Healthy Eating Tips: 9 Simple Ways to Eat Better

Last month while on vacation at Massanutten Resort in Harrisonburg, Virginia (a place we love and consider our “home away from home”), we attended a Cooking Demonstration. The Chef told an interesting story in that she previously suffered from auto-immune disease and was now completely free of any symptoms. She is the first person I’ve met who, through diet alone, was able to accomplish this diagnosis.

As a result, she shared some of her secrets (which I thought I would share with you as this month’s bonus).

Here are some of her healthy eating tips:

1. In fighting her auto-immune disease she listed the Big 6 foods she avoids:
   – Gluten
   – Soy
   – Dairy (including cheeses)
   – Sugar
   – Processed meats and foods Alcohol
   You may immediately think, Well, what do you eat? But lately many more delicious foods that avoid these products and recipes galore are available for healthy, wonderful tasting meals. Check out the gluten free foods in your grocery aisle and google recipes that eliminate these foods…you’ll be surprised how many you can find! We have found since COVID that avoiding these foods on a regular basis does make us feel amazingly better and healthier. (We do cheat at times especially when we eat out, but we stay within these parameters at home… which works for us.)
   
   
2. A micro plane fine grater and lemon squeezer are wonderfully helpful with meal preparation. And ginger doesn’t have to be peeled if grated…news flash!
   
   
3. A little tip about peppers. Green peppers are better in a cooked preparation rather than chopped fresh in salad. The sweetness of peppers varies with their color, green being least sweet, red is next, then orange, and finally yellow is the sweetest. All those besides green are great raw and if used cooked in stuffed pepper, green holds up the best and yellow least (needing less time in the oven). Who knew?
   
   
4. Rather than buying expensive liquid to clean veggies and fruits, mix 3 parts water with 1 part apple cider vinegar and let veggies soak 2-5 minutes. Soak fruit a shorter period of time or it breaks down (blueberries-just until the white film is gone).
   
   
5. The more colorful your food, the healthier. Use all the colors of the rainbow whenever possible such as in a salad: example-romaine, purple cabbage, blueberries, chickpeas, dried mango, celery, shredded carrots, cherry tomatoes or raspberries, and orange or red pepper.
   
   
6. Never EVER eat chicken with a temperature less than 165 degrees!
   
   
7. Quinoa or farro are excellent ancient grains to replace rice. Ancient grains are exactly what they have always been for generations…largely unchanged, unprocessed, and healthy. Tri-colored quinoa, prewashed, is my favorite! The other five of the top seven ancient grains are amaranth, millet, sorghum, teff, and freekeh. I have never eaten any of these so will comment in the future if one is wonderful. 🙂
   
   
8. Cooking oils that are best are beef tallow and duck fat, coconut oil, avocado oil ( though I have another friend well-versed in nutrition who avoids all “nut” oils at any cost), ghee, with olive oil being best in cold preparations like salad dressing, not cooking…new information for me.
   
   
9. Sugar options include first date sugar and maple sugar, then good honey and good maple syrup. Coconut sugar can be added. Stevia is an excellent sugar substitute if necessary and Allulose is apparently supposed to be good as well ( though I am not endorsing this.) Whatever you do, if you want to keep your brain healthy and preserve your mind, NO ASPARTAME! Sorry, diet drinks are mostly out of the picture. Although Cheerwine Zero and Ocean Spray Zero juices do use Stevia- the only ones I am aware of.

Now, your reward for learning all this is a terrific recipe that is mouthwateringly delicious although not perfectly aligned with the above tips.

Caramelized Sea Bass with Brown Sugar Soy Glaze

Ingredients:

1. 4-6 oz. Sea Bass fillets
2. 2-3 Cloves of Garlic
3. 1 piece of fresh ginger
4. 2 Tbsp. Butter
5. High Heat Cooking Oil
6. 1/4 cup brown sugar
7. 3-4 green onions
8. Black and White sesame seeds
9. Salt and Pepper, to taste
10. 1/4 cup soy sauce (or coconut aminos, tamari, or hoisin sauce – if using this sauce add 4 Tbsp. rice vinegar)

Directions:

1. Heat high heat cooking oil and butter in skillet. When oil is hot (sizzles), add the sea bass filets frying until golden brown. Gently turn the fillet over and fry the other side until golden brown.
2. Remove the fillets from the skillet and set aside but keep warm. In the same skillet add a little more oil and butter. Add in the minced garlic and the grated ginger. Sauté gently until aromatic.
3. Add in the soy sauce and deglaze the pan. Add in brown sugar. Reduce the heat and then gently simmer. Once the sauce has reduced and thickened remove from heat.
4. Plate the sea bass and drizzle the glazed over the top. Garnish with green onions and black and white sesame seeds.

I haven’t tasted any fish quite this delicious in my lifetime! Bon Appetit!