On Life As A Picky Foodie

What's In A Word?

di·et n

Pronunciation: \ˈdī-ət\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English diete, from Anglo-French, from Latin diaeta, from Greek diaita, literally, manner of living, from diaitasthai to lead one's life

Date: 13th century

1 a : food and drink regularly provided or consumed b : habitual nourishment c : the kind and amount of food prescribed for a person or animal for a special reason d : a regimen of eating and drinking sparingly so as to reduce one's weight <going on a diet>
2 : something provided or experienced repeatedly <a diet of Broadway shows and nightclubs — Frederick Wyatt>

(source: Merriam-Webster English dictionary)

The word diet engenders all kinds of reactions. For many, diet has become synonymous with a restrictive way of eating designed either to bring about weight loss or better health. 

In fact a person’s diet is nothing more than another way of describing eating habits – no calorie counting, carb. restriction or protein gorging necessary. 

Years ago, as a university student in Jerusalem, I became involved in human rights and political activism.  Working with students from all backgrounds, religions and political views, the goal was to find a common ground on which to build a future based on peace.  One of the most frustrating disputes that I encountered at the time was the fact that the word peace meant very different things to each person – a first roadblock that we were constantly dealing with.

The word diet poses many of the same challenges: Atkins is a diet, so too is the Low GI as well as the Pritikin, South Beach and Zone diets – and many people in the Western World have spent at least a portion of their lives following someone else’s prescription for health and weight loss – someone else’s diet. 

Then again every single thing that you choose to put into your mouth is part of the YOU diet. 

So why not stop letting others dictate your diet?  It’s time to accept that Atkins worked for Dr. Atkins (or so his legacy still claims) and Montignac worked for Mr. Montignac, but what is appropriate for each one of us is our own version of diet.

I’m not saying that there aren’t things we can learn from each one of these visionaries, but in order to figure out what works for each one of us, what we need to do is combine all we know, all we’ve learned, all that has helped us and hindered us and create our own. 

You might not go and write a book about it, but that doesn’t make the You diet any less effective – after all, it works for you!

And that, dear friends, is the cornerstone of my work as a Holistic Health Consultant. Together with my clients we figure out what their diet story is.  This is and should be valid for one person and one person alone; because each one of us functions differently and every body is unique and wonderful and fed and nourished in so many different ways.  

I am currently offering various discount packages for readers of my newsletter.  If you’ve tried everyone else’s, why not give the YOU diet a shot?  Email me at Gabriela@thepickyfoodie.com for more information (be sure to mention On Life As A Picky Foodie).

Be well and enjoy,

Gabriela

P.S.  Friday Night Dinner in Paris is always special. In fact, every night in Paris is special.  But this week’s Friday Night Dinner was one for the record books: DW and I went out for an incredible meal to celebrate present number 22 out of the 40 he is receiving to mark this joyous year.  Check out the most expensive salad ever in this week’s Friday Night Dinner Blog!

P.P.S.  Ladies of London -- here's your last chance to sign up for the workshop that can change your life!

Smelly Cats

There was a girl in my high school class who stank.  This girl was a good friend of mine for a time, and it wasn’t because she was dirty or neglected, but now that I know what I know about health, I can say with some degree of certainty that this girl stank because she was eating things that her body didn’t know how to process or digest.

Another classmate would hiss to me in the hallways “she’s your friend, YOU tell her!”  But I never did, because how does one sixteen-year old tell another that they smell?

This girl never suffered: she had boyfriends and a social life, but she stank and everyone knew it. 

Body odour is just one of the many side-effects of eating food that doesn’t work for us.  It can emanate from any part of our bodies -- our feet, genitals, mouth, underarms – and is a pretty accurate barometer of how well our diet is feeding our bodies.  The simple rule of thumb is if you smell funny, chances are, something’s up.  Diet is not the only possible cause of body odour.  Hormonal changes, thyroid imbalances, bacterial overgrowth and stress can all contribute to temporary funkiness in the scent department.

Unfortunately, many of the options available out there don’t actually get to the root of the problem, but rather, they only offer a temporary solution, thereby making us dependant on industrial mouthwashes, soaps and deodorants. 

