Yesterday, my friend E and I made mozzarella together. Making cheese sounded like it would be a challenging but fun activity. It was certainly fun, but it was soooooo easy. There were 4 ingredients: whole, pasteurized, organic milk, salt, citric acid, and rennet (the citric acid and rennet came in a cheese-making kit that E bought). The process took about half an hour for 3/4 lb. of cheese (about 2 balls approximately the size you would get at the grocery store). Aside from the fact that it's delicious, it's wonderful because I know exactly what went into it. There are no additives, and the milk came from a cow that was pastured and grass fed. I really want to try making other cheeses now. Apparently ricotta is even easier than mozzarella, which is hard to believe.
The recipe book had all sorts of yummy sounding recipes to use the whey in (cheese is made of curds, and a byproduct is a watery substance called whey) including pizza crust. I'm imagining eating pizza in the summer with homemade crust and cheese, and garden tomatoes, basil, and other vegetables. Mmmmmm. I'll admit that most of the vegetables would probably come from E's garden - she has a yard with plenty of space for a big garden and a passion that far exceeds mine for food (I will have planter boxes on my balcony), but I know she will share.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Dave's Killer Bread
My roommate made a discovery that I absolutely have to share with everyone. It's called Dave's Killer Bread. It's the most delicious commercially available bread I've ever eaten - and bonus points - it already comes sliced for sandwiches! It's packed with seeds and whole grains, and has seeds in the bread and on the crust (they do have a variety without all the seed pieces for those who don't like the texture). The company is committed to sustainable practices, organic ingredients, and delicious bread. The best part is that it comes from Milwaukie, Oregon, which is less than 200 miles from Seattle. It's a little pricier than the average loaf of bread, but it's well worth the price. Heck, I even want to eat the heels of this bread, so not a single slice is going to waste.
If you get a chance, try this bread. I was sold after one slice.
If you get a chance, try this bread. I was sold after one slice.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Mmm, Cookies
Today, for the first time in a lonnnnnng time, I baked cookies. I decided that I needed to get rid of some of my peanut butter. It's perfectly good Trader Joe's organic peanut butter, but compared to the amazing deliciousness of the freshly ground organic peanut butter available at Whole Foods or Ballard Market, it's bland and boring. I can't justify buying the amazing peanut butter while the other stuff sits in my pantry. So I looked online and found a recipe for whole wheat peanut butter oatmeal cookies. They turned out amazing. Plus, all of the ingredients I used were organic, and the brown sugar was fair trade. The only thing that could have made them better was if I'd added Theo chocolate. I know for next time.
Although my cookies aren't made from local ingredients, they were made almost entirely from products that were in my pantry from before my decision to go local. I did buy vanilla extract, which of course, isn't available locally, and baking soda. While I am making every effort to eat locally, I am not a purist. I mean, sometimes, you just need something that comes from a different locale, like vanilla. When I buy peanut butter again, it will be made from freshly ground Oregon peanuts, instead of a jar that has peanuts from who knows where, a processing plant most likely somewhere in the middle of the country, and a distribution center that could be entirely different from the factory location.
Although my cookies aren't made from local ingredients, they were made almost entirely from products that were in my pantry from before my decision to go local. I did buy vanilla extract, which of course, isn't available locally, and baking soda. While I am making every effort to eat locally, I am not a purist. I mean, sometimes, you just need something that comes from a different locale, like vanilla. When I buy peanut butter again, it will be made from freshly ground Oregon peanuts, instead of a jar that has peanuts from who knows where, a processing plant most likely somewhere in the middle of the country, and a distribution center that could be entirely different from the factory location.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Eating with Integrity
I'm taking a class in Five Element acupuncture (5E), which deals more with addressing PSE (psychological, spiritual, emotional) concerns than physiological problems. It is strongly stressed that as a practitioner of 5E that you live with integrity. The concept of integrity in this context is always striving to take the right action. Every time you make a decision, there is one decision that is better. Becoming aware of that and acting on it is something that I am working very hard on manifesting in my life. The problem, of course, is that that the right action usually isn't the easy action. For instance, it's much easier for me to buy lunch in the cafeteria at school than it is to pack something from home that I know is made of local, sustainable products. Granted, my school's cafeteria is 100% vegetarian with lots of vegan options, but I've seen all sorts of produce in the food that isn't in season in WA. In this case, the right action is pretty clear. It's just going to require planning.
