I’ve just stumbled upon this post on Zen Habits about the Zen of Real Food, which I thought is worth sharing and spreading. The article is quite long, so here are some highlights:

I really don’t think it’s all that difficult to figure out what to eat, however. It’s as simple as “Eat Real Food”. So what do I mean by Real Food? Simple…I mean foods that are in, or very near to, their natural state. Here’s a short list of guidelines to lead us to real foods:

• Food grows and dies. It isn’t created.
• Food rots, wilts, and becomes generally unappetizing, typically rather quickly.
• Food doesn’t need an ingredient label (and probably isn’t in a package either).
• Food doesn’t have celebrity endorsements.
• Food doesn’t make health claims.

If you apply this list to your food shopping, you’ll probably realize that much of what passes your lips doesn’t pass muster.

That part is my favorite:

I don’t know how it is outside of the United States, but here, we’re in love with our microwaves and convenience foods. The quicker dinner can be served, the quicker we can get back to more important things, like American Idol and work.

*lol* – that is so true. Even though it is an extreme in America, I’ve to admit that in Europe (and I can probably extend that claim to the whole planet) more and more people see their “purpose of life” in work (career), getting married, making babies, owning a big house with a nice car sitting in front of the garage and finally to die with a lot of “work and TV experience” and money left, which neither of those gets transfered with them to heaven or hell – or wherever you expect to end up. Ironically some people tend to call this the “American Dream”.

Cooking at Home

Camarones

Food manufacturers have conditioned our taste buds to seek overly salty and sweet foods. It took me a long time to be able to enjoy the natural sweetness of a carrot. My eating pleasure really took a flying leap though when I figured out how to add flavor without sugar or salt. In a nutshell, love your herbs and spices. Find five or seven or ten go-to spices, keep them on hand, and try combining them in novel ways. Branch out and try others.

Here are a few of my favorites: garlic, basil, cumin, ginger, black pepper. And I’m currently eating lots of sage and rosemary that I’ve been picking up at the farmer’s market. The fun of learning to eat right is getting in the kitchen and seeing what new flavor combos you can create. I like cumin, soy sauce, and garlic together. What you come up with might be weird, but it’s all yours. Oh sure, you’re going to mess something up or create a meal that just ain’t quite right, but Rome wasn’t built in a day…or something like that.

Iron Chef

And here’s another aspect of cooking that seems to scare many people off: you don’t have to be competing for the title of Iron Chef to cook delicious, healthy meals. In fact, most of what I cook are simple one-skillet meals where I saute an onion and something green (kale, Swiss chard, broccoli, etc) with ground beef (or other meats, like chicken), throw in a load of whatever spices I have on hand, perhaps a touch of tamari, and get on with eating. It doesn’t always have to be duck confit with a something-something reduction demi-glace.

Farmer’s Market

So where do you find all of this food? My favorite place is my friendly neighborhood farmer’s market (and by “neighborhood,” I mean “across town, but worth the drive”) where I can find fresh, seasonal produce, typically for about 1/3 less than I’d spend at the grocery. So the food is both cheaper and fresher. What else? A bigger benefit is that you are unlikely to find much of temptation there as the farmers are selling fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, raw cheeses, and grass-fed meats and eggs, not pies, cookies, and bagels. Real food from real farmers.

Ethnic Restaurants

Now do you want one of my secrets to getting awesome food that is typically on the good side of healthy at good prices? Ethnic restaurants. And I don’t mean the Chinese buffet; I mean ethnic restaurants run by people that immigrated from the country. There is a Cuban restaurant here in Louisville called Havana Rumba that knocks the socks off of any pub fare you’ll ever sink your teeth into. Where else can I get a huge mound of pork marinated in lime and orange juices, olive oil, and spices? Try Ethiopian, Greek, and Irish fare for something new. You’ll taste novel new uses for spices that a burger and fries just can’t touch.

Real Food:

Still think it’s restrictive? Let’s name some things that are most definitely Real Food: beef, chicken, turkey, pork, salmon, shrimp, crab, lobster, eggs, cheese. Spinach, kale, cucumbers, carrots, turnips, squash (spaghetti, butternut, and acorn to name a few), sweet potatoes, collard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, onions, radishes, bok choi, olives, cabbage. (Deep breath.) Apples, bananas, cherries, melons, berries (straw, black, rasp, and blue), pears. Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, Brazil nuts. Coconut oil, palm oil, butter (yes, I said butter!), olive oil. And let’s not forget parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, garam masala, curry powder, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, and nutmeg. If I were more creative, I’d have made it rhyme, but I think you get the point.

Frankly these foods are far more tasty, more versatile, and healthier than anything you’re going to find in a package. They are far better than the foods with “Now with added X” or “less saturated fat” or “low-carb” or “low-fat” written on the front.

You can read the full article here.

As I mentioned before in some other blog posts I try to get as much of my groceries at the farmer’s market or smaller independent stores instead of the big chain super markets. That’s kinda hard to follow in the United States, I know, but even shopping at Whole Foods (and equivalents) is way better than all this other artificial crap out there. And not only for health reasons, but also to support the little farmers out there to prevent the miserable situation that one day we can only eat food, which is coming out of a factory.

Tags: Food, Health, USA