Firstly, just look at the Romanesco cauliflower below. I picked one up at the farmer's market this weekend because I thought it was so fascinating I just had to have it. AND the design correlates with the Fibonacci sequence. Likewise, the Rainbow Swiss Chard was eye candy... I was determined to find ways to cook them.
Healthy curiosity is a great gift when it comes to food, but many of us get stuck in a rut with unhealthy food routines. Routines can be a great time-saving tool and helps our brain save energy for more pertinent tasks, but when our routine consists of unhealthy food choices, we often continue several months or even years of dietary disaster before we're given notice of an issue.
That's because most of the results of what we eat are internal and often can't be felt. For instance, the leading illnesses these days are heart disease and cancer, both of which have early symptoms that usually can't be felt such as high blood pressure or high blood sugars. Unfortunately, many people only wake up to this fact when our bodies have taken such a hit from not getting the correct nutrients and we have slowly and silently caused significant damage to its ability to function or naturally heal.
On the other hand, adopting this attitude of curiosity towards our food can be of great benefit and help us choose more nutritious foods. If you learn nothing else from this entry, please remember this: a healthy diet comes from eating a rainbow of colors (not artificially induced). This usually means a diet consisting of several fruits and vegetables of various colors, textures, and flavors. Take notice of the general color of your daily food. If it is mostly browns, tans, yellows, and other neutrals, you're missing out on a very necessary part of your nutritional requirements (that cannot be simply replaced by a daily vitamin).
If you experience food in this way, it may make food shopping less of a "task" and more of a fun adventure. When I go to a farmer's market or grocery store, I usually stay on the outer edges (the whole, fresh foods, not processed products) and admire the amazing creations of nature before me. Oh the colors! When I prepare my food, I make sure to be mindful of the different aromas, and how all the colors of the different foods blend so perfectly together. The taste of the finished product will be equally colorful in the complexity of flavor, I guarantee!
Here are some tips to be more curious and colorful now:
For beginners:
- Simply begin by perusing the fresh food section at your local grocery store. Have a goal of trying one new vegetable or fruit item per week. If your current diet consists mostly of processed foods and grains, this will allow your palette to begin to naturally appreciate the different tastes of fresh, whole foods. It is absolutely okay to not like certain foods, but this process will help you identify the fruits and vegetables you do enjoy and can start incorporating into your daily diet.
For the more advanced foodies:
- Even healthy minded people get into a routine of what we buy at the grocery store. For a change, mix it up. You may be missing out on the best ones (kale, collard greens, etc). If you have the time, challenge yourself by buying fresh foods that you usually steer away from. For example, this week I challenged myself by buying various things at the farmer's market that I've never cooked before including beet root, kale, romansco cauliflower, turnips, and rainbow collard greens. I simply go to epicurious.com, type in the food, and find a recipe for it.
If you are interested, below are the recipes I used this week:
kale salad (my mom LOVED this... in the last week, however, I learned that HONEY is not so good for a cancer diet, so if you're cooking for someone trying to heal, try to find a dressing for your kale salad that does not include fast acting sugars)
Coleslaw recipe (easy on the mayo, or none at all is ok to, I added the vinegar and then put a bit of pre-made coleslaw dressing from a bottle on, but only enough to get a taste, not drowning like most coleslaws)
(NOTES: 1) I cut out the butter entirely, it may be more delicious with, but definitely more saturated fat. 2) Corn is also high in glycemic index --converts to sugar quickly-- so for those watching sugar levels try veggies that have low glycemic index)
REFERENCES AND MORE INFO... IF YOU"RE CURIOUS
Below is a list of what each color can do for you and your body. Enjoy!
Red Group
(tomatoes, can of V8 juice, pink grapefruit, watermelon)
These contain the carotenoid lycopene, which helps rid the body of free radicals that damage genes. Lycopene seems to protect against prostate cancer as well as heart and lung disease. Processed juices contain a lot of the beneficial ingredients. One glass of tomato juice gives you 50 percent of the recommended lycopene.
Yellow/Green Group
(spinach greens, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, yellow corn, green peas, avocado, honeydew melon)
These are sources of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. These are believed to reduce the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Lutein is a yellow-green substance that concentrates in the back of your eye. It may also reduce atherosclerosis.
