I want to be healthier for myself and for my family. No junk food! Healthy and fresh! Seasonal produce! Organic! Free-range!
Whew. Sounds good, right? Except I was a little lost.
I don’t really know how to cook. Actually, it’s more like I don’t know what to cook. I had a vague idea of what’s good to eat, but I could only come up with a few options for each meal. Isn’t that sad? Well, help has come in the form of my two new favorite books: In Defense of Food
Inspired by Pollan’s book, I’m trying to stay away from processed foods with unfamiliar and unpronounceable ingredients. He has three guiding principles: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Pretty genius in its simplicity. And Jamie has given me the tools and inspiration to cook simple, healthy meals — I feel like it’s the missing companion cookbook. Jamie also likes the idea of passing it on, growing a radical new food movement person by person, which is what I’m doing here. Passing it on.
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Hi Nicole! Marie from byw here..I wanted to let you know I put your blog on my top 5 for our last homework. See you on twitter! xo
I’ve been eating this way for a few years now, and I can’t emphasize enough the importance of meal planning to be successful. I always thought Tuesday-chicken, Wednesday-fish was too constricting. But just having a list on the fridge of Main dishes, Side dishes, and lunch foods is super helpful, and my husband can help out more because he can look on that list and know that all the ingredients for that meal will be here.
The best benefit to cooking better is how much better your taste will be- suddenly you know that nothing you’ve ever made from scratch is as sickly sweet as that fill-in-the-blank-filled-with-corn-syrup snack and that junk food will never taste right again!
Another way to become inspired is to watch the documentary “Food, Inc.” It is truly mind blowing. (1 1/2 hours and you won’t be bored.) If you have Netflix it is available to watch instantly. It inspired me to join an organic fruit and veggie co op. Every other week for $15 I get an entire laundry basket full of goodies that last the full 2 weeks. (We are a family of 4.) Check in your local area as co ops are all over the place.
I have to weigh in – I LOVE LOVE LOVE Alice Waters’ The Art Of Simple Food.
Waters + Pollan = a force to reckon with. Even if you’re not a nascent cook, it’s a great primer.
Also – PBS made a documentary of Pollans’ The Botany of Desire, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Good luck!
You should check out http://www.freshpicks.com – you can get local grown, organic produce delivered to your home on a weekly basis.
I’d like to second a vote for freshpicks.com. It’s a good for people who can’t plan their lives around a CSA schedule and who appreciate the convenience of having it delivered right to their homes. They have good quality meat which is also humane, organic and local.
I have two more great resources for super healthy food. I’ve completely changed my diet to be fresh and organic the last couple years and it is an amazing difference! Food at the grocery store no longer tastes like it has flavor to me.
I recommend: http://www.sunday-suppers.blogspot.com for fun, gourmet menus. Also, the nytimes.com site has healthy recipes in it’s health section. Many weeks they pick one ingredient and follow it through with a different recipe each day. It’s really worth checking out!
Good for you — not only for changing but for sharing! Food is such a sensitive subject in this country — almost like religion. I have recently read The Kind Diet, Food Matters, Omnivore’s Dilemma, and my favorite, Eating Animals all this year. Starting Jan 1 I went vegan thanks to these books (and Food Inc and Earthlings documentary). It’s been surprisingly simple and wonderfully liberating.
I highly, highly recommend The Kind Diet and Eating Animals. Highly.
Thank you again for sharing.
I just posted the other day about the need for me to eat more fresh fruits and veggies and less… crap. Thank you so much for the suggested reads!
Food Rules by Pollan is great, too. And have you seen the movie Food, Inc? It’s awesome. You should check it out.
Good for you! I sit here and can totally relate. Cooking is a definate struggle in our house. I can hardly find the time to scap together a grocery list (the grocery store is a peeve of mine, it’s sooo hard for me to embrace the time that goes into the whole meal process). Last week we purchased a crockpot. While I don’t consider myself as a crockpot gal, I’m willing to go the distance if it can improve family dinners. Anyhow, your willingness to change reminds me to keep on track especially for the health of my kids. Good luck!
