Philosophy

Good, wholesome, healthy, natural food has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up in a rural town on California’s north coast, fresh, local, organic food was in abundance. I also lucked out with a family with a passion for gourmet food, where everything is made from scratch. If not, you dare not mention it!

When I was little, I didn’t know the words "mac and cheese". Instead, I plugged my nose at the dinner table as I ate sautéed chard with onions, raisins and sunflower seeds. It was the absolute worst to an 8-year-old, but now I couldn’t be more thankful to my mom for raising my brother and I with real, wholesome food. Life wasn’t always this healthy though. My mom is also one of the best bakers I know. Most weekends I would wake up to the smell of buttery raspberry almond scones, a puffy, sautéed apple German pancake, or moist semisweet chocolate chip pumpkin muffins.

As I mentioned, my mom is not the only cook in the family… my aunts and uncles are some of the most phenomenal chefs. Growing up with my family just blocks away, we enjoyed (and still do) gathering for any reason to share our gourmet concoctions. I think it is safe to say we are all food snobs :)

I did not grow up eating much meat. My mom chose to stop eating red meat at age 17, and not surprisingly, this affected how I was raised. Although my dad and brother love their steak, my mom never prepared red meat in our house. In the Spring of 2010, I decided to stop eating poultry (please watch Food, Inc.); therefore, I’m currently eating a pescatarian, but mostly vegetarian, diet. It’s not definite that I my diet will not change in the future, but I’m happy and healthy living sans inhumanly-raised birds with bigger breasts than mine.

Now, in my fifth year living away from home, I continue to eat ‘real’ food. That is to say, I do not eat like your typical college student. I may be busy, and always "on the run", but I am the Nutrition Nut after all. I try to make my meals aesthetically pleasing, as I think eating beautiful food enhances the enjoyment of eating. Incorporating color is also one of my theories to a healthy diet. This is easy for me to do as I love my veggies. Eating healthy is a pleasure for me, not a chore. I fill my tummy with tofu, nuts, raw veggies, whole grains, yogurt, and fresh fruit… but there is always room for something sweet. It’s a rare occurrence for me to go a day without a nibble of dark chocolate.

Although my mission is to live the healthiest life I can, I do not deny myself of life’s pleasures. With each new day, I strive for the magical melody between health and happiness.

Rules I try to live by:

1. Add color wherever possible… this does not include Blue No. 1, Red No. 3, or Yellow No. 6

2. Don’t drink your sugar.

3. Avoid long ingredient lists with words you can’t pronounce.

4. Hydrate mostly by H20.

5. Balance the food groups throughout the day.

6. Avoid the word "artificial".

7. Make your food beautiful.

8. Shop local. Buy organic.

9. Simplify your plate.

10. Indulge!

"To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art."