Philosophy
My food blog is finally here!
Hello feeders. I love food. I'm sure you do too.
My philosophy on food is that it should be colourful. As long as you have a variety of colours and a contrast of textures going into every meal, it's gonna be fit.
I'm definitely not saying you should eat raw rhubarb, that would be rank.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
How the story goes:
I pretty much taught myself to cook, as I grew up with a mum who thought it was ok to cover a ROAST CHICKEN with CURRY POWDER and claim it was 'bbq flavoured' and feed me corned beef sandwiches (cat food if you ask me) but she did teach me some very good principles, of which I am very appreciative. When I left Cornwall and moved to Brighton for university, I realised I was fatter than I wanted to be (everyone in Cornwall is on the chubbs side) and so spent all the time in which I procrastinated, researching diet and nutrition. I not only researched it for weight, but for the benefit of my skin as well as I had spots for ages and they made me feel shit.
I have an innate interest in well-being (I did my dissertation on subjective well-being) and believe that you have the resources to improve any situation, be it health-related or anything, simply through positive thinking. Check this out...
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=9ad37391-0043-4a76-9000-7db7beb40744
The 'fast food' industry has come a long way in the past couple of decades. I'm not really talking about Mcdonalds and Burger King etc here, because they are always going to be shit, but more so the availability of healthy, on-the-go stuff. I still think it needs a revamp (it's still mighty difficult to locate a soya milkshake when you want one) but places like Waitrose are forward thinking and have adopted a number of great lunchy type things. A favourite of mine being the brown rice sushi option they do (how has it taken so long?!) M&S have also got their salad boxes sorted. So when you next go to get a chicken and stuffing sandwich from Sainsburys, actually think about the conditions that chicken was farmed in (beak clipped, feet clipped and living in it's own shit being force fed crap food and then pumped with water when it's dead) served in between two pieces of stodgy bread and NO salad, maybe reconsider your options.
Here are a few of the main ideas that make up my diet that I feel are most beneficial for overall well-being:
Green Tea
I used to drink loads of coffee (instant) with full fat milk at home, and dip a mars bar in it and it was nice after dinner but it didn't do anything for my fatness. So I started off transforming my habits by drinking loads of green tea. I read that green tea with lemon burns more calories than normal green tea (it speeds up your metabolism, meaning that you burn more calories in general throughout the day even when resting) and now I try any new flavours that pop up on the shelves. Except jasmine because jasmine is rank. I reckon the perfect brewing technique is to put the boiling water into the cup and then add the tea bag, leave it for about a minute then chuck it. It'll be SO much better than leaving it in. I think that's what puts a lot of people off of green tea; the bitterness resulting from leaving the teabag in - and it looks like pond water. Especially with the pure, unflavoured variety. I don't bother with loose tea because it's too expensive for me at the moment, but i'm sure its better quality overall - as with most things.
I met a student the other day who has EIGHT spoonfulls of instant coffee per cup. Surprised her heart is still beating.
black tea is just not as good. White tea can be good. Most people ruin the benefits of tea by adding white sugar and cow's milk. Madness. Although a builders brew every now and then can be just the answer.
Frozen Berries
I researched that berries are amazing for your skin, as they contain exceptionally high levels of vitamin C, especially black and redcurrents, and are also very good for weight loss. So I started making them a staple and buying frozen summer berries from supermarkets because they are cheaper than fresh, but of course if you can afford fresh just get whatever. You can tell when they are out of season because the blackberries are bland as fuck but most of the time the other berries perform to a high standard (they are so pretty too!) I started putting them on oats and having it with water in the morning (yeah, I know - not very nice! but I was serious about losing weight and had been put right off milk......)
Dairy
 |
| How crazy is that?! ^ |
In terms of nutrition, cheese and butter and milk contain nothing more than saturated fat. The calcium myth is one invented by the dairy industry, and, in fact, there is a study which shows that fruit and veg contain more calcium than milk. When I told this to somebody I know, he said, 'It just makes sense that milk and cheese are good for your bones because they are white and so are your bones' hahaha.
Rory Freedman, writer and nutritionist, says "Mother Nature knew what she was doing. She created all mammals with the ability to nurse their young. And that’s what all mammals do. And when their offspring reaches a certain age, they’re weaned off milk and they eat solid food. Not one goes back for milk after that last serving! Not one. You certainly don’t go kicking down your mom’s door for breast milk, do you? So why in the hell would you think you need the milk of a cow or goat any other animal now, as an adult? Why would you think it’s good for you?"
If you are old enough to read this, you shouldn't be drinking milk. Word.