Meal planning has never been my strong suit. In fact, my eating habits have pretty much always been based on whims. Eating local, sustainable food isn't the cheapest option (though it's cheaper than buying lunch!), so I need to make sure I get the most out of every dollar. I suppose I'm going to have to start thinking this through. Before I go to the Ballard Market on Sunday, I will have a plan. I need to prove to myself that I can afford to eat organic on a very tight budget. Time to look up recipes and figure this out.
Meal planning has never been my strong suit. In fact, my eating habits have pretty much always been based on whims. Eating local, sustainable food isn't the cheapest option (though it's cheaper than buying lunch!), so I need to make sure I get the most out of every dollar. I suppose I'm going to have to start thinking this through. Before I go to the Ballard Market on Sunday, I will have a plan. I need to prove to myself that I can afford to eat organic on a very tight budget. Time to look up recipes and figure this out.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Just in Case You Needed Another Reason...
In class today, one of my professors brought up yet another reason to minimize processed foods. There is a theory among some in the Chinese medical community that eating processed foods is a major factor in weight gain, and even a factor in difficulty with weight loss. Your body tells you to eat when it needs something, including qi. Processed food, as previously mentioned, has low or no qi. When you eat but don't get qi, your body tells you to keep eating hoping that you'll give it what it needs. It stores all those extra calories as adipose tissue, but it doesn't have the energy necessary to burn the fat.
This is all speculation and hasn't been scientifically proven, but it makes a great deal of sense. Whether its true or not, reducing the amount of processed food in your diet can only be beneficial to your overall health.
This is all speculation and hasn't been scientifically proven, but it makes a great deal of sense. Whether its true or not, reducing the amount of processed food in your diet can only be beneficial to your overall health.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
You Are What You Eat
Everyone knows that food is the fuel that keeps our bodies running. If you think about eating well, you probably think about making sure you get enough of the essential nutrients that our bodies require: vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc. You probably haven't spent a lot of time thinking about whether or not your food has enough qi to keep your body running at maximum efficiency. All living organisms have qi - it is the energy that keeps us alive. Plants get it from the sun, animals get it from plants and other animals that they ingest.
Once you remove something from the mechanism that provides it with qi (whether that's picking fruit from a tree or ending the life of an animal), the qi will drain out over time. It's pretty obvious when food is fresh and when it isn't. Fruits, vegetables, and animals have protective barriers (skins or peels) that slow the rate at which qi drains. Just look at an apple that has been sliced. It turns brown quickly, and it becomes inedible days (and in some cases, weeks!) before it would have if the skin had remained in tact. The fresher your food is, the more energy it has, and with a few exceptions, the tastier it is.
Processed foods lose huge amounts of qi in their preparation. In some cases, they lose virtually all of it. Just look at the Twinkie. The ingredient list includes eggs, flour, and corn syrup, among other things that were once part of healthy, energetic foods, but the Twinkie itself is completely devoid of any nutritional or energetic value. Most processed foods contain processed ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, and partially-hydrogenated oils. The further away from nature you get, the worse the food is for you. It is possible to live on a diet that has almost no qi. Vitamin supplements can help to provide your body with essential nutrients, but being processed themselves, they offer no qi. People eating diets composed of mostly processed foods are going to be lethargic and unhealthy. Without enough energy, white blood cells aren't exactly going to have the power needed to fight off diseases.
I realize that it isn't practical for people to cut all processed foods out of their diets. It's just important to make sure that you get plenty of whole foods in your diet.
