Is there such a thing as half way healthy? How healthy is healthy? A bigger question than one might think. Is there a standard for healthy? A person or ideal that we can measure against? Maybe healthy is measured in terms of unhealthy. Like the 1950’s when everything packaged and processed was considered more healthy until people became unhealthy after years of eating and forced governing change in what we could put in food items. Perhaps healthy is someone you know or knew who you revered as healthy and emulated their diet. If it isn’t someone you know, and there isn’t a standard that is universal for healthy eating, how can anyone know what healthy is? Wouldn’t it just be an idea? Paleo, Atkins, Macrobiotic, Mediterranean, Japanese, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, etc. etc. Which is better? What is the globally acknowledged diet that is the healthiest of all?

Statistically that would be the islands of Japan. Their traditions regarding daily diet and exercise have continued to thrive and many of these island cultures have no heart disease, dementia, cancers, as well as many other health issues and diseases that plague citizens of other nations. There are other cultures throughout the world that have similar healthy traditions that are statistically remarkable and undeniable in what is making the difference in these cultures. People eat meats and sugar and still are healthy as an ox at 80 years old. A large intake of good nutritious vegetables is the difference. As well as healthy carb choices and simple proteins. But half is nutrient rich vegetables that aid in metabolizing proteins and carbs, build up the immune system, and provide us with the brain power to devise a better future for all.

Generally speaking, there is no substitute for fresh produce. For flavor and for nutrients. Often frozen are par cooked and have lost a large portion of their nutrients in the process. In the occasional soup perhaps, but in general always use fresh even if you have to get the kids off the couch to help prep its worth the time. The flavor of fresh is worth it alone.

Fruits however are often used in smoothies and other products that help if they are frozen first. I use frozen berries in smoothies almost daily and makes it so much easier to buy already frozen. I do not eat fruit for nutrition, they are sugar foods. Maybe some good fiber and acid depending on the fruit. Dishes that require unfrozen fresh fruit is always better to go with the fresh fruit for flavor and texture.

No matter how well prepared the meal, the quality of the produce or meat, or how much time went into making that dish, without the right amount of salt it will be bland and boring. For many the battle of flavor is lost here. Not enough salt if any, and its forever lacking in that certain something. For those with high sodium issues the first place to look is the packaged products you are eating or drinking regularly and check those before deciding not to salt your food when preparing. Sodium content in certain packaged products is enough to cause anyone problems if eaten regularly in high doses. Sea salt in your food doesn’t compare.

The right balance of salt and pepper in a dish or food item is everything and the beginning of good food preparation. Carrots blanched or a leek in a salted water coming out perfect can be enjoyed as a dish in itself. Pepper isn’t as essential in food prep however is often relied on just as much as salt in preparation of meats and other dishes. Take the perfect heirloom tomatoes in August. Salt with pepper are indescribable in how they affect this simple sliced vegetable. Without these 2 items you may struggle to find the right flavor in most any dish.

A big part of the Japanese and Asian diet is brown rice. Most Americans associate white rice with Asian food, however white rice has been heavily processed and not only lacks in nutrition it also becomes more starch than grain. White rice does not digest easily compared to brown rice. Many traditional Japanese dishes are with brown rice, but often just referred to as rice. There are other rices like Jasmine that are quite flavorful and nutritious. Brown rice, basmati rice, is the staple as it has mild flavor and absorbs that of other foods well. It digests easily and has been a big part of my diet for the last 30 years. Its an excellent carb source and filler food in the right dishes. Goes well any many soups not just Asian as a replacement for pasta. Traditional minestrone is with rice and this is one of my go to meals.

I have eaten other grains on the regular testing their abilities to support good health and in good flavor day to day. Oats, barley, quinoa, cous cous, bulgar, polenta, etc. etc. Many are good occasionally, but for me I can eat brown rice in other dishes, and is the main carb source in the healthiest dish I eat daily. From Jambalaya to gumbo to Spanish rice to curry with rice, or in burritos and Mexican beans and rice. Brown rice is the go-to and will make all of these healthy to eat. White rice would potentially have you in real physical pain after eating some of these and needing other digestive foods to aid. Avoid white rice!