Check out Simply in Season, available from Ten Thousand Villages (and on amazon… http://www.amazon.com/Simply-Season-Expanded-Community-Cookbook/dp/0836194942/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269485379&sr=8-1) I’m an uninspired cook also, but these recipes are pretty simple and delicious AND encourage buying local, seasonal food. :)
What I was going to say’s been said but I have to say RIGHT ON!!! So happy to see this post.
eat better is the beginning, and we need to give example for our little ones! Books are great. Why dont you take some classes as well? I did and it was really nice. I am sure that you can fine some basic cooking schools over there. nothing fancy, new ideas and basic concepts….
Sounds great. I woke up to the reality of how bad quality most processed foods are, and that I don’t want to put those things in my body. In the last few years, we’ve reduced the amount of meat we eat. Just because most of the times, we feel more like making something tasty with veggies than having meat. After the wake up, we have spent more time enjoying food and making it. And those days when it’s not possible to cook, like when we are traveling, we allow ourselves some junk food too. It just really doesn’t taste as great after having home cooked meals. Good luck with the new kitchen adventures. There’s so much inspiration out there in the food blog community to give you ideas what to cook!
My favorite cookbook is Simple Suppers by Moosewood Restaurant. Really, it’s easy, simple and tasty! Most dinners prepare quickly. So it makes eating healthy easier.
http://www.amazon.com/Moosewood-Restaurant-Simple-Suppers-Weeknight/dp/0609609122
realsimple.com or the monthly magazine has many good and easy recipies!
I love this topic of eating healthy and being a vegetarian. I have recently changed my diet (4 months ago – and NO meat for just 2 months). I did it for health reasons. I was suffering from an autoimmune illness (notice I wrote WAS) The diet + some supplements I researched have CURED ME – although medically there is NO cure for this illness. AMAZING nutrients are in foods. We just need to educate ourselves and choose the foods that give us most benefits.
I book I would also like to add to the list is The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone,
I posted about it on http://www.lifeologia.com/?p=382 (come see my easy to prepare vegetarian recipes too. Since just a few short months I have transformed my life to being HEALTHY & HAPPY. I encourage everyone to eat healthy meals, no processed foods, no sugar (or very little), organic as much as you can afford.
Love your blog by the way!
I think Springtime makes us all re-evaluate what we’re putting into our bodies.
For me the solution was a bento box – it’s portion control, fresh food and fun all rolled into one. It transforms simple, healthy, typically raw ingredients into something you simply can’t wait to eat. It’s kind of magical!
Bento lunches are ideal for commuters/lunch-packers BUT even at home I find the creativity and the art of presentation useful in making healthy food so much more appealing (especially to little ones)!
This book is great and easy to find…
http://www.amazon.com/Kawaii-Bento-Boxes-Convenient-Japanese/dp/4889962603/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269523166&sr=1-2
You should check out http://www.foodfashionmeetsfunction.com. It’s a blog about the struggles with dieting, eating healthy and food in general. Kristin does a great job with ideas for recipes and just food thoughts in general!
I’m not sure if anyone has mentioned this one, but “The Unhealthy Truth” by Robyn O’Brien has changed my life. We eat only organic now and life is good. My husband just got a glowing review at the doctor last week…cholesterol has plummeted. And the best part? Everything tastes so darn good!
Also, a good movie to watch is “The World According to Monsanto.” It will blow your mind.
Keep spreading the word!
I’m a huge proponent of the eating whole foods trend. It just makes sense. Don’t you want to have control over what goes into your body rather than corporations or the government? My advice is to keep is simple. Meats, fish, eggs, butter, cream, cheese, vegetables and fruits.
I do a lot of cooking, so if you’re interested e-mail me and I can get some recipes to you!
Also, Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes is an excellent and eye-opening book about health and the way we eat.
Someone else mentioned Eating Animals and I would also recommend that book. It will make you rethink the way you think about eating meat. I think of it as the vegetarian’s dilemma. He also references Michael Pollan quite a bit.