It isn't enough to make sure you get enough qi in your diet - it is also necessary to pay attention to the quality of the qi. A person who is chronically ill has less qi than someone with a cold, who has less qi than a healthy person. Someone who lives under constant stress and in poor living conditions has less qi than someone who lives in a comfortable home and has all of their needs met. The same is true of animals. The majority of animal products - meat, dairy, eggs - available in the US comes from animals that are mass produced. Upon reaching maturity, the average meat cow is sent to live in a tiny pen where it is fed corn, which it can't digest properly. Its pen isn't kept in good condition, so it stands around in its own feces for the rest of its life. Because of its poor diet and unsanitary living conditions, the poor cow is susceptible to all sorts of diseases, so it's pumped full of antibiotics that keep it alive until it's slaughtered. The average chicken (both for eggs and meat) is kept in a cage too small for it to move, packed into rooms with hundreds of other chickens, none of which ever see the sun. If you eat meat from these animals, you'll get the full compliment of essential amino acids and loads of iron, but the qi you get will be sub-par, to say the least. Fortunately, there is a growing demand for animal products that come from animals allowed to live the life they were designed for. You can get grass-fed beef from cows that have spent their entire lives grazing in a pasture, and you can get cage-free chicken. It's more expensive than its mass-produced counterpart, but I think it's well worth the price. I'm eating less meat than I used to, but every bite is from an animal that led a decent life and had good quality qi.
Once you remove something from the mechanism that provides it with qi (whether that's picking fruit from a tree or ending the life of an animal), the qi will drain out over time. It's pretty obvious when food is fresh and when it isn't. Fruits, vegetables, and animals have protective barriers (skins or peels) that slow the rate at which qi drains. Just look at an apple that has been sliced. It turns brown quickly, and it becomes inedible days (and in some cases, weeks!) before it would have if the skin had remained in tact. The fresher your food is, the more energy it has, and with a few exceptions, the tastier it is.
Processed foods lose huge amounts of qi in their preparation. In some cases, they lose virtually all of it. Just look at the Twinkie. The ingredient list includes eggs, flour, and corn syrup, among other things that were once part of healthy, energetic foods, but the Twinkie itself is completely devoid of any nutritional or energetic value. Most processed foods contain processed ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, and partially-hydrogenated oils. The further away from nature you get, the worse the food is for you. It is possible to live on a diet that has almost no qi. Vitamin supplements can help to provide your body with essential nutrients, but being processed themselves, they offer no qi. People eating diets composed of mostly processed foods are going to be lethargic and unhealthy. Without enough energy, white blood cells aren't exactly going to have the power needed to fight off diseases.
I realize that it isn't practical for people to cut all processed foods out of their diets. It's just important to make sure that you get plenty of whole foods in your diet.
It isn't enough to make sure you get enough qi in your diet - it is also necessary to pay attention to the quality of the qi. A person who is chronically ill has less qi than someone with a cold, who has less qi than a healthy person. Someone who lives under constant stress and in poor living conditions has less qi than someone who lives in a comfortable home and has all of their needs met. The same is true of animals. The majority of animal products - meat, dairy, eggs - available in the US comes from animals that are mass produced. Upon reaching maturity, the average meat cow is sent to live in a tiny pen where it is fed corn, which it can't digest properly. Its pen isn't kept in good condition, so it stands around in its own feces for the rest of its life. Because of its poor diet and unsanitary living conditions, the poor cow is susceptible to all sorts of diseases, so it's pumped full of antibiotics that keep it alive until it's slaughtered. The average chicken (both for eggs and meat) is kept in a cage too small for it to move, packed into rooms with hundreds of other chickens, none of which ever see the sun. If you eat meat from these animals, you'll get the full compliment of essential amino acids and loads of iron, but the qi you get will be sub-par, to say the least. Fortunately, there is a growing demand for animal products that come from animals allowed to live the life they were designed for. You can get grass-fed beef from cows that have spent their entire lives grazing in a pasture, and you can get cage-free chicken. It's more expensive than its mass-produced counterpart, but I think it's well worth the price. I'm eating less meat than I used to, but every bite is from an animal that led a decent life and had good quality qi.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Why Local?
