How did we get to the stage where there are more products than produce in our trolleys? What if we changed that and bought mostly produce and decided that we would produce the rest ourselves?
It could make a great impact on our health if we decided that if a product had an ingredient list of more than two, we would eschew the packet in the supermarket and get busy in the kitchen with some simple ingredients instead. Imagine how that would affect our consumption and make us really think about our choices. Want cake? Then bake. And use the very, very best ingredients you can afford. Think about the quality of flour. The sugar. The fat. The eggs. What fruit or vegetable can be added? Zucchini, pumpkin, carrot, apple, orange, blueberry and many others can go into cakes and muffins.
Marinated meat? Buy fresh meat and whip up the marinade at home. Choose tip-top ingredients. In this era when every other website seems to have recipes, it’s not hard to find the information on how to make things yourself. Why have we given away our power to others? It is so simple to make these products ourselves and to know exactly what goes into them. I’ve found that when I take the time to do it myself, it makes a difference not only to the quality of the fare but also the amount I use. I’ve made my own tomato sauce—also known as ketchup—a few times and it is quite a time-consuming exercise. It certainly made me think about how much I was using each time I reached for the container.
Of course, every meal doesn’t have to be a marathon. It takes less than 10 minutes to throw together a delicious salad, and that’s something we should do at least once every day. We should eat produce. Some fruit every day and vegetables including a whole host of greens. Raw. Steamed. Roasted. Raw nuts and seeds. If we want them salted and roasted, we do that ourselves—and use the best macrobiotic or Himalayan salt for the job.
Why shouldn’t we take the time to do these things ourselves? Food is nourishment, and food preparation is an important part of the process. We are grounded when we prepare our own food and we are even more in touch with our food and the earth if we grow it ourselves. Making our meals from single ingredients can be a time of creativity and satisfaction. We can set the table beautifully and have a true dining experience—unhurried, enjoyable, nurturing.
If we’re so busy we have to buy takeaway, we need to rethink the quality of our lives and make a conscious decision to slow down. Food is a necessity but also a pleasure. Our homes should revolve around the kitchen, as they did in ages past. Not around the TV room.