My fiance and I are in northwest AL and it’s SO HARD to find organically grown produce and organic products here. We aren’t vegen or vegetarian but we incorporate ALOT of those practices into our meals.
I recommend Alicia Silverstone’s book “The Kind Diet.” It is a cookbook, but the first half of the book talks about what’s in our food, what it does to us, and what alternatives there are. (Most are easy to find, unless you live in an area like me with very few options)
I also recommend “30 Minute Vegan” by Reinfield and Murray. It has great, quick recipes including how to make your mayo – which is MUCH less expensive than buying Veganaise or other vegan mayos (though Veganaise is fantastic, it’s over $6 a jar in the only healthfood grocery we have in my area!)
Here are a few blogs I’ve come across as well that have awesome information and great recipes:
elanaspantry.com
blog.fatfreevegan.com
veganessentials.com
nutsonline.com (great for finding nut flours!)
benefityourlifestore.com (offers almond flour at great price)
Thanks everyone for sharing! I’ve gotten so many great ideas off here!
I am on this same journey myself–and pretty new to it too. Eating Animals by Janathan Safran Foer is a pretty eye-opening book; thanks for sharing these two–they are next on my list!
Just started a new weekly post on my blog called Thursday’s Thinking of Food- check it out if you want: http://aucourantcolumbia.blogspot.com/2010/03/thursdays-thinking-of-food_24.html
Good for you for trying to eat healthier! The hubs and I started trying to get better about eating healthy when we first moved in together and it’s been an interesting journey!
With our current budget we’re more concerned with non-processed than organic, and I’m also a lot more conscious about where my food is coming from. But even little things like substituting honey for white sugar and adding oat bran into cake mixes helps! It also helps ease your way into a new way of eating/thinking!
Not a cookbook, but a fabulous read: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver ~ the story of her & her family going local for one year. Very inspiring!
Good for you! I am trying to be a little “better” too. I recently started dating someone who eats 90% organic ingredients, and the food tastes soo good!
Remember that even minor changes can make a big difference!
Excellent! I read the Michael Pollan book followed by his “Food Rules” and have found the rules it so sensible and easy to follow. I started the year out following weight watchers for portion control, and food rules for content, and I’ve lost 30lbs. Beyond that, I feel so much better lately! More energy, better sleep, digestive problems gone away… I always felt like a reasonably intelligent person, but never realizing before that such simple changes could make me feel so much better, I feel like a (healthier) moron!
I’ll have to check out the Jamie Oliver book. I’ve started to lose some steam with creating “meals”. Some new inspiration is just what I need!
Yea! You’re gonna love a greener diet! May I suggest Vegan Express by Nava Atlas. Great, easy vegan recipes. Try the chocolate/peanut butter cake! Wow!
PS, sad to say that “free range” when it comes to eggs is a lie. Look into what it really means, unless you’re at a farmers market/stand, the big companies are selling us a lie.
Enjoy the new foods!
Pink Velvet Bird
This is exactly the transition we’ve made in our household over the last couple of years. I started out barely able to make scrambled eggs… and now cooking is my favorite hobby. I’ve read so many great books about the subject. Check out “Real Food” by Nina Planck, “Food Rules” by Mark Bittman, and “Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Pollan as well… and head over to my site for some easy, fresh recipes (and plenty of food commentary!).
http://www.sustainablediet.blogspot.com/
My fiancee and I read ‘Food Matters’ and ‘How To Cook Everything Vegetarian’ about a year ago and Mark Bittman has totally inspired us. We now cook about 5 nights a week (not bad for New Yorkers!) and just by sticking to the mostly plants idea we have both dropped about 20 lbs! We still eat meat but have come to look at it as a garnish to our meals instead of the main event. I am looking forward to reading the 2 books you suggest, I have heard great things.