I went to Whole Foods today. As I walked through the produce section, I saw piles of juicy mangos, golden pineapples, lush broccoli, bags of grapes, and heaps of not-quite-ripe bananas. All of it was food that I would have happily gobbled up just a few months ago without thinking twice. So why did I walk by all that yummy looking produce? Why am I sticking to root vegetables, leafy greens, apples, and pears that I bought at the farmers' market? Because I'm doing my best to eat local (for me, this means I'm getting as much of my food as possible from farms in Washington State, and if I'm presented with a choice, I will always choose from the farm that's closer to Seattle).
So, why local?
It is better for the environment. Americans have all gotten used to having an abundant variety of produce to eat year-round. Unless you live in one of the warm states where everything grows year-round, in order to get the variety, it has to be imported. It may not seem like a big deal, but every time you choose local, you make a significant impact. Every time a banana is shipped from the tropics, or an apple comes to the US from New Zealand, and even when an avocado from California makes its way to the produce aisle in Seattle, it takes gas. The further your produce has to travel, the more natural resources are used, and the more pollution is pumped into the atmosphere. Our demand for strawberries in February helps to ensure our dependence on foreign oil. Not only that, but unless the food we import is fair trade, the conditions for the farmers are abysmal, and they're not making any money.
That is the argument that first got me interested, but like a lot of other people, I thought to myself, "*Gasp!* That's horrible! I should really do something about that!" while proceeding to go about my business without making many changes. After all, mangos are delicious, bananas are cheap, and broccoli goes with everything. It wasn't until I realized the impact that eating local would have directly on my happiness that I started to make a concerted effort.
Since the advent of agriculture, people have been modifying crops. If you plant seeds from the fruit that is the biggest and most delicious, then the resulting offspring will be larger and tastier. The corn that we eat today is unrecognizable from the grass that Native Americans started off with. Once farming became a massive industry, new modifications were made. Produce was selected for its durability and ability to travel long distances, as well as its size (Americans understand, after all, that bigger is always better), rather than for taste and nutritional content. Genetic modifications were made to render the mature plants of some crops reproductively useless so that farmers would have to constantly buy seeds instead of planting seeds from the crop they had already grown. What all of this boils down to is that the food that gets shipped from far away has a tendency to be flavorless and nutritionally deficient. I'll take one small, locally grown strawberry with red flesh and flavor that explodes in your mouth over 100 of the giant, anemic, flavorless strawberries that are available year round, and which most Americans have come to associate with the word "Strawberry." Not only that, but it turns out that there are more varieties of fruits and vegetables than I had ever imagined. One stand at my farmers' market has 7 types of garlic! Whole Foods has 2 (elephant, and whatever you call the garlic that you always get at the grocery store). QFC has 1. I recently made mashed German Butterball potatoes that I got at a stand that had so many types of potatoes, I didn't know where to start. (For the record, the mashed potatoes were amazing. Did you know that potatoes actually have flavor???? I know I didn't). This Sunday, I plan on buying a root vegetable called a sunchoke. I don't know what it is or what it tastes like, but I'll be damned if I don't find out.
I realize that I am extremely lucky to live in Seattle where we have farmers' markets year round and local produce that's available in January. People who live in climates with real winter can go local too, it just takes more planning. The Eat Well Guide is a great online resource to help you find local food near you. If the subject interests you, I strongly recommend reading Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
So, why local?
It is better for the environment. Americans have all gotten used to having an abundant variety of produce to eat year-round. Unless you live in one of the warm states where everything grows year-round, in order to get the variety, it has to be imported. It may not seem like a big deal, but every time you choose local, you make a significant impact. Every time a banana is shipped from the tropics, or an apple comes to the US from New Zealand, and even when an avocado from California makes its way to the produce aisle in Seattle, it takes gas. The further your produce has to travel, the more natural resources are used, and the more pollution is pumped into the atmosphere. Our demand for strawberries in February helps to ensure our dependence on foreign oil. Not only that, but unless the food we import is fair trade, the conditions for the farmers are abysmal, and they're not making any money.
That is the argument that first got me interested, but like a lot of other people, I thought to myself, "*Gasp!* That's horrible! I should really do something about that!" while proceeding to go about my business without making many changes. After all, mangos are delicious, bananas are cheap, and broccoli goes with everything. It wasn't until I realized the impact that eating local would have directly on my happiness that I started to make a concerted effort.
