Clean it up!

Aromatics Back-to-School Shopping for Clean Ing...

Clean it up!

Clean it up! Was the theme of this Spring’s cooking classes, with a lesson on Intentional Eating. Intentional eating is the practice of being conscious that your body gets the healing nutrients it needs every day from food, much as you would take a daily vitamin or medicine for an ailment. Hippocrates is still quoted today for his wisdom to “Let thy food be they medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.”

Simply summed up: Eating healthy foods keeps your body healthy. Eating packaged processed junk food works against good health.

Foods such as fruits, vegetables, herbs, whole grains are what our bodies need to sustain good health. Be conscious that you get them into your and your family’s system each day.

General Electric Smart Cooking demo

At demonstrations both at the Life of Christ church in Algonquin, and GE Healthcare I talked about the importance of eating this way, and made salads rich in healthy foods to demonstrate just how good it can taste to do so. When you set your mind to eating this way, approach it like any other sport or game:

Have a game plan.

You don’t need a huge strategy playbook. I don’t want you to spend weeks gutting your cabinets and writing out meal plans. Overdoing it can be a way to set yourself up for failure. I want you to add one new habit at a time, as quickly as works for your lifestyle, and slowly but surely change the way you eat for life. For instance, one thing we discussed at the GE Healthcare presentation was Chia Seeds. Someone in the audience asked if I use them. I don’t. Gasp! They are truly this year’s Superfood. I cannot argue that they are one of the best ingredients on the planet and that, according to their nutrient structure which can be viewed at this link: http://authoritynutrition.com/11-proven-health-benefits-of-chia-seeds/

That they are calorie-for-calorie one of the best sources of important nutrients. But I don’t like them. I know they are tasteless, it’s a texture thing. So to me they are a waste of money and work against me eating healthy. Flax seeds, the Superfood of 2009, on the other hand, are the number one Superfood on my menu. I love the nutty taste, the crunch they add to my salads and granola, and of course, the nutrition component. They are equally high in Omega-3 fatty acids as Chia Seeds and are also one of the best calorie-for-calorie.

Play to Win

Practice cooking and eating this way, and you WILL get better at it. Shop with common sense, and have somewhat of a plan to use what you buy. For instance, don’t buy every vegetable you see in an effort to eat healthier, and then feel like a failure if they go to waste. Focus instead on a few key ingredients that you know your family will consume. For example, I buy kale, blueberries and grapefruit everytime I go to the store, and use all three in smoothies and salads all week. Make an effort to prepare the healthy foods you buy, and be intentional about eating better. Step by step you will be treating your body with the best medicine around – healthy food.