In the Midwest most people make their eggs with butter. Butter or corn oil are the go-to oils for most food that is prepared in a sauté pan, like eggs. Butter has its place in the cooking world, unfortunately in combination with many foods like eggs it can become an epoxy of sorts for the intestines and as we have learned the arteries and vessels. In contrast those same eggs fried or scrambled in some olive oil are now not only much easier to digest, but the olive oil is a tonifier for the organs and with the right nutrients infused is the best kept secret for a healthy gut and great skin.

We all know the issues with trans fats and how they clog the intestines and arteries. Olive oil and coconut oil are healthy fats that tonify and sooth the organs and vessels. Coconut is too distinctive of a taste to use in most foods. But olive oil works for most everything in my opinion. Unless you need a sesame seed or something different like that. But eggs, veggies, coating veggies to roast or meats etc. Coconut oil is good for pancakes, muffins and deserts. Butter with white flour can become very sticky and greasy in a way that requires too much acid and time in the intestines for efficient digestion. Olive oil is olive oil. Good and good for you.

In France in some traditional restaurants, they come around with a cheese cart after the meal. These cheeses are not what you find at Walmart or in most local grocers, if any. These are stinking fermented cheeses that actually taste quite amazing and when it hits your stomach sets off an enzymatic process that will digest even the richest cream sauces and reductions that can be made. We do not have cheeses like this. Some you can get at a wholefoods or local Coop, but nothing with that kind of history and tradition.

Most Americans thin of kraft cheese. American, mozzarella, and provolone. Parmesan is a must for spaghetti. That’s traditional depending on how its made. The problem is most cheese is not really cheese. Its flavor goo product. Mozzarella sticks? These products are very difficult to digest and when coupled with white flour and animal fats can contribute to colon clogging in a big way. Every kid has eaten a block of kraft cheese and cried on the toilet days later. Eat a block of good gorgonzola and you will be on the toilet within a few hours. With one simple choice you can turn travesty into treasure and enjoy amazing meals with different cheeses that not only taste amazing, but help your gut stay healthy and aid in the digestive enzymatic process.

Red onion and garlic are 2 very important vegetables that can have a tremendous impact on your health overall. In traditional southern European food you will find these in just about everything. Both have antiseptic and antioxidant properties that are great for the body. You will also find these used as the main flavor source in many simple traditional recipes. Most people in America have missed out on these secret ingredients and what they bring to our meal choices. Primarily due to how bad they can taste if not prepared right.

Red onion and garlic sautéed in olive oil are an essential part of my recipe collection and diet. This can be prepared and frozen for use in many meals. Chopping garlic is more tedious than other vegetables so preparing before hand is a big time saver. I use this religiously in pastas, with veggies, and even grains. Add this to some cous cous with zucchini and cherry tomatoes makes a delightful dish. I promise you have never tasted broccoli so good until you have had it with red onion, garlic and olive oil.

Traditionally in many cultures salads are eaten after the meal. Logically this makes sense in aiding digestion vs eating one before to “cleanse the palette” as they say in the US. Does eating a salad before help clear the path for digestion or does the salad just shoot on through leaving the Heavy meal to fend for itself. I have found through personal experience that eating the salad after the meal is the most effective at accomplishing its task and point as a dish. Otherwise, we would just have a second serving of the main course and not waste the time.

Quality vinegars are a must for a healthy kitchen and diet. Especially for women. Eat a salad daily or veggies with vinaigrette and your ph will stay more stable as well as aid in fighting against crystallizations in joints, kidneys and lymphatic system. A good red wine vinegar is a must for salads as well as a champagne vinegar and raspberry perhaps. Always choose quality. Cheap red wine vinegars are not pleasant. Low quality raspberry or other infused vinegars can become rancid so beware and always choose a quality vinegar.

