Guide to Good Eating
Nutritionists tell us our modern diet is too high in fats, sugars and carbohydrates, and that we all should eat more healthily. For many people, that means returning to traditional recipes and food free of the horrors of mass-production. For others, it means exploring foods that are healthy, but sound awful.
'The World's Healthiest Food'
Spirulina is a three-billion-year-old microscopic algae that is almost as old as life on the planet itself. It has been harvested and eaten by peoples in the Americas, Asia and Africa for many centuries, but was only introduced to western diets during the past 30 years.
It is the lowest link on the food chain, but recent research suggests it is one of the healthiest. Extremely high in protein, it contains antioxidants and is rich in gamma-linolenic acid, beta carotene and all the essential amino acids – and it contains precious few calories.
Health claims made for spirulina include:
- It strengthens the immune system.
- It supports cardiovascular functions.
- It enhances gastrointestinal health.
- It aids detoxification.
- It cuts the risk of cancer.
Oh, and it tastes terrible.
A Bug’s Life
Important to the Aboriginal diet in Australia is the Witchetty grub – a moth larva eaten raw, or cooked in ashes. The grubs have as many calories as beef, but with far more protein and much less fat and water. In other words, they are an excellent food source, and one that survival experts train themselves to find.
The Aborigines also eat the Honeypot ant and Honeybag bee – insects that seek out and store honeydew and nectar and are therefore sweet to eat. All are nutritious and available in the often harsh conditions of the Australian desert.
Japanese cooking includes a variety of insects. One theory is that the country supported a growing human population with relatively few animals many centuries ago. People were forced to turn instead to the largely aquatic insects they found around them. Dishes such as insect and wasp larvae, grasshoppers and cicada survive to this day in Japanese restaurants.
Thai cuisine includes water bugs, grasshoppers, worms and birds. Though, fortunately, the bugs are ground up so as to be unrecognisable.
Locusts are best known for eating everything they come across. But when they are in plentiful supply, they become a food staple in large areas of Africa, and are a rich source of protein.
Fruity Secret of Longevity
Dried apricots are reputed to be the secret of longevity for the citizens in the Hunza region of China. The fruit is prized by food scientists for its high content of beta-carotene, a fighter in the battle against disease-promoting free radicals. Apricots provide slow-release energy that boosts stamina and endurance, while containing high iron content.
Everyday Super-Foods
Fortunately, there is good, traditional food to be had without travelling halfway round the world, and you don’t have to close your eyes before eating it. Science is re-assessing some of our most familiar ingredients, including:- Watercress is possibly one of the most impressive super-foods on the planet. This leafy green foliage plant is packed with vitamins, minerals and other useful plant hormones. Scientists say it can also cut down the harmful effects of cigarette smoke, while the oils in watercress work as a natural antibiotic.
- Nuts contain vital omega-3 fats that help prevent blood clotting, huge amounts of fibre and vitamin E, a powerful protector of the brain that may even help prevent diseases such as Alzheimer’s. A recent study showed vegetarians who consumed one ounce of walnuts daily over a 13-year period had a 23 per cent lower than average death rate than non-nut eaters.
- Polenta, once regarded by the Italians as peasant food, is a healthy alternative to rice and potatoes. It's a good substitute for people who can't tolerate gluten in wheat and other starchy foods.
- Cinnamon, mixed with wine, was traditionally a cure for winter’s infections. Its popularity spread to Britain and it was used widely during the Black Death in the hope it would prevent infection. Now the powers of cinnamon as an antiseptic, anti-fungal and anti-viral cure have been proved by western scientists. It continues to feature in hundreds of Chinese herbal formulas.
- Basil’s essential oils make it one of the most calming and mood-enhancing of all the culinary herbs. It derived from India, travelled to the Middle East and arrived in Europe about 500 years ago. Folklore suggests basil grew around Christ’s tomb after he rose from the dead.
- Rosemary’s borneol (a variety of camphor) is said to bring a sensation of inner happiness and peace.
- Mint is rumoured to induce feelings of happiness.
- Garam masala, a mix of cinnamon, bay leaves, cumin, coriander, cloves, mace, nutmeg and black pepper commonly used in Indian cooking, is said to be good for relieving stress.
