This is the first of five skills needed for developing an intuitive ability to cook. If you missed the reason why these skills are necessary you may want to READ THIS first.
There are as many dietary strategies as there are people who eat food.
For instance, maybe you want your diet to include:
- gluten-free and lots of veggies and low-fat meats, or
- mostly veggies, fruits, and plant-based proteins, or
- lots of whole grains, no dairy, and red meat
I’m not here to tell you what you should eat. It’s something you have to figure out by paying attention to what you’re eating and how it makes you feel (both mentally and physically). Everyone’s physiology is different. People who are smarter than me write books about such things. Read one, perhaps.
HOWEVER, the science has been in for a long time now on the following recommendations:
- Eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables is very good for your body.
- Eating whole grains like brown rice, or whole-grain bread is more beneficial than eating simple carbs like white rice or white bread.
- Limiting saturated fats is probably wise.
- Drinking plenty of water throughout the day is good.
- Eating or drinking lots of sugar every day is going to cause health problems.
- And, eating highly processed foods is NOT good for your body.
- Also, diet fads are kind of dumb. (Science didn’t say that. That’s just me… rolling my eyes.)
Beyond these basics, I encourage you to do your own research and decide what your personal food goals are. Then you’ll have a better idea what sort of recipes to look for, food staples to keep on hand, and the best places to buy what you need at a reasonable price.
As an example, I’ll share our food goals.
We try to eat:
- Lots of fresh vegetables and fruits every day… and when I say lots, I mean half of what we eat in a day.
- Whole grains when we eat carbs: brown rice, whole grain bread, quinoa, etc.
- As many beans as we can eat without getting ridiculously gassy.
- Some meat, preferably lower fat content, and usually chicken or pork. Beef on a rare occasion (haha… get it?).
- Fake milk (oat, almond, coconut) Real milk only for baking.
- Cheese and eggs in moderation.
- Some plant-based proteins, like tofu.
- Regarding sugar, we try to keep it to a minimum (except for special occasions).
- No soda. Minimal alcohol.
At 52 and 54 years old respectively, this is the diet that makes us feel healthy and energized.
Choosing Recipes
Since I know what foods we want to eat, I can narrow down my Google recipe searches:
- “Recipes with lots of vegetables and tofu”
- “Easy bean recipes”
- “Low-fat chicken recipes”
Knowing what your food goals are makes it much easier to curate your meal plans.
What to Buy
Once you know what sort of recipes you’ll be making regularly, you can stock your pantry and freezer accordingly. I’ve always got a bag of frozen chicken tenderloins in the freezer, brown rice in the pantry, as well as canned and dry beans, canned tomatoes, and some garlic and onions. Every week, I know I’ll be buying some fresh greens for salads, as well as any other veggies I’ll need for the meals I’ve planned. You get the idea, right?
Where to Buy
Because I generally don’t have the time to go to multiple specialty stores, I plan the meals I make around the foods I can easily find at my local grocery store. And, as I’ve mentioned in other places, my local grocery store is going to be the one that offers bulk foods. Yes, it takes a little time to bag up bulk foods and label them, but the savings are often up to 10x less than buying the same foods prepackaged… especially when it comes to spices and dried herbs. In addition, you can buy as much or as little as you need.
Essentially, identifying your diet is mapping out where you want to go. Once you’ve got the route figured out, you’ll know what to pack and how to plan for the journey.
Next stop, gathering the tools you’ll need for your cooking journey…