Many people try to combat odour with anti-perspirants.  Most contain aluminum.  According to the National Cancer Institute, what this does is form a temporary plug within the sweat ducts that stops the flow of sweat to the skin’s surface.  And while that might sound like a good thing in terms of curbing odours, in practice, chances are this will only aggravate the problem rather than solve it long-term. 

Our skin is our largest organ.  It protects us from pathogens, regulates temperature and provides insulation, amongst other things.  In addition, we remove toxins through our skin.  In other words, if we clog up those pores with aluminium and all sorts of other chemicals, we are, in fact, stopping the natural process and trapping toxins inside us.  That doesn’t sound very healthy, does it?

Similarly, most mouthwashes contain alcohol, which dehydrates the mouth and feeds the same nasty bacteria that can cause halitosis in the first place. 

So what can you do?

First of all, try to pinpoint the cause of the odour.  Have you recently been through an upheaval at work, health-wise, in your personal life?  Have you been travelling or eating out more than usual?  Have you been put on a new medication or started a new vitamin or supplement? Have you had an upset stomach or other medical condition?

Once you know the origin of the problem, you can help yourself in many many ways. It’s important to seek medical attention if needed.  Other remedies include: switching to all-natural beauty products that won’t clog your pores (so that your body can resume using your skin in the way it was intended), drinking more water to help flush out those toxins, dry-brushing your skin before you shower, and exfoliating. 

You can also make your own – deodorant, perfume, mouthwash.  It’s easy, quick and incredibly satisfying. 

And then of course there’s the role diet plays in all of this.  Our bodies metabolize different foods in different ways -- why wouldn’t that affect how we smell?  Personally, I smell differently when I eat meat, and when I drink alcohol.  What about you? 

If you’re concerned about body odour of any kind, consider what foods and lifestyle triggers might be affecting you negatively.  And if you need help either in identifying the culprit or figuring out what to do about it, shoot me an email at Gabriela@thepickyfoodie.com so we can set up a session to discuss it.

With love and lavender

Gabriela

P.S.  Still suffering from that runny nose / cough / chill that doesn't seem to let up?  It’s February and everyone seems to be wrestling with some sort of bug.  As we sniffled our way through Friday Night Dinner, DW and I sipped my potent Cold-And-Flu Elixir.  You can find the formula for this bug-busting potion in this week’s Friday Night Dinner Blog.

Greetings Lovebugs!

It’s Valentine’s Day and I thought I would celebrate us all by sending out a special, loved-up green smoothie recipe. 

Let me ask you this: why is it that we choose to celebrate something as beautiful and life-affirming as L-O-V-E with insane amounts of sugar, processed and fatty foods? No wonder we all get blood-rushing, heart-pumping crazed on Valentine’s Day!

Why not choose to underscore the beauty that is life with foods that do our bodies good? 

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: fresh, whole foods made with true love don’t just feed our cells, they also make our souls, our emotions, our brains happy -- and they do so in a deeper, more sustained way than the mass-produced so-called special-occasion indulgences that last for all of thirty seconds. 

The notion that healthy food can’t be delicious, decadent and satisfying is a myth.

On this, the pinkest day of the year, why not choose to truly feed and fête the heart in every way -- not just the poetic sense.  Because our health is really the prerequisite for any celebration. 

L’Chaim – Love of Life Green Smoothie

Large handful of greens – lamb’s lettuce (mache) or spinach

2 oranges

3 T sesame seeds

2 T hemp seeds*

2 cups coconut water**

1/4 cup raisins

¼ t vanilla (preferably alcohol-free or powder)

Start by blending the coconut water and greens until there are no bits left. 

Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend well.

Serves two people who want to celebrate together, three who want to share the love, or one person who loves their Self very much. 

* Hemp seeds are a fantastic source of fibre, essential fatty acids, and protein.  They are a seed, not a leaf and so will NOT get you high.  They are a great addition to granola, smoothies and salads – however, they are best eaten raw and unheated to retain optimal nutritional value.  Look for the hulled seeds.