Reinventing desert can often become the stuck wheel on the road to good health. If you eat cookies, or cake or pastries every day then you have your work cut out for you in terms of balance. For most that constant source of cake flour and icing or filling is enough to keep us in a state of poor health. Especially if eaten after 7pm. Desert products are horrible for you. We are better off making our own ice cream and eating a pint of that a day then some of these cookies, cakes and brownies and that ore filling the shelves at your local store. High carb, high sugar and a million other ingredients your body doesn’t need.

Deserts are also loaded with calories. Half your daily intake can come from a serving of ice cream and cake. This is nothing new, yet this is nothing new. If I walked into your kitchen pantry right now, what would I find? What are you feeding your children? The only excuse is that other people are eating it and you harmonize. Desert is where the healthy life fades away. Carbs and sugar. This is the addiction that is plaguing our country. A diabetes trainwreck.

Apples at the end of each day can go miles against managing the cravings for sugar. A whole apple is great for digestion in case you didn’t quite get enough fiber in your day or need that little extra acid bump for breaking down that heavy meal at dinner. A whole apple is bigger than the average piece of cake or 3 or 4 cookies so it gives the stomach enough to work on that it can get thru the night without a stomach full of carbs and sugar. Once you have retrained the body the daily apple will make the end of the day that much more pleasant. I have been doing this for 30 years. Never had a tums or antacid, thankfully.

In many cultures eating the same foods regularly is more custom than in America. So much variety and variations. Americans feel like they aren’t living if they eat the same thing 4 days in a week. Sure there’s leftovers, but eating the same thing for lunch or dinner each day just seems lifeless. For most families with 2 working parents there’s 3-4 hours of evening time for food prep, eating and everything else that’s needed to be ready for the next day. Without contribution and support from both parents as well as the kids if old enough it is very challenging to establish good healthy eating habits alone for a family.

In some communities this can be like swimming upstream. Being healthy may mean a drastic life change in order to have that harmony with others who want to eat well. Imagine if the only restaurants within 30 miles were fast food and gas station food. And then only mediocre Mexican or BBQ for another 20. This is America and there are millions of people living in rural communities with no access to healthy food choices. Just Dairy Queens and Taco bells. Every day of their life they make a commitment to cook and find recipes online that may taste better than the last.

TAnd then there’s those people in the city with access to everything. Great food of all types at your fingertips. Door dash on the way! A lot easier to find meals that fit into your diet, yet many still go for the carb heavy gut cloggers. Too busy to take the time to cook or cook with the family. Traditionally your mother or your grandmother would be cooking all day for the family. Not today. Women are proud to work and proud to have not learned how to cook. Todays family everyone has a career and everyone has to participate in food prep if they want to eat healthy. Depending on restaurant dishes to have all the ingredients you need and none of the ones you don’t is almost impossible.

A traditional meal in somewhere Kansas could be KFC or could be chicken casserole. More than likely whatever it is it is loaded with carbs, cheese product, and processed meat. No matter where you live if you don’t know what to eat then you will struggle with weight and health problems. You would have to learn it from someone or somewhere. See it on TV or Pinterest. And then trust that it would change how you feel and solve the problems you have that are diet related. The path to healthy eating can seem almost impossible without inspiration and guidance. Whether its illness or indigestion or something in between we all need that moment when the light bulb clicks on and we choose to make the change and implement in practice the best eating habits known today. Each day every day.

Once new patterns are in place and new ideas are being tried, tested and improved upon you will be able to enjoy the art of food balance and explore new levels of pleasure from each meal. There are some that even 2 bowls per day I never tire from the taste and my body always looks forward to the next time. Developing a relationship with dishes and recognizing how your body processes them is important. Some simple changes or dishes may have a bigger affect on your health and wellness than anticipated. Good or bad. Be patient. Your gut may fall in love with certain things, which I expect, and feel assured that it can not only survive, but thrive and experience life with a new connection and harmony. Each meal, each bite another opportunity to reconnect and expand further into that comfort and possible new sensory height with each to follow.