Survival of the Fittest

Ever wonder how the human race managed to survive without today’s nutritional know-how? Contrary to popular confusion, healthy eating is not rocket science. As evidenced by the survival of the cave man (no offense to the caveman, I have more respect for him than Geiko‘s ad agency), generations of “uncivilized” homo sapiens were able to meet their basic nutritional needs. Sure, there were nutrient-deficiency diseases like beriberi, scurvy and rickets in certain isolated populations before the chemical constituents of food were identified in the 20th century. But generations of human beings ate well enough to fuel their active lifestyles, such as hunter-gatherers, nomads, farmers and other types of manual laborers.

Before the age of trains, planes and automobiles, dinner consisted of whatever was readily available within a small radius from home. A meal might consist of only one or two items - perhaps deer meat and berries from the forest. Communities living in the higher lattitudes would go most of the year without fresh vegetables (they did store and preserve some produce for the barren winter months). Their diet was definitely limited in scope and would not have satisfied the dietary mantra of “moderation, balance and variety.”

The “Basic Four” food guide, based just as much on politics as it is on science, wasn’t issued by the USDA until 1958. By then, most households had refrigerators, freezers and a pantry to conveniently store a broad spectrum of foods. Clever chemists and industrious agricultural scientists have succeeded in boosting the American food supply and offering consumers a tremendous variety of choices. With so many options, you’d think that we’d be better off today. Yet, we are not. Our ancestors had the distinct advantage of living in era before the modern supermarket full of processed foods and sly marketing claims. With so many “things” (not all edible products are foods) to select from, today’s consumer NEEDS some guidance.

So here‘s my suggestion: “Eat real food.” A friend of mine once told me about the advice she received from her grandmother: “Don’t eat anything you can’t make in your own kitchen.” As a chef who likes to experiement, I really like that advice.

I’d also add that you should strive to cook with local ingredients - using whatever definition of local feels right to you (and is practical). Environmental concerns aside, local ingredients contribute to good health by virtue of their seasonality. Ayurveda, the health system which originated in India over 5000 years ago, recognizes the existence of three principal seasons that correlate to the three main harvests of the year - spring, summer and fall. The food that is gathered at the beginning of each season serves as an “antidote” to the conditions of that phase of the year. For instance, fruit is abundant in summer when the body needs it to cool down under the intense heat of th sun. Whereas, root vegetables are harvested in the fall and stored for the winter time when their warmth and grounding effect is most needed.

So take the advice of Mother Nature, the original nutrition expert, because she has the compassion to provide us with the resources we need to withstand her sometimes nasty and unpredictable ways.