My neighbors left for Europe vacation. They brought me their fridge’s contents; Several cheeses, Greek yogurt, two kinds of deli, a bread, milk. Which is kind of them. But we don’t eat food like that.
What is a woman to do? Should I throw it out – as is my initial impulse? The daughter delivered the bag of food with words that encouraged me to depose of the things if I didn’t want it – somehow, they knew these are not items I usually put on the table … Or should I hand it to my cleaning ladies who certainly would be happy to get nice things for free?
Only that those things are not “nice”. - Dairy is inflammatory, makes one fat and sets a person up for hay fever, and so much more. The deli is from unhappy cows, and highly processed. The bread we can’t eat because of gluten intolerance.
They are not “free” either. Down the line, because of the addictive nature of milk products, they cause health care costs. Someone will have to pay: The eater with pain and disease; the community for doctor.
Knowing myself, I anticipate that I will give the food to my cleaning ladies – I grew up after World War II in Germany – and wasting food is against my upbringing.
What would you do? Read More
Blog: On Health. On Writing. On Life. On Everything.
Heavenly Dessert
November 10, 2011
Because I am in traveling stress again, today only an easy dessert recipe:
Only because we are eating healthily, we do not have to eat drab, boring, impalatable things. On the contrary!
Here is my recipe for a quick dessert. I tried it with quince compote and fresh papaya; my gut feeling is you can use it with any fresh or cooked fruit. If you make it with papaya, it takes no time at all:
Ingredients:
Half a papaya per person
Coconut milk, shaken, cooled in the fridge
Chocolate nibs
Half the papaya, scrape out the seeds. Pour over a bit of coconut milk that you have shaken before in a lidded plastic container. It comes out as creamy as whipped cream – but it is healthier. Different brands come out differently well; I like the red Thai can – don’t use the “light” version as it is more adulterated. Sprinkle a tablespoon full of chocolate nibs over everything. The “nibs” are cut cacao beans, not processed at all – no sugar, no dairy. Delighted our guests.
With quince: You cook the quince in whole, after washing, with raisins and slivered almonds (or any nuts/seeds) until soft. Cut the flesh of the core, pour raisins and nuts over it. Cool in the fridge. For serving, add coconut milk and chocolate nibs.
The coconut milk lasts at least a week in the fridge – if it lasts that long … And this dessert is not fattening; it satisfies your appetite for real food. Empty (=simple)carbohydrates (cookies, cakes, muffins, etc.) are fattening! Read More
Celebrate!
May 22, 2010
Today we celebrate our summer party – a little early this year. Roses and irises honor us by opening this morning for the first time - the garden could not be lovelier!
For a day like this, I want to give you my favorite piece of health advice: On a day like this, go out and celebrate with gusto, eat all the wrong foods – don’t sit around at the party and be on a diet!
This, of course, does not apply if you have food allergies and intolerances. Then you have to stick to your diet, needless to say.
But for all the others of us who just want to get to better health or lose a few pounds – which is commendable! - don’t do it today: Go out and have a good time!
Because, what really counts in the long run, is what you keep in your fridge and in your pantry – not what you eat occasionally when you are with friends - unless you are a professional party-goer, like politicians for instance! If you are, this is a little trick: Don not eat lunch on days when you expect a big dinner. Just skip lunch – you won’t starve. But you will prevent that you look like so many politicians: over-stuffed.
For everybody else: Enjoy the feast! But it would not hurt if you would go through your fridge, freezer and pantry right now and throw out everything that shouldn't be in there: TV dinners, sweets (except for dark chocolate without milk), chips, “nutritional bars, dairy (cheese, yogurt, milk), processed meats (bacon!), instant soups – you probably find more what should not be in there. No regrets, just throw it out! Don 't give it away because it is not healthy for the next person either.
That way you can go to your summer fest and enjoy it – knowing that once you will be back home, only healthy foods will await you.
P.S. If you cheat, observe how you feel afterward, and the next morning. Do you feel great? Lousy? Overhung? Bloated? Achy? Write it down so that you remember why you wanted to live healthier in the first place! Read More