Eating algorithms?

Here we are again, another week gone ... How's your eating been? There's been a lot happening on here food wise recently. Both me and Jos were writing a lot about it, Jamie's still going through his carb cycling too. As promised last week, I'd like to give you a few tips and ideas as of what to look for when food shopping. The most painful and sad thing for me is that in recent years for most of us supermarkets became the only food source. Industrialisation of our plates has been happening since 1960s. Food has been replaced by foodlike looking products ready to eat in a split of a second and that's how most of us are eating at the moment ... unfortunately. Always on the run!

Another thing is that for a while now we've been told to eat algorithms of complicated names and signs that do not actually mean anything but someone out there said it's good for us so then we all follow ... For many years long long time ago people used to believe the Earth was flat. One of the the best examples to prove that the fact that something is commonly 'known as true' does not always have to be true ... What I mean is that an ideology of nutritionism, as Michael Pollan calls it (check out his 'In Defence of Food' - another amazing read) has convinced us that since nutrients are invisible chemical substances only understood by scientists, we all need their advice in deciding what and when to eat.

Isn't it interesting that most of us no longer eat what our mothers and grandmothers used to eat as children? We got so caught up in the narrow concept of 'physical health' and 'healthy eating' malarky that we forgot about the simple fact that food is also about pleasure, community and our relationship with the natural world.

I am not interested in telling you what to eat for your next dinner. All I want to say is that most of the damage done to our food and health caused by the industrialisation can be reversed and again it's all up to us and our choices when we go food shopping.

Got carried away again I know. So where are the tips and ideas I promised at the beginning?

Well, here we go:

- eat real and natural food (preferably organic or biodynamic, especially meat!)

- go for good fats and oils such as butter, organic extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil

- choose fresh seasonal fruit and veg rather than canned options

- ditch breakfast cereals, white pasta and rice in favour of oats and wholegrains

- the less processed the better

- always read the label, the less ingredients the better (if there's lots of complicated names on there you can't understand, you're better off putting in back on the shelf)

- if you are concerned about your health, you should probably avoid products making 'health' claims as it strongly indicates that it is not a real food but some kind of a 'foodlike' product

- if possible try to find out where your food is coming from

- avoid fast foods and pre packed meals

- avoid artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, acesulfame K or sucralose

- avoid flavour enhancers like MSG (remember that the label does not have to say MSG on it, things like yeast extract, hydrolised protein and most natural flavourings will indicate its presence)

For more ideas check out www.naturalfoodfinder.co.uk or if you would like to have your fresh and organic food delivered to your door look these guys up, they're amazing www.abelandcole.com (don't forget to put my name down as a referral if you decide to sign up, no, they're not sponsoring this blog)

And to finish off this week a little video for you to watch (this is only part 1, parts 2 and 2 1/2 available on youtube).

Let me know what you think.

Have a great weekend. Till next week.

Marta :)