Food Rules #35: Eat Sweet Foods as You Find Them in Nature

With this rule, Pollan talks about eating whole fruits as opposed to drinking their juices - we tend to drink more of the juice because we feel less full, taking in more calories and less fiber. He also declares "there's no such thing as a healthy soda."

I will generally agree with those statements, however at home I find I'm more likely to make a smoothie in the morning in lieu of making a full meal for breakfast. I like the fact that I can put much more fruit in the smoothie and drink that than I would otherwise eat. Since I may not get a meal for several more hours (many times not until dinner because I am at work all day and being self-employed don't always get a 'lunch hour') I would rather have the smoothie to make sure I'm getting more servings of fruits & veggies.

As for soda...I hardly ever drink canned or bottled soda. I will have a can of Coca Cola every once and a while (like when I'm out the night before imbibing!) but I love sparkling water. I will drink twice as much water if it's sparkling than still. I don't know why - maybe because it's more like a cocktail? - but then I find myself feeling guilty about the added costs & waste from drinking bottled drinks. We recently got a Soda Stream at home and I LOVE it! The initial cost was $100 for the setup, which comes with 1 CO2 canister that makes approximately 100 1L bottles (50 2 liters) using tap water. Once the CO2 is out, you can exchange it for a full canister for around $15. That brings it to around 30 cents a 2 liter, unflavored. The Soda Stream came with several packets of 'flavored' sweeteners, which sounded unappealing until I tried them and now I find them utterly disgusting. Too sweet, too saccharin-y, and just plain HFSC. Instead, if I want a flavored soda, I add either one of the June Taylor syrups we sell at the shops or one of the many flavors a friend of mine has been having me test for her new line of syrups coming out this fall. I like that I can adjust the sweetness level to my taste (I like just a hint of flavor) as well as the carbonation, that there is so much less waste and I'm actually using tap water. I highly recommend getting a Soda Stream - in fact, some friends and I were recently joking that we're going to try and make our own sparkling wine at home with it as an 'experiment'...but I digress...

Here is a good article on making flavored syrups at home. In case you want to prove Pollan wrong and make your own sodas at home with fruit & herb syrups!

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100721/LIVING/707219976/1065/LIVING01

Food Rules #34: Salt & Sweeten Your Food Yourself

The levels of sodium and sugar in some foods & drinks are outrageous! If products have to sit on shelves for months (nay, years?) on end, they need to retain their "flavor"...hence the high levels of sodium in many canned & jarred foods. Try keeping those foods to a minimum in your diet, eating fresh foods, or foods with no added salt or sugar. You'll find that just a light sprinkling of non-iodized sea salt, a squirt of lemon/lime or fresh herbs will give it that extra flavor. Now, I LOVE salt. But I would much rather add it myself so I can taste it or better yet, so that it heightens the flavor of food, rather than NOT tasting it in a jar or can of prepared soup or sauce that has such a high salt content but that doesn't taste "salty".

Try this while we're able to get great seasonal produce in Chicago right now: steam or blanch veggies til they are crisp-tender, then taste. Still need the salt? Try sprinkling a touch of fleur de sel, smoked salt or another one of our flavored salts on them. Or, saute in a good olive oil. Simplicity at it's best! Fresh fruit at it's peak has so much natural sweetness you can balance it out with a dollop of creme fraiche or homemade whipped cream (no sugar added). Divine! We carry creme fraiche & Kilgus Heavy Cream regularly.

Also, read your labels. Try to avoid high-sodium and high-sugar (or artificially-sweetened) added products. Simplify. TASTE the real food!

July Staff Selection: Bron's Honey from Heritage Prairie Farm in Elburn, IL

From staffer staffer Jane Roberts comes our selection this month:

Bron's Raw Honey- Nature's perfect health food!

I first became curious about raw honey a few years ago when I began hearing more and more about its medicinal uses and health benefits, such as the power of local honey to combat seasonal allergies, or how a spoonful of honey could have the same effect as cough syrup for sore throats and coughs, and how its anti-bacterial properties made it a useful salve for cuts and burns. Loaded with antioxidants, raw honey is the healthiest choice among the various forms. It has the most nutritional value, and actually contains amylase, an enzyme concentrated in flower pollen, which helps digest starchy foods such as bread.

But wait! There's more! It also happens to be delicious!!!

My favorite local honey by far is Bron's Raw Honey from Bron's Bees, based at Heritage Prairie Farm in La Fox Illinois, with honey coming directly from the prairies of the Midwest. At the shop, we carry their raw buckwheat honey (with a deep rich flavor closer to molasses) as well as a raw honey infused with sage, both of which are really tasty, but I picked the plain raw honey because I love how versatile it is. Its mild flavor lends itself so well to any dish where a hint of sweet is what you want. Marinades, dressings, in baked goods as a sugar substitute, drizzled over pancakes, goat cheese, fruit, you name it! Provenance has its own hive with the farm too. Our hive's honey and honeycomb should be in the shops by August. How cool is that! Here are a few summer recipes that incorporate raw honey, adding a delicious little dose of sweet, healthy goodness to summer cooking adventures!

Save 10% all month long on all types of Bron's Honey in stock.