Fruit

I think my enjoyment and pleasure in eating fruit stems from a mild deprivation from my childhood. For some reason, we never seemed to have much variety in my home when I was a child. Oranges, bananas, and apples and that was about it. So now, all the other types of fruit available seem to me a kind of pleasant luxury that I can partake in, even though these other types are actually quite ordinary. Such is one of the gentle ironies in my life.

The thing about fruit is that, while it is comparatively high in sugar, it is also high in fiber, which mitigates the sugar issue to an extent. So a moderate amount of fruit in one’s diet, if one is a typical, non-diabetic individual, is excellent despite the high sugar content.

Carbs Not The Devil

Whole Foods

Having fun exploring the newly opened Whole Foods store in my town. Yesterday, discovered Cauliflower Gluten Free Gnocchi. They describe it as “rustic Italian style gnocchi made with cauliflower puree, potato and rice flour”. Also picked up their 365 Organic Tomato Sauce as well as their 365 Organic Tomato Paste. Seems that every time I go into this store there are discoveries.

New Type of Nut Bar

Carbs Not The Devil

What the anti-carb folks don’t understand is that there is a vast difference between simple carbs and complex carbs high in fiber. You want to avoid all the simple carbs like the plague, like they do. But the complex carbs with fiber are actually the best type of food on the planet. You want to eat more, not less, complex carbs.

New Type of Nut Bar

I’m seeing a new type of nut bar where the producer, instead of using refined sugar, is using dates for the sweetener. Basically, the nuts are encased in dates as the wrapper.

Check out the products from Thunderbird and myAir.

Thunderbird

myAir

Scruptious

If you want to treat yourself to the most delectable dessert, try the Mitica Date Walnut Cake. Got mine at Whole Foods. Probably the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten. Major dopamine rush. (So beware this could turn into a major addiction.)

Mitica also has a fig-oriented cake if you prefer figs to dates.

Nutritious Vegan Meals

Nutritious vegan meals already prepared.

Vegan Meals

Another Meat Substitute

Seitan.

Seitan

Yogurt Adds

Silk Unsweet Almond Milk Yogurt with Vanilla. Add oat bran for the fiber, which will feed the bacteria, and take it with a probiotic pill as well. Boost for the gut bacteria. Stop using yogurts that have added sugar. They have so much sugar they are candy.

Silk Unsweet Almond Yogurt with Vanilla

Relishing Food

In my old age, I’ve become something of a cook and now enjoy food much more, as I am able to produce meals that have a lot of taste. But it begs the obvious question, what is taste, what is the taste of food? If you think about it for a moment, it comes down to the tongue’s reaction to the chemicals in food. The tongue — this magical organ with its taste buds — plays the pivotal roll, especially the very tip of the tongue.

And the more you get your tongue involved in each morsel of food, the greater the intensity of the taste of that food. So it is actually possible to increase that intensity by slowing the chewing process and lengthening the amount of time the tongue has to twirl and savor the food.

And then there is something called the “aftertaste”. It is literally the lingering taste of the food after you have swallowed it. The mouth and tongue are still slightly coated with that taste so there is this faint but discernible aftertaste. How many gourmets, instead of rushing on to the next bite mindlessly, take the time to enjoy this aftertaste? Many? Any?

The bottom line about taste is to eat more slowly so that you let your tongue do it what does so well…and don’t forget that hint of the taste in the aftertaste. So mindful eating is the way to go if you can manage it — to get even more taste.

Cool

Have Fallen in Love Again

I’ve fallen in love again, but this time not with a person, but with sweet bell peppers. Love the taste both cooked and raw. Use them in virtually everything now.

Side Dish