As a nutritional health educator and Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist, I have worked with literally hundreds of clients and patients who usually have one or more medical diagnoses such as Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and/or high blood pressure to name a few. I leave it up to the primary care provider to write the prescriptions for particular medications to treat these diseases. I prescribe food. Wholesome, healthy food that is every bit as important to a person’s health and well being as are the prescriptions picked up at the drug store, if not more so.
One of the many disturbing things that I am seeing in my teaching role is that my clients and patients are getting younger and younger. I have dozens of patients in their 20’s and 30’s who already have these diseases. When I take a detailed food history from them to determine opportunities for dietary adjustments, the problem is that they honestly don’t know how or won’t cook a meal at home. Basic kitchen concepts fail them. It’s easier to grab some fast food (think empty calories full of salt, sugar and fat) or go to the grocery store for a box of something like mac and cheese. When I am told by my patients that it’s cheaper to buy the fast food vs making something at home, I have to disagree. When I make the rounds at the local grocery stores and Dollar stores (yes, I look there, too), I can put meals together for less than the purchase of a fast food meal with fries and a soft drink. AND, it’s much healthier for sure. This type of eating (constant fast food, processed food) is the main culprit at the root of these diseases. This type of food causes inflammation in the body and the damage is far reaching.
When I point this out to my patients, the truth comes out. They don’t feel confident cooking. So, I provide recipes that are dead basic, require little kitchen gadgetry, contain easy to find ingredients and, if doubled, provide another meal or so for future use. Sometimes I even have the means to buy the ingredients. I do my best to work with them to build up their cooking confidence, step by step. Small changes have big results. I encourage choosing foods that are in season vs out of season to keep down the cost and support the use of frozen fruits and vegetables that do not contain extra sauces or sugar. Many patients have embraced the concepts and have made changes, bit by bit. Over a period of a few months they report feeling significantly better with more energy and many have lost weight due to the healthier food choices. Objectively, their lab results have also shown improvement. Unfortunately, some patients are not ready to make changes yet but that is their prerogative. It’s all a matter of choice.
So, I will continue to share easy recipes here and on my Facebook page (No Bad Foods LLC) for anyone to try. I welcome comments and feedback so please reach out.
Maybe someday, I will write a cookbook!
Barbara
Some herbs from my garden….parsley on the top, chives on the bottom. Great Vitamin C!
