Happy June from Your Favorite Holistic Health Counselor

Eat food, not too much, mostly plants. – Michael Pollan

Actually, this month’s quote is from one of Michael Pollan’s readers, in response to a request for haikus on how to eat. In addition to how to eat, it can also be read as a suggestion to keep things simple, especially in the heat of the summer. Now is the time for high quality, simply prepared food, as well as high quality easy relationships with friends, family, & colleagues.

What Food Path Are You Taking?

I just finished Michael Pollan’s Ominvore’s Dilemma, based on preparing or purchasing 4 different meals based on 4 different food path, i.e. supply chain, a fancy term for how all of the stuff associated with any particular meal arrives at the same time on your plate. An industrial, corn and petroleum based, highly subsidized resulting in a McDonald’s meal. A dinner based on organic grocery store, discovered to be highly petroleum dependent. Locally grown, grass based, closed loop farming, which doesn’t bill itself as organic, but meets several of the criteria. And hunted and gathered.

While he is neutral on the idea of vegetarian vs. meat eating, noting that most people can live on almost anything, assuming it’s a whole food in the proper quantities, he comes down heavily against the industrialized food chain. The advent of which corresponds directly with the appearance of many food based illnesses of the west. He basically advocates eating as close to the source as possible with few intermediaries or additives. Some of the more interesting ideas to come from the book is that the closer you get to the source of your food, the entire life/death/waste cycle becomes apparent, putting doubt behind the intellectual underpinnings of die hard vegans everywhere. Small animals are killed during the harvesting of the organic vegetables hard core vegan and raw food advocates eat. The ecosystem management of closed loop grass farming is dependent upon everything anything produces in the form of waste is turned into some type of energy unit, otherwise known as a calorie. Locally grown closed loop grass farming is dependent upon the right amount of naturally occurring grass acreage managed for just the right numbers of grazing cattle, pigs, and chicken, providing the right amount of natural fertilizer (yes, that type of fertilizer) for the right number of acres of vegetable produce. The trick is keeping everything balanced by incredibly smart farmers.

Each food path has it’s own unique good/bad ideas as well as those that are more doable than others. The secret is not to stress over perfection, and realizing you can only do your best to take advantage of the best solution at the time, looking for opportunities in being adventurous. If that means McDonalds is your only option, enjoy it with a clear conscience, noting the extra time in the gym and extra water to alleviate the possible effect. If that mean’s highly processed, prepackaged stuff from the grocery store (regular or organic), add fresh veggies from the salad bar and enjoy that. When and where you can, choose seasonal locally grown from the farmer’s market. I’ve only had limited offerings of hunted or gathered food as a kid (easier to do in early childhood in rural Missouri) but I wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to do a little of both and respectfully feast on the results.

Food Focus: Uncooked Soups

In the heat of summer and in the spirit of keeping things simple by eating food, not too much, mostly plants, there’s nothing quite like uncooked soups (veggie & fruit) of any kind. All that is needed is raw vegetables, usually some type of liquid. Avocado, cucumber, and tomatoes show up in a lot of uncooked soups. They also often have another liquid in the form of some type of broth, yougurt, sour cream, fruit and/or vegetable juices. They can almost be considered a variation of a smoothy to be used as a soup and perhaps a sauce.

This month’s recipe is a pungent, uncooked soup, which can be served with a cold protein, deviled eggs, poached chicken or fish. While it might seem like a long list of ingredients, tiny amounts of more robust seasoning adds a lot of flavor. Of course modifications in amounts of the shallot, jalapeño, and ginger can be made to spice things up even more or cool things off.

Recipe of the Month: Raw Cream of Spinach Soup

www.Epicurious.com (with modifications)
2 cups fresh tomato and/or carrot juice (juiced from about 1 lb vegetables or from your local juice stand)
2 cups of plain yogurt or sour cream (optional)
1 bunch chopped spinach leaves
2 tablespoons chopped escarole leaves (optional)
1 medium California avocado, pitted and peeled
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup packed fresh cilantro
1/4 cup Nama Shoyu* (unpasteurized soy sauce) or 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt (preferably Celtic)
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
2 tablespoons chopped scallion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon minced fresh jalapeño, including seeds
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger

Garnish: 1 small portabella mushroom cap, halved and thinly sliced

Purée vegetable juice, spinach, and escarole (if using) in a blender until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and pulse to combine, leaving some texture.

Feel free to add or delete things to taste.

Chill soup, covered, until cold, about 1 hour.

Send This On!

I hope you have found this newsletter to be as informative and inspiring to read as it has been for me to share it with you. Please feel free to forward it to those friends, family and colleagues in your life that you think might also be interested and inspired by it. If you refer someone who signs up, it’s $100 in your pocket or a free exercise session.

Toni Taylor
Holistic Nutritional & Exercise Consultant