If you have to drink it, please choose organic. That way you avoid all the pus that goes into it from the infected teats of the over milked cows who are linked up to ruthless milking machines. Gross.
check this out for more info:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/37650320/The-facts-about-milk
I guess it's the same argument for cheese, but at least cheese is progressive and you know how good it tastes when combined with a whole entourage of other tasty things. Goat's cheese is a lot better for you than cow's cheese (and it's awesome with beetroot) - also feta and mozarella.
What did the cheese say to itself in the mirror? Hallo me
Hallumi is also better for you (and wicked grilled and served with chilli jam in a bean burger bap)
I think its ok to have cheese in really small doses. The problem with the food industry, especially with convenience food, is that people believe cheese can be the base of a meal. E.g. a cheese sandwich. With that you're pretty much just getting fat and carbs. Especially when it's a bland, mild cheddar that you are chowing down on. With blander flavours, it takes more to satisfy you so you are just consuming more calories and fat. If you had a smaller piece of stronger cheese, or better still, paired some good cheese with some other ingredients to really emphasise it, you would be winning. Don't be greedy. Quality over quantity with the yellow stuff.
Fish
Fish is amazing. I used to be a pescetarian for a bit but then remembered how good meat can be and thought it silly to have rules when your body tells you it wants something, it tends to know best.
Salmon, mackerel, tuna (steak), prawns, scallops and crab are favourites of mine, but I don't think there's any fish I wouldn't try. Mussels and cockles can get a bit trippy if you look at them for too long, though, I find.
Salmon can be expensive but keep an eye out for half priced whole salmons from fish counters in supermarkets. They'll chop it up for you and then you can just freeze all the fillets and defrost them as you need them. Smoked mackerel I tend to buy as its good value for money and really versatile and good hot or cold. If you're gonna buy tinned, always go for those in olive oil. So much better than sunflower or brine. Prawns I like to buy with the shell on, as there's something quite satisfying about peeling them.
Fish are badman creatures! Full of essential PHAT fatty acids (EFAs). Our bodies cannot manufacture these, they are essential and absolutely abundant in oily fish. Omega-3 fatty acids (alpha-linoleic) are the best for you. Want a good brain? eat them. They also counter inflammatory conditions and help relieve the symptoms of a huge range of health problems. Also a lower risk of blood clots, reduction of cholesterol, improved responses to insulin and better regulation of metabolism and body weight; too many people think that all fat is bad fat. Eating good fats can help you to lose weight. Munch down a mackerel.
Whole GrainsNone of that white shit. Well bad for your digestive organs as it has had all the goodness taken out in the refining process. All white products (rice, bread, pasta, sugar) are just shitty stodge. Keep it wholesome. They will make you feel sluggish, they will make you fat and they will make your energy levels crash. They don't even taste better! come on!
Vegetables
Eat the skin! don't be so 1980s peeling your veg! Are you mad? it doesn't even taste bad and what you get out of it is so worth it.
As much as possible, keep cooking to a minimum and try to steam stuff. Vitamin C is water-soluble, so if you boil your veg you are losing up to 50% of the good shit. Vitamin A, however, is better absorbed cooked. So roast those tomatoes.
Beta-carotene, which is in most orange things, is the precursor to vitamin A.
Did you know you can actually turn orange if you eat too much Beta-carotene?
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/02/if-you-eat-an-excessive-amount-of-carrots-your-skin-will-turn-an-orangishyellow-shade/
These guys love it:
I try to always have: tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, beetroot, peppers and some sort of dark green leafy green in the house. All the colours.
I have this chart at home which is really informative, it goes through all the food groups including all vitamins and minerals. Big up Liz.
http://www.lizcookcharts.co.uk/big-nutrition.html
Nuts
Again, massively high in EFAs and really filling! I find munching on a bag of nuts keeps me full for ages. So tasty too. In Spain last year there were cobnut trees by the side of the road and I pretty much filled my bag with them everyday. They were SO fresh and sweet! Super yum. Buy a packet of mixed nuts and chuck them on your meals. They go with loads of things. Especially good for breakfast.
So, those are the staples. Now let's get fed...
3 comments
Nice work, Jim.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't actually aware of the lack of calcium in milk, but I will continue to drink it none-the-less as it tastes buff.
Cook me dinner in your new pad soon, Yeah?
Hoob x
A very comedic and light look at your good/bad food thoughts and knowledge. Humans are definatly creatures of habit.evolution is the way to go! a well written piece. Ant Smith
ReplyDeleteTHIS. So much THIS. It sounds like you have a really similar diet to me. I am mostly pescatarian and eat loads of veggie stuff and dairy free (almond milk, coconut milk). I do eat meat but prefer good quality produce like well sourced steak and sausages. I never eat chicken either - feel like if you have to cook it so much to check it isn't pink and going to poison you it puts me off! Love you recipes - keep up the good work xx
ReplyDelete