Slow Food Diet ~ You are what you eat… always

There’s no need to say anything, because this picture is worth more than a 1,000 words.

This image can be found on this Website… www.prikk.com

Foods That Are Great For You

According to Tara Parker-Pope, in an article that she published in The New York Times, “Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don’t always find their way into our shopping carts.”

I’m just going to give you her short list, and direct you to her article for the entire list with the full explanations of what makes these power food

1. Beets
2. Cabbage
3. Swiss chard
4. Cinnamon
5. Pomegranate juice
6. Dried plums
7. Pumpkin seeds
8. Sardines (fish oil serves the same purpose)
9. Turmeric
10. Frozen blueberries
11. Canned pumpkin

In her story, Tara not only lists why the foods are good, but also give you suggestions for how to enjoy them.

In researching all of this, I’ve just learned that Dr. Johnny Bowden is someone worth any Finickie Foodie’s attention, because finickies are that way for a reason, and I honestly think it’s our innate ability to know what our bodies need instinctively. For instance, I didn’t know I was allergic to most fish until I was tested for food allergies when I was in my 40’s. I didn’t need anyone telling me that when I was in my adolescence… I just knew the smell of fish turned my stomach, and when forced to eat it, I gagged… period. Later, the science followed my body’s signals. I can substitute fish oil for fish, and recently heard that Flax seed oil is good for vegetarians – versus fish oil.

Navigating our way through life…

The link to Tara Parker-Pope entire story: The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating

Some people eat to live, and I’m one of them

Finicky Foodies… There are a lot more of us than you might think.

In my own family,

I’ve got one daughter that tip toes around fish… She just wasn’t offered it as a child, and isn’t that used to it. She admits she’ll try it when offered, and might even like it, but wasn’t raised with it, because I hate fish… period. She hasn’t been tested for food allergies, but I have. With her likes and dislikes being very close to mine, I’m betting her DNA is probably close to not being able to eat lots of it, otherwise she’d be drawn to it, like my second daughter, who lives for sushi. My dad was ( and my brother is) allergic to fish, but somehow that didn’t stop Dad or my brother from eating it… except when their gout was/is an issue.

Another daughter is allergic to many grains, including wheat, barley, rye… Celiac.

My third daughter is a vegetarian. She’s allergic to the idea of taking down an animal in order to live.

A son-in-law has religious beliefs that doesn’t allow for pork in his diet.

A second son-in-law also has religious beliefs that doesn’t allow for pork, but he’s willing to give it a try… depending on what it is.

Holiday meals that I prepare are pretty interesting, to say the least. (I’ll tell you about how I stuff a turkey, when we get closer to Turkey Time.)

So… What drives a Finicky Foodie?

I don’t wake up in the morning with thoughts about how I’ll craft my day around the “Bounty of the County,” as is often said here in Sonoma County.

I wake up thinking about what I need to write. I might get a bite in somewhere in the process, but most likely it will be about 10:00 a.m., and the hunger pangs hit me. I slice off a piece of a banana, and keep typing away on my computer.

This is typical for me. By 4:00 p.m., I might begin to take food seriously, having shoved something down at lunchtime.

I don’t live to eat, because food’s not what seems to drive me on.

I have food allergies, food aversions, and what I do eat I’m very particular about.

What goes into my body needs to be a primary food with very little intervention. In other words, no fast food for me… It’s not pure enough.

A long time ago, I bought into, “You are what you eat,” so why would I eat “Junk?”

If this makes me finicky, I wear the badge proudly.

I’m not one of those who can’t stand it when one food on my plate touches another. I’m not OCD. I’ve just got a sensitive digestive system, and I know there’s a lot of people out there just like me.