use their help. Most of us know that we should eat a balanced diet but, how about an optimal diet. And just what is an optimal diet? One of my trusted sources of information on how to stay healthy is Dr. Andrew Weil,M.D. In his The Healthy Kitchen cook book co-written with Rosie Daley a former cook for Oprah, he states that an optimal diet should be one that has variety, includes freshness and an abundance of fruits and vegetables, and is low in unprocessed foods. He is so bold as to suggest that while our diet should supply our needs for calories, macronutrients and micronutrients, it should also provide the pleasure that we expect from eating. Believe me, the recipes that I have tried; white beans and fusilli, applesauce muffins, vegetable lasagna, and the Santa Fe Chicken all provided pleasure. They were absolutely wonderful.

Aside from all the great recipes, you will find information on choosing organic, the importance of reading labels, use of garlic, sugar, salt and many more interesting and relevant subjects.

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Our food choices matter. It’s not just what we choose but, how what we choose is grown and processed. It matters because we are what we eat. It matters because of the impact that our choices have on the environment; our soil, water; rivers and lakes and air. It matters to the survival of the small farmer. If you want health for youself, your family, your planet, then you should be choosing Organic whenever possible.

Do you understand what organic means? How do you know if it says Organic that it is. What are the benefits of choosing Organic. Can I afford it or, can I afford not to buy Organic. All of these questions plus many more are answered in Elaine Lipsom’s book The Organic Food Sourcebook. I have been using this book for at least 5 years as my organic food source bible. Also, see my list of favorite organic food companies and their websites.

It’s not just produce that we should be concerned with. If you are a meat eater, then you should be aware of how the animal was raised, fed and treated. Was the animal allowed to roam, given food that had not been treated with pesticides, given hormones. How was the meat processed once the animal had been slaughtered. If you eat grains; oatmeal, barley, wheat, rice, etc, do you know how the grains were grown? If you drink milk or eat cheese, what were the cows fed and how was the end product handled? Become an educated consumer and then you will begin to make better choices. We as consumers want and need safe food sources. We want our soils, ground waters, rivers and lakes protected. Use your food dollars to speak and make you choices matter.