Yucky looks to great taste!
I’m sure we’ve all heard the phrase, “don’t judge a book by
its cover.” In my opinion, the same
applies to food. I’ll be the first to
admit that when eating something new, I pick through it and smell it. When my husband and I travel or for special
occasions, we like to try new things.
Makes our experiences more fun, memorable and worth the dollars. I especially love trying out local
restaurants where the food is typically fresh and made from scratch. However, don’t count on me to judge the
food…I don’t have a chef’s palate and what’s good to me, may not be good for
everyone else.
Fresh food has a lot of great health benefits inside and out. Yes, they can quickly add to the grocery
bill, but they are rich in vitamins, antioxidants, and nutrients that can
minimize health complications. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention clearly states that foods with
nutritional value can help protect us from chronic diseases. My Uncle gave us a great book, “Empowering Your
Health” that explains the health benefits of various foods and vitamins in
details supported by references and resources.
Nevertheless, in the long run, the cost either cancels out or prevents
some pricey treatments. I find it better
to purchase fresh food especially fruits and veggies, when you know you will
eat them that week so they don’t rot. Food
that looks yucky can taste great just psychologically knowing it can benefit
our long-term health. Eating healthy not
only enhances our energy for performance, but it can also help fight disease
and illnesses such as diabetes, cancer and even fatigue. My best friend got me a couple books for my
birthday, “Race Day Recipes” and “The Feed Zone Cookbook,” that are super easy
to read and makes it fun to learn about the benefits of fresh food and athletic
performance. However, I would recommend
these books for anyone because it breaks it down by meals and explains the
benefits of all the foods such as almonds, avocados, spinach, etc. with
interesting facts.
Have you tried…
Here are a few things I tried for the first time and thought
were pretty good after overcoming the yucky looks, smells, or texture:
1.
Squid
linguine – something my husband and I tried on our southern, coastal
anniversary, or what we call Honeymoon #4.
Benefits: it is thought to prevent cancer and black foods are good for the bladder
(particular females), according to Dr. Oz.
2.
Caviar
– part of our Anniversary meal at Niche in St. Louis (on a gift card). I was telling my husband it feels like fish
eggs in my mouth and he said giggling, “it is fish eggs.” It’s hard to eat what you think you’re
eating, but it was good.
3.
Raw
Oysters – the flavor was NOT satisfying to my husband’s taste buds while on
our belated honeymoon in Bora Bora. In fact, he said it tasted like he ran his
tongue on the bottom of the ocean floor.
I didn’t dare try, it really does smell bad and looks yucky, however, he
continues to eat them out of the cans.
Benefits:
hmm…let’s just say I think I know
why men in particular are interested in having oysters in their diet. I don’t often see women eating them nor do I hear
women say they like oysters.
4.
Salmon
– this fish is best fresh. I’m talking, coastal fresh. I would never eat Salmon until I went to
Alaska…it was so good I couldn’t get enough of it. When I returned to the “lower 48,” I haven’t been
able to enjoy it since. It is good if
fresh from the market…not frozen.
Benefits:
good source of protein especially if
it’s ‘wild-caught’ and contains the good Omega 3 fats (from ‘Race Day Recipes’)
5.
Fruit and
spinach smoothies – if you don’t like green food, well, you may have to
close your eyes and drink. A friend
motivated me to try this and when I took her advice…wow! It’s really good! In fact, I don’t like smoothies that are too
sweet or tart because after a few drinks I’m already tired of it. The spinach tones it down.
Benefits:
spinach contains lots of rich nutrients – vitamins A, B2, B6, C, and Folate,
iron, calcium, potassium and more! (from ‘Race Day Recipes’)
6.
Kiwano
Horned Melon – a fruit my cousin grew out of his garden and we all tried it
for the first time over the Holidays.
Looks really strange with just as interesting flavor. It was like a taste-guessing game these are
some flavors our palate processed:
jello-like consistency, cucumber, kiwi, a green banana.
Benefits:
good source of vitamin C, potassium, iron and antioxidants.
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| I know it's not good to show photos of food, but, this caviar in maple custard we experienced, was actually good! |
Tips from Tiff
-
Buy fresh food the week you plan to eat them so
they don’t spoil
-
Frozen fruits and veggies are still
good…especially for smoothies!
-
If your fruit is going bad, freeze them. We have a friend who freezes his bananas and
those are GREAT for smoothies as well. And, frozen grapes are refreshing in the
summer time.
-
Explore your local farmers markets, orchards,
and local restaurants…spice up the adventures.
Experimenting not only adds to the fun, but it can surprise you at times. After trying the fruit smoothies the past couple weeks as part of my post-workout recovery drink, I definitely feel refreshed and energized.
A recipe worth trying
If you like blueberries, bananas, and spinach…this smoothie
is quite refreshing:
½ cup fresh blueberries
1 banana
1 cup fresh spinach (I use a handful)
¼ - 1 cup of liquid (I used a cup of soy milk to give it more of a creamy base but can use other forms of raw liquid such as cashew milk or fresh squeezed fruit juice)
4 ice cubes
Optional: fresh strawberries (I love strawberries and added the few I had left) and agave nectar or raw honey can be used as natural sweeteners for the smoothies if you find them too bland.
Blend or puree all the ingredients and you have a smoothie
full of rich nutrients!
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| It doesn't look so bad, right? |
Enjoy!!
Disclaimer: Please note I’m not a dietician, chef or a
food expert…these are just from my experiences and what I find beneficial for
my health. My GI doesn’t tolerate
certain things so these are simply things you can try or explore in more details via
Google or reputable sources. However, please be aware of
known (or unknown allergies) before attempting new things.
Quote of the day: Food should be fun. ~ Thomas Keller
Bible verse of the
day: “Do not work for food that
spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life…” ~ John 6:27
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