Module One
MAKING SMALL CHANGES
A new way of thinking.
How about we stop saying something is “good” or “bad”… how about we look at all ingredients as energy. As a baseline, all food is energy, regardless of its nutritional value. We live in a culture that seems to vilify food. Even how we talk about food has an impact on how we eat. I’d like us to focus on this simple act first.
All food is energy
There is no “good” or “bad” – if you were on the side of a mountain, stranded, and you only had a packet of haribos to eat… you wouldn’t start questioning its nutritional content would you? Let’s get back to basics. All food is energy, and we are energy. Similar to a car, the kind of petrol you put into a car makes it run better or worse… food is no different.
The easiest way to start creating healthier meals is by clearing out your store cupboard and filling it with better alternatives.
I don’t want to be too virtuous here, as with eating wel should also come enjoyment and, in truth, a lot of what we really enjoy is made from nutritionally poor ingredients – think fluffy white bread, pasta and so on.
I believe that in order to really enjoy life you have to enjoy a wide variety and spectrum of ingredients. So don’t throw out your white processed flour straight away but try and use it less, be aware that its nutrient lacking, look to other alternatives when suitable, and when it is finished look for better alternatives and ideally buy organic if that’s possible.
The reality is that heavily processed foods create inflammation in the body and, although inflammation is something that naturally occurs, you don’t want excessive amounts of it and its best to avoid it all together. Instead, I would urge you to look for other ingredients that can help support you, rather than rob you of nutrients.
For example, spelt is a great alternative to white flour. It is an ancient flour, naturally lower in gluten and, because it hasn’t been so processed over the years, it retains more nutrients than some processed wheat flours. Ground almonds can also be used to replace flour in baking. They are high in healthy unsaturated fats and important minerals such as calcium. However, both these examples (spelt and ground almonds) will react differently to flour. Ingredients are like people, they all have their own unique characteristcs, the more you use them the more you will understand them.
Start reading labels and getting to know ingredients – you will begin to build your own community of ingredients that you fall back on and others you don’t like so much. This will evolve and change throughout your life, just like friendships and relationships.
Try to replace white pastas and grains with wholegrains, which are less processed and retain more of their natural goodness. Also become more familiar with the varied healthy grains out there such as wholewheat couscous, bulgar wheat, camargue rice and quinoa. Each has their own individual identity and characteristics. Remember so much of eating well is about variety – so get exploring what is in your supermarkets!
Try to reduce your sugar intake, especially white sugar, and become more familiar with other less processed sweeteners, such honey and maple. Of course, for practicality occasionally, and especially for a crunch in baking, unrefined caster or granulated sugar should be used. However, muscovado sugar (both light and dark) is great to use to get a greater depth of flavour in dishes and is my personal favourite, alongside coconut sugar. The premise here is that whilst all sugars fundamentally create the same reaction with in the body, at least some of them are adding nutrients instead of taking it away.
There is evidence currently suggesting that it is best not to heat up some of the oils we have used (such as sunflower oil, or vegetable oil) to a high temperature as they are not stable enough and therefore have damaging effects. Butter can be used in baking but try to make sure it is organic and ideally grass fed. Coconut oil is, at the moment, deemed one of the best all round alternatives. I’m not totally convinced it’s the answers to all our prayers, though, and I personally like to interchange the fats I use so I get a variety. Coconut can be taken to very high temperatures before burning and has plenty of healthy benefits, although most do have a slight taste of coconut to it so bear that in mind when cooking a meat dish, for example. Finally, don’t forget about traditional fats such as goose fat or beef tallow. They are wonderful fats that have hardly any flavour and can even be used in baking and never be detected.
My favourite all round oil is olive oil - both virgin and extra virgin, depending on the dish. Extra virgin olive oil has a slightly more bitter taste so I generally use it in cold dishes. Another personal favourite is sesame oil, which I love for more Asian style dishes.
Fill your shelves with herbs and spices and use these to add flavour to food. If using salt, I suggest using Maldon salt, Himalayan or Celtic salt. A brown or white miso can also be used for that salty Unami flavor.
If possible, try to use organic or free-range eggs, chicken and milk. Beyond these, I go by the belief that the smaller the animal, the more necessary to go organic if you can. The larger animals ( (such as pork, beef etc) are generally (especially in the UK) reared outside and in good living conditions which can help you slightly when managing your shopping budget.