Since the advent of agriculture, people have been modifying crops. If you plant seeds from the fruit that is the biggest and most delicious, then the resulting offspring will be larger and tastier. The corn that we eat today is unrecognizable from the grass that Native Americans started off with. Once farming became a massive industry, new modifications were made. Produce was selected for its durability and ability to travel long distances, as well as its size (Americans understand, after all, that bigger is always better), rather than for taste and nutritional content. Genetic modifications were made to render the mature plants of some crops reproductively useless so that farmers would have to constantly buy seeds instead of planting seeds from the crop they had already grown. What all of this boils down to is that the food that gets shipped from far away has a tendency to be flavorless and nutritionally deficient. I'll take one small, locally grown strawberry with red flesh and flavor that explodes in your mouth over 100 of the giant, anemic, flavorless strawberries that are available year round, and which most Americans have come to associate with the word "Strawberry." Not only that, but it turns out that there are more varieties of fruits and vegetables than I had ever imagined. One stand at my farmers' market has 7 types of garlic! Whole Foods has 2 (elephant, and whatever you call the garlic that you always get at the grocery store). QFC has 1. I recently made mashed German Butterball potatoes that I got at a stand that had so many types of potatoes, I didn't know where to start. (For the record, the mashed potatoes were amazing. Did you know that potatoes actually have flavor???? I know I didn't). This Sunday, I plan on buying a root vegetable called a sunchoke. I don't know what it is or what it tastes like, but I'll be damned if I don't find out.
I realize that I am extremely lucky to live in Seattle where we have farmers' markets year round and local produce that's available in January. People who live in climates with real winter can go local too, it just takes more planning. The Eat Well Guide is a great online resource to help you find local food near you. If the subject interests you, I strongly recommend reading Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
A Brief Introduction
Qi: (also spelled "Chi") Pronounced like Chee. Simply put, in Chinese Medicine, qi is the energy present in all living things that enables them to function. It is sometimes called the "essence."
Gu Qi: Pronounced like Goo Chee (also like the overpriced, Italian designer brand Gucci). Gu qi is the energy we get from food and drink. It is also referred to as "acquired qi."
Why name my blog after a concept that few Americans have heard of? Simple - because of the absolute importance gu qi has in our health and happiness and because of my new-found passion for food.
A year ago, I ate for convenience rather than nutrition. I filled my body with caffeine, high fructose corn syrup, trans-fats, and all sorts of other additives. I could frequently be found at fast food establishments (though I eschewed McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's in favor of Subway, Quiznos, Burgermaster, and Taco Bell. I had standards), or eating pizza, frozen meals, or boxed macaroni and cheese. I drank soda like it was water and ate massive amounts of candy. I drank several beers a week. Occasionally, I would cook an actual meal - usually one involving lots of cheese and simple sugars, with the occasional broccoli, carrots, and salad to make me feel like I was eating well. I exercised a little, and I couldn't understand why I was overweight.
I had been experiencing stomach problems for a while and taking massive amounts of antacids, but in March of '09, I began having stabbing pain in my stomach and lower esophagus that were debilitating. I went to see an acupuncturist who treated me and told me to go to a medical doctor because I could have an ulcer. My doctor told me that I had gastritis, inflammation of the stomach, and that I would have to make drastic changes to my diet in order for it to heal. First and foremost, I had to entirely cut out caffeine and alcohol. He strongly recommended that I change my diet to consist solely of protein, complex carbohydrates, and vegetables, along with some low-acidic fruit. No sugar, no dairy, no spicy foods, nothing carbonated, and no acidic or sour foods. Oy! I had to change almost 100% of my diet, a prospect that was daunting, but my alternative was pain so severe that I could barely function.
