I have been reading quite a few books lately on the politics of food. I have read Michael Pollan's books, Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food, Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon's The 100 Mile diet, Gina Mallet's Last Chance to Eat and just recently finished Mark Bittman's Food Matters. All very interesting books with some thought provoking opinions. The main theme that seems to run through most of these books is to eat a whole-foods diet based on grains, vegetables and fruits - with meat used more as a flavoring or eaten sparingly. I really like Mark Bittman's book the most - his food politics do not take away from the common sense advice, and he included a useful one-month food plan along with recipes. He has some excellent recipes using meat, poultry and fish for the dinner meals or gives a vegetarian option - I can tell you that 'vegetarian only' would not go over well with the Babe.
I have made a decision at the beginning of this year to try cook more from scratch and avoid most processed foods. One of my favorite food websites has to be 101 Cookbooks. It is only vegetarian but I love it as a resource for making things from scratch such as crackers, hummus, and salsa. Homemade salsa is so good, you know exactly what is in it and I urge you to try it - the link to the recipe is here. Nothing beats the February blues like a clean-up of one's diet. My motto is eat healthy 80 percent of the time and treat yourself the other 20 percent....my favorite treat is gummy bears!!
38 comments:
Yummy pictures Raina! And I know the attempt is to be more healthy, but thanks for a pic with SUGAR (my personal fav food group) in it LOL!
that salsa looks so yummy! i have the omnivore's dilemma but have yet to read it. i also want to read in defense of food at some point and what to eat by marion nestle. sigh...i'll get to all of it eventually.
Tempting looking food in your photos, especially the strawberries!
I hope you'll share some of the favourite new recipes you find. :)
oh, i am so happy to read this entry. just tonight i was wondering how in the world i'm going to find a food philosophy that mirrors the one that feels right to me. and then i read this and you talk of a "whole-foods diet based on grains, vegetables and fruits - with meat used more as a flavoring or eaten sparingly" which is precisely what feels right to me! thank you for the share and i'm definitely going to check those books out.
Thanks for the tip. I will check it out.
Nice pictures, as usual! Now I have a strawberry craving. I am a total sugar addict, but I am fighting it, so I am ignoring the gummy bears. I love 101 cookbooks - she is such a foodie. I just wish I could find whole wheat pastry flour, which seems to be a staple for Heidi. Small-town groceries sometimes have limited choices, sigh;) Good reading choices - I have some of them on my to-read list.
I love your beautiful photographs.
Homemade salsa is the best as is most things homemade.;)
Take care,
~Salina
Love your motto. We manage the making things from scratch but maybe there are a few too many cakes and biscuits in there... :o)
Have you read Animal Vegetable Mineral by Barbara Kingsolver?
And you are absolutely right. Moderation is the key!
Would love it if you shared yummy recipes that you discover! xoxox
Well 80/20 sounds pretty good to me and you certainly make it all look very tempting.
Great reading, Raina! "Omnivore's Dilemma" is a good one! There are so many super reads available on the ethics of food. I've been 95% vegetarian for over 8 years now. The last 5% is the little bit of fish cooked from time to time, as a "compromise" at our house, as all-veg does not go well with my Dear Husband either: ;o) Eating a more plant based diet for me was for many reasons--spiritual, compassion, and health among them. I hope you enjoy the change in your eating. Your photos alone may tempt others--they are lovely snaps of the beauty of food. Happy Eating! ((HUGS))
I just read that 100 Mile Diet book a few weeks ago! Food from scratch always tastes SO much better, don't you think?
I've been in the same frame of mind the past year...gardening and preserving, making my own bread and pizza dough and such. My body just feels better when I really pay attention to what I eat. I just started O's Dilemma...been wanting to read it for awhile. I'm making a note of some of the others you suggested as well. And you are right, 101 Cookbooks is an amazing sight--I've made several of her recipes and they are outstanding!
One of my faves is black bean salsa. Yum! :-)
Thanks for the link to 101 foods. I make most things from scratch and would probably be more vegetarian if the family would eat it! Love the concept of using meat more as a flavouring.
I like your thoughts on food. Thank you. I, myself do eat quite a bit of meat. I'd like to find recipes that use more veggies that kids like! I'm going to check out your link!
Raina, it's really great that you're on this path. Taking care of our bodies and what goes in it, is important. So, all the best fulfilling your goal and living a healthy life.
hey raina! not only have I not been writing - I've barely been reading blogs. Caught this one right in time! I love these types of books. The Mark Bittman and Omnivore's Dilemna are on my "to read" list. I think someone else mentioned but I'm halfway through the Marion Nestle - what to eat- book and it is really interesting!
You know Heidi from 101 cookbooks has her own - Super Natural Cooking. I own it and need to cook from it more often! Not only does it have some awesome recipes but it has interesting articles about different grains, natural sweeteners and other things you aren't sure how to use.
gummy bears? yes please!
Mňam, it looks like you are taking pictures for a food magazine now. Yes, processed food is actually easy to make, I was surprised that such guacamole and salsa and tortillas are pretty easy to prepare, it costs a fortune here to get it already made in a jar.
it's easy to overwhelm oneself when reading about food politics (or other environmental issues, for that matter). my rule is if i'm not making something from scratch, i need to be able to read the list of ingredients and know what they all are (no weird chemical fillers or buckets of corn syrup).
Your salsa looks delicious. Should try it myself. Just read an article about guacamole cans. Most of them contained only 1-10 % of avocado? By the way, my eyes captured some finnish design with yummy gummy bears : ) I have the same green Marimekko as you do.
Oh i am reading Michael Pollan at the moment, very interesting. Might i also recommend Harriet Lamb's Fighting the Banana wars and other Fairtrade battles.
Although i am no great cook I deliver a module to 1st year Design Students about Food Systems and sustainability and as you know use kitchen utensils in my prints often so both books are proving to be inspirational ; )
Hi Raina, I've had a long blogging break due to being ill. So nice to be catching up with everyone again now. I love salsa and hummus - yum! Not so sure about the gummy bears though!
Mmmm, Red.... Red food! the veggies and fruits, they're just so... spirited!
Sounds like a good policy! And homemade salsa is 100 times more delicious than the shop bought varity, I agree!
Those books by Michael Pollan really changed the way I eat. Homemade salsa is a staple here in the summer.
Love the photos, Raina. Your salsa looks delicious. That cookbook sounds fantastic...you'll have to share more of your recipes with us :)
Oh YUM!!! Strawberries mean spring.
And gummy bears are one of my weaknesses...
I'm going to try that! I love salsa and it's so tasty when it's homemade. And it's a good way to get your veggies in or spice up veggies!
I moved to a new site! Check it out: www.aduckinherpond.com.
I do try to eat more healthy...new years resolution... who knows...but I do feel better in the process...that always helps :o)
~simply~
oh... gummy bears, red licorice, you name it!
homemade salsa sounds so good at the moment! my husband used to make it all the time. now he's out of the habit. maybe if i ask him nicely, he'll make it again :)
YUM - thanks for all the book recommends. I would like to start the same - eating better!
OMG - I'm reading Omnivore's Dilemma, too! And none too soon. Thanks for the inspiration -- that's why I keep coming back to your blog.
freash and wholesome.Healthy and delicious.tempting for a growling tummy !!
me too all those books--they change the way you think and eat and it's good for us all!
mark bittman's how to cook everything vegetarian and deborah madison's cookbooks are wonderful resources as well--we're not vegeatrians but eat that way much of the time...love this post raina!
Absolutely true! I hardly eat anything that I haven't made myself - except chocolates :)))
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