diet

While perusing the fruit and vegetable department of my local grocery store several years ago, I came upon an interesting looking fruit. I had never had it in my life at that point and was looking for something new to add to my diet that was healthy.

I had read about the kiwifruit and knew that it “packed a punch” of vitamin C. There was one sliced open, and I was intrigued by its beauty as well. What an interesting looking fruit it truly is. Of course, it went into my grocery cart along with the rest of my items. I had to try it.

Driving through Dateland, Arizona, we had to stop at the travel center and get a date shake. With soaring summer temperatures and a long day’s drive, it was a much needed break from the road. The creamy, sweet shake got me thinking about the origin of dates and why an area would be so inclined to pride itself on a single crop. After investigating, I began to understand what makes this fruit so sought after and how its nutritional benefits have been enjoyed for thousands of year.

Popping pills at the behest of Big Pharma profits is a poor substitute for healthy dietary choices. Taking drugs for avoidable lifestyle diseases is hardly a path to good health. Cholesterol is a case in point.

Unhealthy diet and inadequate exercise usually lead to high cholesterol levels. Excessive cholesterol causes fatty deposits to accumulate on arteries and blood vessels, which restricts blood flow, leading to high blood pressure – a precursor to heart disease and strokes. Young adults and even children can have high cholesterol.

Imagine: sitting in class, about to take a final that will determine your grade for the overall class. You’ve been up all night studying and are now only fueled by four cups of coffee and the anxiety that is keeping you focused. The professor hands you your test packet and tells you to begin when you realize nothing you have studied is on the test. Your stomach begins to churn and before you can finish writing your name on the corner of your paper you bolt out of class to the nearest bathroom.

Contrary to popular belief, recent research shows that eating sustainably sourced meat is not taboo. In fact, eliminating meat from our food system could actually be unsustainable.

Wheat germ is the reproductive part of a grain of wheat -- thus the term germ, meaning to germinate, which left to grow becomes wheat grass. It contains the most fat of the grain and is also the most nutrient rich. It has valuable health benefits, including preventing several major diseases, as well as aiding many other physical and mental functions.

Walking into the markets here in Barcelona, Spain, I am welcomed to find an array of seasonal fruit, from three kinds of watermelon to cantaloupe and late-harvest cherries. Strawberries were on the shelves in late June, but as August rolls into September the last of the summer stone fruits make their appearance, getting ready for autumn’s harvest.

As a country, we’re becoming increasingly more aware of what we eat, and how what we eat makes us feel. The past few years have seen a rise in the popularity of many diets advocating a return to real, whole foods, and prompting us to listen to our bodies. Dietary choices such as Paleo, vegan, raw, and the hormone diet mark a turn away from processed foods and towards a more natural way of eating.

Organic garlic and organic onion are valuable herbs that benefit the body, add flavor to foods and are well known for their healing qualities. They are both members of the allium family, among chives, shallots, and leeks. They are one of the oldest and easiest plants to grow and have been cultivated for millennia. It is said that both garlic and onions originated in Asia but onions and garlic grew wild in the Americas and were popular long before Europeans arrived. Onions were regarded as a god in ancient Egypt – because of an onion’s many layers, it symbolized life.

Quinoa, pronounced “keen-wah”, originated in the area of Chile and Peru and flourishes in altitudes from 12,000 to 15,000 feet. It is a fruit of the family Chenopodium and is an annual herb with seeds growing in clusters at the top of the stalk, much like millet. The native peoples used the seeds for cereal, in cakes and brewed into a beer; the leaves were eaten much like spinach. It was the second most cultivated crop in the native cultures and highly valued for its protein and high nutritional content.