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LIVE WELL WITH LAURA

What’s in a name? “Good” versus “bad” food

by Laura Burkett-Holstine, HHC

Laura Burkett, HHC“Uh-oh,” someone says sheepishly, “I shouldn’t be eating this, should I?” 

First of all, I think it must be said that my diet does not consist of only steamed vegetables, tofu, wheatgrass, seaweed, and medicinal mushrooms. 

In fact, my husband wanted a malt from Big Boy the other day and we shared (drum roll, please)…a plate of fries. Yes, the food gods were looking down on me in disgust, waving fingers, and shaking heads, ready to take my health-food scepter clear out of my hands. 

Bad. Bad. Bad.

What is “bad” food anyway? For the length of this article, join me in forgetting everything you think you know about healthy eating. 

Postulation: Food is absolutely MORALLY NEUTRAL. 

“Well, wait a minute,” you may ask, “Are you trying to tell me I can eat chips every day and that’s fine? That I shouldn’t be eating greens and root vegetables instead?” 

Sure, there are some foods that are more nutrient-dense and healing than others, no doubt. 

But if we are to embrace the yogic concept of asteya (non-stealing) and apply this to our collective tendency to quickly rank food as “good” and “bad,” this is actually to some degree, an act of stealing our own experience of food’s effect on the body. How does the food actually make you feel? 

Whether or not a food is “good” or “bad” is a completely subjective experience. 

Take your pick: a bag of Cheetos versus some sprouted whole wheat bread. But wait. Now take a person who has a gluten intolerance. For many people, the sprouted grain bread would clearly be the superior choice. But without question, the gluten-intolerant people know, the Cheetos would have a much more desirable effect on the body.

Even though what we eat is of utter importance, we often forget the other half of the story: WHO is doing the eating. Maybe you feel better with more protein. Perhaps you have been experimenting with vegetarianism, but soy actually makes you feel bloated.  Finding the proper way of eating is a continual and ever-changing flow of simply trying, observing, and modifying. 

By all means, try juicing delicious raw green smoothies, and bake your root vegetable medley, and add seaweed to your diet (see below if seaweed is new to you). But rather than simply let the mind decide the food is “good” for you, allow yourself to actually experience a desirable or undesirable effect within the physical body.

This awareness, although subtle at times, will bring your attention to feeling well! You will know when you’ve had too much of anything or if you need to eat a little more or if you need to watch dairy in your diet. You won’t a need a book or an expert to tell you that. You’ll keep gravitating toward foods that make you feel well if you choose to feel well (an entirely different article.) And let me tell you, when you feel well, no book or expert can argue otherwise.

Kale with Seaweed, Sesame, and Ginger

½ cupe dried arame sea vegetables
2 Tbs sesame oil
1 Tbs peeled, minced ginger
1 bunch dinosaur kale
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs Braggs Liquid Aminos
1 Tbs toasted sesame seeds

Rinse the seaweed in water and let soak, covered in water for 5-7 minutes. Drain seaweed and place in a large bowl. Add 1 tsp of dark sesame oil and the minced ginger.

Prepare kale by soaking in water to loosen any dirt, rinsing thoroughly. Chop cross-wise into 1-inch by 2-inch pieces.

In a large covered skillet, uncover and heat 2 tsp of sesame oil on medium heat. Add garlic and gently sauté for one minute, until fragrant. Add the seaweed and ginger, gently cook for 1 minute. Remove seaweed/ginger/garlic from pan back to the bowl and set aside.

Heat 1 Tbs sesame oil in the skillet. Add the chopped kale. Add 3 Tbs of Braggs. Gently mix in the pan to coat the kale with the oil and Bragg. Cover and lower heat to low. Let cook for 5-10 minutes or until kale is wilted - soft enough to eat easily, but not so soft as to be mushy.

Remove cover and let cook a minute more to evaporate any excess moisture. Remove from heat. Mix in the kale with the seaweed ginger mixture. Add more sesame oil and Braggs to taste. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

Serves 4.

*adapted from www.SimplyRecipes.com

Visit Laura at www.RealFoodWellness.com