Category: FOOD

Food for Thought

An example of Social Engineering: in the cereal aisle, oats are located on the bottom shelf, level with my feet, barely off the ground. Grape Nuts, a cereal made of only 4 ingredients: wheat, barley, yeast, salt is located all the way on the top shelf where my eyes never naturally wander.

I don’t necessarily agree that we should ban cup sizes (Big Gulp) or soda; consumers should have the freedom to buy what they want. However, I do believe there should be strict regulations to protect the planet such as limiting how much land can be used to produce crop for fossil fuels, animal feed (therefore naturally limiting how many animals we raise in order to be able to feed those animals), so more land can be used to grow other healthful crops (fruit/vegetables/grains) to feed our planet.

The most important and effective way to fix our food system is for people to vote with their dollars. If no one buys the 64 oz. soda, corporations will stop selling it.

How do we get people to vote with their dollars to more healthful choices? A few thoughts:

  • Understanding the truly cheapest path is prevention of disease through lifestyle choices. This is the ultimate form of healthcare.
  • Education/ self efficacy: instilling confidence in the kitchen- learning it doesn’t need to take as much time or money as some people tend to think.
  • Intrinsic motivation: just like any choice we make- financial, spiritual, etc. – we must have a large enough ‘why’ that pulls us to make healthier choices, and we’re not being pushed by the government.

Butternut Squash Soup

A warm, cozy treat for a chilly day. This soup goes great with white crusty bread for dipping!

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tb butter or oil
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 1 butternut squash, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • Hearty sprinkle of salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 Tb maple syrup
  • 1 can coconut milk

Directions:

  1. Heat butter or oil in a stock pot and add shallot and cook until translucent. Add squash, garlic, cinnamon and salt and cook for a few minutes to begin cooking the squash.
  2. Add vegetable stock, bring to a simmer and cook until squash softens.
  3. Once squash is cooked through, ladle soup into a blender and blend until smooth (you can also use an immersion blender).
  4. Return soup to stock pot and add maple syrup and coconut milk and stir thoroughly.
  5. Taste soup and adjust accordingly.