What to Eat In North America

The other day I stood aimlessly in the frozen isle of my local supermarket, lost in a daze of microwaveable dinners and endless bags of frozen peas. A familiar confusion left me feeling a deep distaste for whoever decided to create humans without how-to-feed instructions.

Most Global Westerners are a blend of foreign constitutions, birthed to a line of ancestors who lost their heritage somewhere along the Atlantic. Distant memories of our Hungarian grandmother jarring sauerkraut, or our Italian grandfather seasoning focaccia are all but faint memories. Although we have some psychological or cerebral connection to our native lands, we don’t have access to the culture or way of life in the same way. The reality is, North America’s eating habit are not rooted in culture and tradition like other areas of the World.

The Western Diet is a bold archetype of Capitalism. We are taught to view food as a scientific entity, deciphered as good or bad based on its carb-fat-sugar ratios. We find ourselves stuck on either end of the spectrum:

Becoming avid dieters, profoundly aware of calories and how much shame they equate to.

- or -

Becoming indifferently sedated, gluttonous for the endless supply of fast foods at our disposal.

Western Food Culture is a blended constitution of Chinese Buffets, Fast-Food Franchises, Thai Take-Out, Asian-Fusion, Napoleon Pizzerias, and McDonalds Big-Macs. In the West, we run on trends rather than tradition. Our logic about what to eat and how to eat is constantly shifting depending on the latest fad. Our cultures guidelines tell us:

- Eat more processed and packaged foods (Low fat! Low carb! Low sodium! “It’s Healthy, We Swear!”)

- Focus on connivence foods (take out, fast food, frozen dinners)

- Eat more sweets, muffins, chocolates and refined carbohydrates throughout the day.

- Eat wherever, whenever! Car, office, whilst walking… who needs a table!

Eating has become an overbearing task of consciously trying to sift through food-propaganda and health-media… in desperate search for the answer to one question: what to cook for dinner.

The good news is, without cultural guidelines, we can look to create our own traditions. With deeper reflection we can try to understand what foods we like and what foods make us feel good. If you don’t know where to start, here are a few GENERAL food rules I cherry picked from other traditions, that can help simplify eating in the Modern West.

1. Eat Slowly

Here are three tips to eat slower:

- Eat with chopsticks

- Chew thoroughly before swallowing

- Eat with a fork and knife at the dining table without distractions (TV, phone, etc.)

Note: eating slower helps prevent bloating from swallowing excess air and gives your body more time to tell your brain it’s satiated preventing over-eating

2. Eat Well-Rounded Meals of Real Food in Proper Ratios

Fats, proteins, complex carbohydrates and greens.

- Incorporating proteins such as local meats or unrefined plant-based proteins

- Healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, olive oil, butter, avocados, etc.

- Complex carbohydrates from plant-based sources, or unrefined grains and lots of vegetables!

The ideal plate would have:

- 1/4 protein (the size of your palm)

- 1/4 complex carbohydrates (the size of your palm)

- 2/4 vegetables (half the plate)

- Don’t forget to incorporate healthy fats into this ratio (the size of your entire thumb per meal)

3. Be conscious of your eating window.

When to eat is just about as important as what to eat.

- Give your body time to rest from processing food

- Wait to eat until you’re hungry, avoid late night snacking

- Regularity in food consumption helps keep your internal clock in a regular rhythm having a positive effect on overall health

People in France don’t snack.

- Daytime snacking often kills meal-time appetites and can mess with energy levels if snacks are highly refined

- There is an entire market in North America that sells ‘snack food’ — be aware of the snacks… most are highly processed, refined and HIGH in sugar

-If wanting a mid-day snack: go for nuts/seeds, fruits or vegetables

-Try to focus on 3 well-rounded meals (or whatever feels best)

Lastly, try to focus on eating food you enjoy. The nutrient-content of food matters, but so does sensuality. Try finding whole foods that you enjoy the taste of and work to incorporate them more into your diet.

Bon Appetite!