P.S. I LOVE your blog, it too inspires me and gives me a lift whenever I read it, keep up the great work :)
Kathy
Nicole,
I have a more modest proposal for you. If you don’t currently consider yourself to be much of a cook or a “healthy eater”, start slowly. I think it’s more about knowing how to make food than knowing exactly what to make. There are so many theories and philosophies out there, the stream seems never ending. However, if you know how to make it, you don’t buy it, e.g. tomato sauce. Making your own is infinitly healthier than buying processed stuff at the store, with it’s loads of salt and sugar plus lord knows what else. The books that you have are a tremendous start! Good for you! Eating clean means eating less processed foods, not necessarily becoming a vegan, vegetarian or going gluten free. Slow, steady and reasonable wins the race.
I hope you have fun with this! And for some DELICIOUS recipes with lots of step by step instructions, I recommend smittenkitchen.com and theparsleythief.com. Both good fun!
Good luck!
Rebecca
I too am just now learning to cook (my husband has always been the one, but it’s high time that I, at 41, learn how to feed my family). I am intimidated when shopping for meat and always have been, so am learning to do things with beans and veggies. It’s been fun so far, but as you say, the simpler the better. And better for us.
Good luck to you, Nicole. I think this it’s wonderful that you are doing this. Was it on your 30 before 30 list?
jbhat
for some inspiration, you might want to check out http://www.outstandinginthefield.com and sign up to go to one of their dinners…i know they host some in the chicago area.
best of luck!
BIG congrats on taking this step!!! i love both of these men and have espoused their philosophies for some time now. can’t wait for jamie oliver’s new show to start tomorrow night!!!
i would recommend you check out http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/
the blog has tons of really tasty yet healthy recipes. i’ve cooked quite a few myself and am never disappointed
My favorite reference for those who are trying to lose weight or improve their health is marksdailyapple.com. My Dad followed the eating principles detailed on that site and lost 20 pounds in 6 weeks. It’s definitely worth looking into. And remember, healthy eating does not have to be fancy! Keep it simple and good luck!
I just received a Real Simple cook book. It’s great for working moms with no time who wish to eat healthy. Recipes are simple, one pot and few ingredients.
What a great post! It looks like you already have plenty of great recommendations but I would like to add Dr. Mark Hyman’s “Ultrametabolism” to the list. The first part of the book explains his approach, and the second part has very simple recipes that are easy to incorporate into your life. I use probably 10 of his recipes on a regular basis, because they are so quick & easy and I know I’m eating well when I make them. Good luck Nicole and let us know how it’s going.
I, too, have been reading “In Defense of Food,” and now I feel like the FDA, who I assumed was looking out for my (the consumer) best interest, is not looking out for me at all! I went to the food store to buy bread, and even ones marked 100% whole wheat had enriched white flour and high fructose corn syrup…I didn’t think whole wheat bread would be hiding those things. It makes me mad!
We are lacto-ovo vegetarians in our household and we feel so much better eating healthfully, how could one not though I guess…we eat tons of green, really simple beautiful food that we can feel good about eating mostly…once organic becomes more reasonably priced it’ll be better for everyone I think…there are 2 veggie heads and 4 rabbits living under our roof making an organic bill abit pricey…but we get organic when we can…but definatly lots of green…lots of it…and everything else in moderation…lots of water, lots of pure lovely tea…less sugar…it’s a matter of keeping in mind that whatever I put in my mouth has to fuel my body and since I’ve never had a big appetite, I have to make sure what I do take in really counts…love your blog…I became a ‘follower’:D
Hi Nicole,
I don’t have time to read all of the posts so I hope that I am not being repetitive, But I highly recommend the book “The China Study” (http://www.thechinastudy.com/). Good reading. Also there are some good documentaries out there, If you have netflix it is easy to get your hands on them.”King Corn” and “Food, Inc.” come to mind, but there are others too.
Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed. One small step at a time.
What a perfect timing for your post. I’ve always struggled with what to cook, especially what is healthy and good for me. Nobody ever told me or my mother that things like baloney were bad for us. :)
I’m so glad people are saying such good things about Jamie Oliver’s show on ABC. Few years back they showed (on TLC) the same show he did in the UK. It was so sad to see what kids were eating, some didn’t even know what some vegetables looked like (they were so used to processed foods).