Orange Group
(carrots, mangos, apricots, cantaloupes, pumpkin, acorn squash, winter squash, sweet potatoes)
These contain alpha carotene, which protects against cancer. They also contain beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A.
It protects the skin against free-radical damage and helps repair damaged DNA. Beta-carotene is also good for night vision. It's important to note that these beneficial nutrients can be received from other foods, too. For instance vitamin is found in dairy products and meat. But it's not as beneficial because you get high calories and fat along with it.
Orange/Yellow Group
(pineapple, orange juice, oranges, tangerines, peaches, papayas, nectarines)
These contain beta cryptothanxin, which helps cells in the body communicate and may help prevent heart disease. Also, an orange contains 170 percent of the recommended daily vitamin C. It's interesting to note that the skin of an orange is high in a protective fat that has been found to kill cancer cells in humans and animals, which highlights the fact that two-thirds of all drugs come from the plant world.
Red/Purple Group
(beets, eggplant, purple grapes, red wine, grape juice, prunes, cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, red apples)
These are loaded with powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins believed to protect against heart disease by preventing blood clots. They may also delay the aging of cells in the body. There is some evidence they may help delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
Green Group
(broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, Chinese cabbage or bok choi, kale)
These contain the chemicals sulforaphane and isocyanate and they also contain indoles, all of which help ward off cancer by inhibiting carcinogens. It's a fact that ten percent of the population - like George Bush Sr. - doesn't like broccoli. But it is important in diets because of the beneficial chemicals it contains.
White/Green Group
(leeks, scallions, garlic, onions, celery, pears, white wine, endive, chives)
The onion family contains allicin, which has antitumor properties. Other foods in this group contain antioxidant flavonoids like quercetin and kaempferol.
(tomatoes, can of V8 juice, pink grapefruit, watermelon)
These contain the carotenoid lycopene, which helps rid the body of free radicals that damage genes. Lycopene seems to protect against prostate cancer as well as heart and lung disease. Processed juices contain a lot of the beneficial ingredients. One glass of tomato juice gives you 50 percent of the recommended lycopene.
Yellow/Green Group
(spinach greens, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, yellow corn, green peas, avocado, honeydew melon)
These are sources of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. These are believed to reduce the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Lutein is a yellow-green substance that concentrates in the back of your eye. It may also reduce atherosclerosis.
Orange Group
(carrots, mangos, apricots, cantaloupes, pumpkin, acorn squash, winter squash, sweet potatoes)
These contain alpha carotene, which protects against cancer. They also contain beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A.
It protects the skin against free-radical damage and helps repair damaged DNA. Beta-carotene is also good for night vision. It's important to note that these beneficial nutrients can be received from other foods, too. For instance vitamin is found in dairy products and meat. But it's not as beneficial because you get high calories and fat along with it.
Orange/Yellow Group
(pineapple, orange juice, oranges, tangerines, peaches, papayas, nectarines)
These contain beta cryptothanxin, which helps cells in the body communicate and may help prevent heart disease. Also, an orange contains 170 percent of the recommended daily vitamin C. It's interesting to note that the skin of an orange is high in a protective fat that has been found to kill cancer cells in humans and animals, which highlights the fact that two-thirds of all drugs come from the plant world.
Red/Purple Group
(beets, eggplant, purple grapes, red wine, grape juice, prunes, cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, red apples)
These are loaded with powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins believed to protect against heart disease by preventing blood clots. They may also delay the aging of cells in the body. There is some evidence they may help delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
Green Group
(broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, Chinese cabbage or bok choi, kale)
These contain the chemicals sulforaphane and isocyanate and they also contain indoles, all of which help ward off cancer by inhibiting carcinogens. It's a fact that ten percent of the population - like George Bush Sr. - doesn't like broccoli. But it is important in diets because of the beneficial chemicals it contains.
White/Green Group
(leeks, scallions, garlic, onions, celery, pears, white wine, endive, chives)
The onion family contains allicin, which has antitumor properties. Other foods in this group contain antioxidant flavonoids like quercetin and kaempferol.
- Taken from Dr. Herber's (UCLA center for nutrition) book "What color is your diet?"
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