Whole Food Cooking Part I: Hunt, Gather, & Save

Those of you who are Function 5 Fitness members know that nutrition is a big part of what we do.  We believe that it’s the most important pillar of all aspects of fitness and health, because without good nutrition you have no foundation to build on.

Nutrition is really very simple.  We like to call it real food. That’s right - real, not that packaged food bar in you’ve had in your glove compartment for 2 weeks now that has a list of things you can’t pronounce on the label.

You may have heard the term “Paleo” to describe how we eat, which means a diet based on the way our Paleolithic ancestors ate. To me though, it just means real food: meat, fish poultry, eggs, veggies, fruit and some nuts – just the way nature intended them to be.

I want to help you all live healthy lives and much of that starts in the kitchen.  If you are not much of a cook that’s okay, let’s break this down into steps. First, you’ll need to hunt and gather your food a.k.a. shopping.

One of the main complaints that clients make when switching to a real food diet is that it costs them more money than they’re used to. But eating healthy can be inexpensive and is very worth it. Think of your grocery bill as an investment in your health, a retirement plan that is going to make sure you live a vibrant, strong life well into your 80’s and beyond. Getting cancer is expensive, open heart surgery is expensive, that grass-fed steak and some organic broccoli are not that expensive when you look at the big picture.

Here are 10 ways, to Hunt, Gather and $ave!

1. Know your Dirty Dozen - These are 12 fruits and veggies that are loaded with chemicals and pesticides. Try to buy these organic when possible to avoid nasty chemicals. This leaves tons of produce that doesn’t have to be bought organically, but if you can that’s good too.

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Pears
• Grapes (Imported)
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Potatoes

2. Be a planner.  Make a list and stay within a set budget. This is a good way to dodge buying unwanted items that may go bad before they get eaten.  If you are like me that chocolate chip trail mix at the end of the counter always seems like a good idea at the time. But if you have a list you are more prepared to turn it down.

Here are some staples that are always on my list are:

Ground beef, frozen fish, steaks, eggs, a variety of veggies, sweet potatoes, coconut oil, natural sausages, natural turkey breast slices, olive oil, avocados, garlic and onions (easy flavor for stir-fries) grab and go fruits like apples, oranges, pear and bananas, almond or sun flower butter.

3. Freeze it! Always have frozen fish, poultry and meat in the fridge – and remember to defrost it the day before you want it to cook.  Produce you need to plan to buy fresh twice a week, but you can get some frozen items.  Fresh is better, but I’d rather see you eat veggies than none at all. So if buying frozen veggies helps you eat them, go for it.

4. Where Smart Modern Peeps go to Hunt and Gather:

Here is a list of places you can go and what to expect:

Trader Joes: Great for wild caught frozen fish (just read labels), grass-fed ground beef, organic nuts, organic olive oil, some organic produce and the delicious organic 85% chocolate.

Whole Foods:  Good for those hard to find items: coconut oil, coconut milk, pastured eggs and poultry, any organic produce you can’t find at Trader Joes.

Famers Markets: Get to know your local organic farmers, ask questions – and even go late to barter for the real deals ;)

USWellnessMeats.Com  - The best online store for grass-fed meat – they ship it to you fresh frozen, it’s easy, convenient and delicious!

Stay tuned for next month when I go over cooking tips, until then feel free to use this easy method that The Paleo Solution Author Robb Wolf recommends and me and the F5 peeps use all the time:

•  Put some oil in a pan. (coconut oil is best)
• Brown some meat in that oil for a minute
• If you are using a hearty herb/spice like ginger, add it before the meat, if it’s delicate like basil, add it when the dish is almost done.
• Add veggies – your choice!
• Stir it a time or two, cover and set a timer for 5-10 min.
• If it’s done, eat! If not, set a timer again.
  

Hey, now wasn’t that simple???

You’re welcome. ;)

 - Natalie Morgan & Roxy Richardson

3 October 2011 ·

• Tags
• nutrition
• food
• cooking
• organic foods
• grass-fed beef