You asked for recommendations for vegetarian cookbooks.
My mother in law is vegetarian and she’s always liked the stuff we make from this old cook book “Gourmet Vegetarian Feasts” http://www.amazon.com/Gourmet-Vegetarian-Feasts-International-Appetizing/dp/089281389X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269549776&sr=8-1
It’s not really gourmet but more like the dishes our mothers or grandmothers made, homemade and delicious. Some are easy and some are a little more elaborate. I got my copy used for less than $1.
I also like this blog, mostly for baked goods. http://www.pickycook.com/
And if you decide (or if anyone is interested) to start a veggie garden, here is a website where you can trade too many of your vegetables/fruits for something else you don’t have. Even if one doesn’t have anything to trade, you can just buy the veggies and fruits from the members. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the system in my town. http://www.veggietrader.com/
Good luck!
P.S. Sorry for such a long comment.
I had to comment because I just had my 3rd baby just a month after you had yours! It’s always an interesting challenge to get that baby weight off and then some…
I have recently read the EAT CLEAN DIET by Tosca Reno. It is not a diet book, but a way of eating clean for life. I don’t follow it completely, but it is a great guideline for healthy eating. Good luck!
Not sure if you have subscribed to Clean Eating magazine…but trust me, it’s UNBELIEVABLY helpful.
I suggest you get it. It comes with a shopping list too…life-saver!
Waw Nicole, I didn’t expect this from you. I’ll be cheering on you!
I’ll add my vote for Bittman’s book (How to Cook Everything Vegetarian), but be careful not to be overwhelmed by the amount of recipes and info…
Good luck!
Good luck! The thing with making healthy food choices a habit is that after a while, the processed stuff doesn’t taste too good. So it’s easier to avoid.
Both of these books are really good. If you get the ‘Love Food’ series of books where you are, the ‘Seasonal Cookbook’ has really good ideas too.
I sort of took up the same challenge last year. I love cooking and actually bottles of sauce don’t taste good, so I thought it was worth a shot. My husband and I rarely eat processed food now – the only things we buy are the fresh torteloni type pastas, and an occasional pizza.
As well as feeling better for it, it is so, so much cheaper. The only thing I would say is that if you don’t freeze things or meal plan, you will waste alot.
And good luck!
If you want to lose weight and don’t want to do hunger, then a vegetarian diet is it. Pulses are your friend. Filling, healthy protein. Make dahl, lentil soup, humous, and keep a supply of baked beans (though not as a first option because of the sugar). Here’s what worked for me: follow the Carol Vorderman detox diet during the week (you won’t be hungry, the weight falls away by the day and you look amazing) A good detox diet isn’t just about what you avoid, it’s about eating loads and loads of the good stuff. Then do a blow-out meal once a week from any book by Dennis Cotter (mind-blowing vegetarian food). Also you must run every second day with great music. Say to yourself I hate it I hate it I hate it I wanna be sick every step you take for three weeks, then the endorphins will kick in and you’ll love it.
I LOVE this! I have been thinking about eating healthier for quite some time but the amount of books out there is overwhelming and I don’t have much patience for them, but the one you recommended (In Defense of Food) looks great!
And don’t worry if you don’t get the hang of it right away (cooking in general is a work in progress for me at least!) but I think you are doing the right thing by starting when your little girl is young so she can pick up good habits!
CSAs (community supported agriculture) are a great lower cost, smaller footprint way to purchase local grown organic produce. I live in Tinley Park and have supported a CSA south of here for quite a few years. Here is a link to other CSAs in Illinois.
http://www.localharvest.org/search.jsp?scale=&lat=&lon=&x=&y=&ty=0&zip=&st=15&but.x=33&but.y=8
Another tip: Don’t shop for food, shop for ingredients. You’ll eat much less chemicals and preservatives if you shop this way!