Home Cooked Critics

I’m not a nutritionist. I did, however, successfully complete a “Food and Your Health” course at the 100 level. The degree I hold happens to be a Bachelors of Arts in Journalism. My studies in journalism required me to research, dig up info. So although I am not a journalist I still use that same inquisitiveness in my daily life. Whenever my interest is piqued about a subject or something, I research it, read about it. Typically, I read more than one source – just as any good journalist would. My researching and reading is how I’ve come to know what I know about: Food, health, fitness, etc.

I admit — I have no idea about the nutritional breakdown of the food I prepare and eat or the recipes I’ve created and share. When I teach cooking classes, I always introduce myself and divulge just that. Perhaps some critics may say my recipes and the way I eat doesn’t fall into the “healthy” category. They maybe right. My response, I eat good wholesome home cooked meals, which I feel is better than the alternatives (boxed processed food, fast-food). I eat food. Real food.

The Incans didn’t have nutritionist. They didn’t need them. They gathered, hunted and ate real food. The operative word: real. I don’t mean to be dismissive of the whole idea about calories and the nutritional value of food, but I think if we look at real food: Vegetables, fruit, grains, nuts, seeds, lean protein, and good fat we don’t have to concern ourselves with the calories and such. It’s the so-called food that comes in boxes, packages, and fast-food joints that we have to be concerned with. I think when we started tinkering with food, processing food that’s when we lost our way. I’m starting a movement to bring cooking back.

I lovingly prepare 99 percent of my meals at home using fresh ingredients that I’ve hand selected from the grocery store. I eat tons of fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and lean protein. Oh yeah, and I exercise to counter it all. Sure, I use butter not like Paula Deen, but I do use butter. Even, sugar. White table sugar. I don’t want to compromise the taste of my food by using fat-free substitutes or wanna-be concoctions (e.g. margarine). Furthermore, let’s think about it…If the fat is removed from such ingredients, something is added back to it, to try and make it taste better — duh!

So, for those who take my healthy cooking classes, follow my recipes from my convenient little cookbook Bringing Cooking Back my recipes are from the heart. I’m sensible about my food choices, mindful of eating, and I exercise. To me that’s healthy. I’m trying to reach the masses and for the masses I believe this is the most reasonable approach. Most of us will never have a body of a cover model or have a athletes physique, but we can all prepare and eat good healthy wholesome food and be fit. That’s my hope for me and for you. To the critics, I contend that eating home cooked meals are better than the alternatives. I’ve taken control of my health by cooking good wholesome meals at home. I urge you to join me. One day, maybe I’ll have the opportunity of partnering with a nutritionist, until then…let’s eat, drink, and be merry not gluttonous.