The first few weeks were the most difficult, mostly because of caffeine and sugar withdrawal. Once I got through that (the hardest thing I've ever done!), I noticed that I had more energy and felt better. Shockingly, I found that the food I was eating, though it required time and preparation, was more delicious than any of the junk I had been eating before. I learned that vegetables are delicious, and fruit is divine. Who knew? Then the pounds started melting off. People kept asking me what my secret was. When I told them about my change in diet, most of them shook their heads and said they could never make those same changes. They had been looking for an easy fix - not a lifestyle change. Over the course of 9 months, I lost about 50 pounds and dropped three sizes, and I'm still losing weight, though it has slowed down now that I'm in a healthy range. My stomach, while not perfect, feels much better, and I have been able to re-introduce certain previously-verboten foods into my diet (most notably chocolate).
That was just the first step in a drastic change in my relationship with food. I became interested in nutrition and in eating well. My foray into nutrition lead me to a couple of books which have changed my outlook even more. The Omnivore's Dillema by Michael Pollan, and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. In addition to what I'm learning as an acupuncture student, these books have made it abundantly clear that I need to make more changes: to eat locally and sustainably grown food.
This blog is a place to share my experiences as I foray into the exciting world of local food, and the connections between food, Chinese Medicine, and spirituality.
Gu Qi: Pronounced like Goo Chee (also like the overpriced, Italian designer brand Gucci). Gu qi is the energy we get from food and drink. It is also referred to as "acquired qi."
Why name my blog after a concept that few Americans have heard of? Simple - because of the absolute importance gu qi has in our health and happiness and because of my new-found passion for food.
A year ago, I ate for convenience rather than nutrition. I filled my body with caffeine, high fructose corn syrup, trans-fats, and all sorts of other additives. I could frequently be found at fast food establishments (though I eschewed McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's in favor of Subway, Quiznos, Burgermaster, and Taco Bell. I had standards), or eating pizza, frozen meals, or boxed macaroni and cheese. I drank soda like it was water and ate massive amounts of candy. I drank several beers a week. Occasionally, I would cook an actual meal - usually one involving lots of cheese and simple sugars, with the occasional broccoli, carrots, and salad to make me feel like I was eating well. I exercised a little, and I couldn't understand why I was overweight.
I had been experiencing stomach problems for a while and taking massive amounts of antacids, but in March of '09, I began having stabbing pain in my stomach and lower esophagus that were debilitating. I went to see an acupuncturist who treated me and told me to go to a medical doctor because I could have an ulcer. My doctor told me that I had gastritis, inflammation of the stomach, and that I would have to make drastic changes to my diet in order for it to heal. First and foremost, I had to entirely cut out caffeine and alcohol. He strongly recommended that I change my diet to consist solely of protein, complex carbohydrates, and vegetables, along with some low-acidic fruit. No sugar, no dairy, no spicy foods, nothing carbonated, and no acidic or sour foods. Oy! I had to change almost 100% of my diet, a prospect that was daunting, but my alternative was pain so severe that I could barely function.
The first few weeks were the most difficult, mostly because of caffeine and sugar withdrawal. Once I got through that (the hardest thing I've ever done!), I noticed that I had more energy and felt better. Shockingly, I found that the food I was eating, though it required time and preparation, was more delicious than any of the junk I had been eating before. I learned that vegetables are delicious, and fruit is divine. Who knew? Then the pounds started melting off. People kept asking me what my secret was. When I told them about my change in diet, most of them shook their heads and said they could never make those same changes. They had been looking for an easy fix - not a lifestyle change. Over the course of 9 months, I lost about 50 pounds and dropped three sizes, and I'm still losing weight, though it has slowed down now that I'm in a healthy range. My stomach, while not perfect, feels much better, and I have been able to re-introduce certain previously-verboten foods into my diet (most notably chocolate).
That was just the first step in a drastic change in my relationship with food. I became interested in nutrition and in eating well. My foray into nutrition lead me to a couple of books which have changed my outlook even more. The Omnivore's Dillema by Michael Pollan, and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. In addition to what I'm learning as an acupuncture student, these books have made it abundantly clear that I need to make more changes: to eat locally and sustainably grown food.
This blog is a place to share my experiences as I foray into the exciting world of local food, and the connections between food, Chinese Medicine, and spirituality.
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