How slow cooking with a DIY solar cooker brought my mind back to my childhood? I have no idea.
But did you also have such fun as a child with a shoelace and a magnifying glass? It was fantastic to try to light the fire by burning the lace with the sun shining through the magnifying glass.
I never thought about that fun again until I started researching solar cookers. Not that we need a magnifying glass for a solar cooker, but the sun is definitely needed.
We’ve all been there. After a whole week feeling great because we stuck to our diet. Then something unexpected happens, we get stressed. The only thing that’s going to help us is comfort food. I am sure you recognize this, don’t you?
The problem is, comfort food usually equals unhealthy junk food. So yes, we probably feel better, for a while. But in the long run, we add lots of unneeded calories to our bodies. Which of course adds to our stress.
Instead of munching on unnecessary sugar and fat calories, why not try some healthy alternatives? Do such things exist? Healthy junk food alternatives? Yes, with some small adjustments to your already satisfying foods, you can cut the calories without cutting the taste.
In The 6 Essential Nutrients to Have a Balanced Diet, I have mentioned that some say this should actually be “the 7 essential nutrients” because dietary fiber should be included as well. This poses of course the question “What is the function of dietary fiber?”.
Our ancestors had a diet rich in fiber. Gradually, a large part of our food has been refined and stripped of nutrients and fibers.
In the US, 40% of the inhabitants eat fast food every day, which does not contain any fiber. In Europe, most people eat an average of 15 grams of fiber per day, which should be double the amount.
Buying organic foods is a growing necessity for many families. A lot of children are already obese at a young age. Half of the people living in the Western world have chronic diseases. The majority of elderly people are on medications that can be avoided for a great deal if we make healthy choices.
The more concerned we become about the pollutants and chemicals in our food, the greater the need for organic replacements. However, it’s not always easy to go the organic way as this can be expensive.
Once we are motivated enough it is very doable to buy organic food on a budget. If more people did this, it would be a big advantage in two ways: prices would drop because of more demand and organic farmers would get their fair share.
Conventional farming versus organic farming is an unfair comparison. Hannie and I are organic fans. For us, organic is the only truth about food. We want conventional farming to convert to organic, and we want this NOW. Some very relevant questions need to be asked about conventional farming. We also need more organic converts.
Farmers, the agricultural industry, and many consumers believe that the conversion from conventional to organic agriculture is too complicated. Most people shy away from complicated, specifically when it comes to food. The responsibility is firmly put in the hands of the government. However, most governments make unfair comparisons between conventional and organic farming.
The quality of food determines life expectancy. However, the quality of food can as well be a savior as a menace. This is best understood in the contribution of food to the rise, and the subsequent standstill, of life expectancy during the past century and a half.
Average life expectancy almost doubled. This great achievement I have always attributed to the presence of clean water and better health care. This is only true to some extent. The rise in life expectancy must be mainly attributed to the mechanization of food production in the US.
Healthy food dishes are amazing to prepare and often much easier than you would expect. The trick is to use the right ingredients. Blue and purple fruits and vegetables are such healthy ingredients. Tom and I always use organic fruits and vegetables which are delicious.
The next step is to know what the specific health benefits are of the food we use in our dishes. Most fruits and vegetables are the healthiest when eaten raw. Steam cooked is also a healthy way to prepare food. We always use as little oil and water as possible. And the oil is always organic and plant-based.
Food with a conscience is something most of us want more and more. We visit the supermarket and try to think beyond what we want on our plate. Yes, we want healthy food, but we also want to know where the food comes from.
However, the more we have to buy, the more difficult it is to keep track of our good conscience. And if both parents have a busy and demanding job, there is little time and energy left to be mindful of what we buy and eat.
That’s why I’ve made up some rules of thumb for ‘food with a conscience’.