** Coconut water is a tropical food so is not local to the Northern hemisphere and can be quite cooling to those of us who strive to keep warm in the winter.  However, coconut water is also packed with vitamins, minerals and electrolytes.  Known as nature’s isotonic drink (or nature’s Gatorade, if you prefer), it can help to re-hydrate after a workout, boost the immune system, balance the body’s Ph, cleanse the digestive tract and improve metabolism.  Of course fresh is best, but for those of us who don’t live on an island in Thailand (or in Venice, CA or Lower Manhattan), look for the commercial packaged brands available in most health food stores. 

With love and Ojai oranges,

Gabriela

P.S.  I received many emails following my first green smoothie recipe featured in the Leon newsletter last month.  People wanted more.  Thank you all for reaching out and asking for what you wanted.  Please continue to do so.  You can email me at Gabriela@thepickyfoodie.com, leave comments in the Friday Night Dinner Blog or in the On Life As A Picky Foodie newsletter archive. Thanks for all the love, you guys!

Rarely does a week go by without someone in my immediate surroundings telling me I wouldn’t approve of what they ate or drank.  “It’s bad” is something I hear a lot, or “I was naughty.”

When we go out for dinner, friends will ask my husband whether he’s allowed this or that – as if he would get into trouble!

Somehow people assume that I eat perfectly – whatever that means. 

Let me state for the record that even if there was such a thing as perfection, nothing could be further from the truth. 

Often, when people tell me about being “bad” food-wise, they look at me as if they were the fourth grader and I was the schoolteacher about to send them into a time-out in the corner.  This guilty look is usually also accompanied by a mischievous little grin, knowing that they got away with it, like the cat that ate the canary.

I don’t much enjoy being in the position of evil Mrs [insert second-grade teacher’s name here], but I cannot take it personally. Instead, I find myself wondering what relationship people are perpetuating with their guilt and what they project onto me. 

Yet one more way in which we can use food is to re-enact relationships from our past.  The feeling of “being bad” followed by punishment, fear, guilt, disapproval, the wagging finger – all of these are ways in which we choose to return to our childhoods, to following rules, or not.   

The main difference is that, as adults, it is in our power to change this tug-of-war between wanting to be good and enjoying the thrill of being bad, to break free from the rules and judgments, to create our own “right” and “wrong” or do away with them altogether.  As adults, we have the ability make up our own rules, and when we choose to break them, there is no one there to punish us except our selves.  And -- according to some -- the holistic health consultant sitting across the table. 

Why is a grapefruit better than a potato?  What did the avocado ever do to become such a bad boy? So what if you want to have a packet of crisps from time to time? 

Growing up, my lunch often consisted of defrosted fish sticks and canned peas with mayonnaise or some kind of tartar-flavoured sauce.  Or sticky cold cuts that tried to pass for meat on white bread. No, don’t call me Saint Picky Foodie; I too have a past.  Like everyone else, I choose what I put into my mouth, how much and how often. And like everyone else, sometimes I feel like a curry and sometimes a salad is what does my body good. Some days I want ice cream while others, I prefer almonds or an apple.  Some meals are smaller, others large enough to feed me twice. 

As long as we’re talking about real food and not chemical, alien substances shaped like food, there is almost no objective “good” or “bad” – Micky D’s and Cousin Coke aside – and one of the worst things we can do for our health is give our meals, those that we choose to put in our bodies, that kind of power.

So please, friends, stop looking to others to tell you what healthy is, what a portion size is, what good food is and bad food is.  You’re an adult, you know what works for you and what doesn’t.  From time to time, however, we all need a reminder.  That’s where The Picky Foodie comes in.  So if you need a little help, friends, shoot me an email at Gabriela@thepickyfoodie.com so we can work together to find what works best for you.  Just don’t expect me to show up with a list of rules, shaking my head with my hands on my hips.

Be well and enjoy,

Gabriela

P.S.  Food is like the weather in the UK: every day is a new adventure.  For a different kind of salad, take a look at this recipe involving kelp noodles in a tahini and miso dressing in The Friday Night Dinner Blog.

P.P.S.  Ladies of London, come be part of this wonderful workshop in March and April – there are still a few spots left to fill!