Eating

This is us:

We as a species evolved with the planet. The way we eat, the way our metabolic processes function, even the way our brains work in relation to our eco-cultural environment. The human race has a habit called anthropomorphism: to apply human characteristics to things that are not. At first glance this seems a little arrogant, certainly, an egocentrically asserted assumption, but…is it really? How can you shame a habit maintained by an entire species that just wants to understand.

While eating your dinner, you are probably focused on the hectic day you had or listening to someone else’s rant. You might be serving everyone and holding off eating until everyone is happy. You might be proud of the meal you prepared. But did you ever think about where it all came from? Your salad could have lettuce from California. Your potatoes might be from Idaho. Your stew has ingredients from all over the world.

Join Basmati.com every week for a Q&A session with one of Basmati’s practitioners, Melissa Hill (FDN-P)! We know that there is a lot of confusing information out there, which can make applying health advice overwhelming.  Sometimes, it’s best to ask a practitioner directly, so each week we’ll cover a common health question!

Some things are hailed as “superfoods” only to get debunked when further research is done. Other foods bounce on and off the good-for-you list—one week you’re enjoying them and the next you’re avoiding them. With all the confusion surrounding healthy eating, trying anything with so much hype surrounding it can be intimidating.

As spring starts peeking around the corner, you might notice all the beautiful fiddlehead ferns starting to arise. They are lovely for looking at and even better for eating. The wild plants are known as "fiddleheads" because they resemble the neck of a fiddle. These gorgeous greens are said to have several health benefits. They are high in fiber, potassium, and magnesium as well as vitamins C and A. But how do you consume them?

I eat almost everything with my hands. The few exceptions include soup and chocolate mousse, but generally, all foods are finger food to me.

It may just be because I'm Indian and it's culturally normal to eat with my hands. Also, I've never been taught by my parents to use a knife and fork, and any foray into cutlery-use was either experimental or necessitated by circumstances. Like that time I attended an etiquette course and was flabbergasted that while the instructors thought to teach me about cutlery, they failed to mention that not all cultures fit within this "norm."

Many New Year’s resolutions involve eating better. But with such a lofty goal, it can be hard to know where to start. Fortunately, just a few simple changes make stepping in the right direction easy. This list, organized starting with the easiest steps to implement, makes cleaner eating accessible no matter what.

We’d all love to imagine that pantry pests don’t exist. Spotless grocery stores and clean, sterile kitchens in advertisements make it easy to pretend for a while. But at home, no matter how hard we try, things creep in that we’d rather not have there—especially when we’re storing natural foods that aren’t heavily processed and packaged.

It’s easy to focus on those plump, crunchy parts of root vegetables, but who knew that the foliage above ground, responsible for all the goodness that grows below, is just as nutritious? I’m talking about your carrots, beets, and even those radishes that you may – hopefully – purchase with the tops flopping around awkwardly. Don’t be fooled! Those tops are a goldmine of nutrients including iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium, folate, and vitamins A, B, C, E and K.

The days are getting shorter, the garden has been put to rest, and the fruits and vegetables at the farmer’s market are getting sparse. We’re in the thick of fall, and as we all know, fall turns into winter and leaves us for many months without fresh leafy greens, sweet juicy berries, or perfectly ripe tomatoes. For many hoping to eat locally, winter can be challenging - but it doesn’t have to be! Dear readers, you really can eat locally all year round, even if you’ve never canned a day in your life!