MADRID - Spain

Bear and the Strawberry Tree

I have realized that, recently, my blog posts related to traveling has had a strong focus on food. And honestly, this blog post could be titled “Eating My Way Through Madrid.” I seem to have been eating my way through many cities in the world over the years, but I must say, Madrid was definitely a real treat speaking of food. I am so happy I now enjoy good food and wine. This used to not be the case. When I was 10 my family took me to the Spanish island of Mallorca. I decided to personally compare all the Spaghetti Bolognese in the city we stayed in. Meaning, I basically only ate Spaghetti Bolognese for two weeks straight. I am not kidding! I am sure my parents tried to sway me into trying something different in order to get some other nutrients in my little body, but no. I have always been extremely stubborn. On another trip through Europe, 2 years later, I decided that McDonalds was the bomb and only wanted to eat that for the duration of our road trip. My poor parents were desperate to get their tiny Viking Princess to eat anything and obliged. THANK GOODNESS that I got my act together and now eat anything and everything! I am notorious for having tried the most weird and insane dishes. My recent trip to Spain was a heaven for a foodie like me. And yes I proudly accepted the title “foodie”, which was given to me by one of my travel companions Ken, a fellow food enthusiast. This blog post will be devoted completely to reviewing some of the places we ate at.

I flew down to Madrid in order to meet up with my dear American friends Ken and Cyndi (well they are more like family) as they were visiting Europe. Upon arrival I was welcomed by thousands of Greenpeace activists there to make a stance with regards to the climate conference held in Paris. Met up with Ken and Cyndi at their hotel and later in the afternoon we had an early dinner (for us early, but everyone thought we had a late lunch) at Los Galayos located at La Plaza Mayor. We enjoyed some seafood and pig – all washed down with a very fine red wine. Good start to the days in Madrid!  

Ramón

The next day, after enjoying some sightseeing, we returned to La Plaza Mayor and ventured into a restaurant called Hegar. It was by pure chance we walked into this restaurant and we were so happy we did. This is where we met Ramón. Ramón was a great waiter and even though he really did not speak much English and we really don’t speak much Spanish we manage to communicate with each other. We enjoyed some jamon (the famous ham) and chorizo (sausages) but the real highlight came when the fish arrived. Imagine placing a whole fish underneath a large pile of salt and hence cooking it that way. I am realizing I am missing a lot of steps in the process, but all I can say it spellbound us. Ramón was the person who expertly dug out the fish from underneath the salt, filéd the fish and served it. We only got a few cornels each of salt and the fish, my friends, was nothing short of a masterpiece.

Later that day, in the evening in fact, we had a reservation at the world’s oldest restaurant called Botin, founded in 1725. What a place! We were welcomed by waiters dressed in gentleman attire, white jackets etc. When walking up the staircase I caught a glimpse of the room where the roasting of the suckling pigs, their specialty, took place. This is definitely not a view a vegetarian would stomach. But I have made it a rule for myself that when I travel, I basically eat anything. Call me a hypocrite, but yeah, that’s my deal. And yes, that rule was implemented many years after the Spaghetti Bolognese/MacDonald’s silliness. Vegetarians, I would suggest skipping the next few sentences. When you bit into the meat, the skin of the pig which had

Botin

been roasted made a crackling sound and you knew the process of getting it like that had been perfected since, well 1725. The meal was wonderful and we enjoyed it with a very bold red wine. It felt like such a true Spanish experience. When we exited the upstairs region of the restaurant, and walked down the same staircase, we walked passed the room where they prepared the pigs one more time. Inside there was a man working away. I asked if I could take a picture and he proudly displayed a roasted pig. Again, this is not for vegetarians, but it was nice to see him take such pride in his craft. We walked home full and happy through the narrow alleyways all decked out for Christmas.

The following day it was time to visit Mercado de San Miguel, an indoor marketplace one of my tenants had recommended to me. I thought we, the three foodies, would enjoy it and so we did! You could purchase a

Mercado de San Miguel

glass of wine, walk around and buy various small snack-size meals. We had churros with chocolate and ham and olives. The quality of the food there was excellent and so was the presentation. This place is a must for visitors to Madrid. We walked around and did a bit of shopping. Had to stop at a sandwich place to hold us over until dinner time. Ken, Cyndi and I were happy to take part in various culture phenomena as we are well traveled individuals. However, eating late, as you do in Spain was not quite our cup of tea. 8 o’clock rolled around (I know that’s very early for some countries standards) and we were happy to finally be able to sit down at a table at a restaurant called Marina Ventura. We ordered the seafood paella, which I had wanted since I arrived. Not so say that the other dishes were not as

Paella

important to try (as they were amazing!) but leaving Spain without having paella seemed unthinkable. Ken made sure we ordered seafood paella which also included some pieces of chicken and pork. Having those additions to the dish made sure the paella had some added fat to it and made the whole meal better. And it was indeed heavenly. Again we had a great red wine to enjoy and seriously, it was a wonderful last meal in the Spanish capital.

So there, this post ended up, just like I predicted it to be, a kind of homage to the food culture of Madrid. And I am sure you, dear reader, ask yourself: Did she do more than eat? Yes I did, I reconnected with two people extremely important to me. But we truly enjoyed the culinary experience: food, wine and coffee and to experience it together was priceless. Madrid was a great city to relax in. We stayed in the city center, by Plaza de Santa Ana, and it was a real delight to walk the streets in-between meals. Seeing more of the city by bus exposed us to grand boulevards and lavish buildings. I would totally recommend going to Madrid for a long weekend. Just make sure you bring a large appetite.

Add Mangoes To Your Life

Eating healthy food makes all the difference. Yes, I know everyone and their mom and dog say the same thing. But I used to not connect the dots at all. Working out hard so I could eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted it had always been my thing. So what gives? What has changed for me? And who am I to give “advice” on eating? Well, I am not a nutritionist, but I kind of wish I was. The area of nutrition is so interesting! One of the instructors working together with my dad at the fitness club says cheeky as she stands in the middle of the room before a session: “I am going to be up here and hopefully inspire you; you don’t have to follow me.” I like her attitude. But sometimes I find it may sound so pompous to aim for being inspirational. It may sound like I am full of myself. However, I did just post a quote the other day on my Instagram which I like. It said: “Aspire to Inspire before you Expire”. Everybody can aspire to do something and hopefully one is successful. So that is what I am humbly aiming for here. I love getting inspiration from famous people and “ordinary” (let’s face it, we are all rockstars in one way) people. So back to the topic of eating well. I find myself constantly reading books on the topic of health and I watch cooking shows nowadays. And I cook. Not well, but I cook. I have never before thought so much about the impact food has on our mind and body. To nourish ourselves is very important so we can live happy, healthy lives. I don’t think anyone saw this coming, that I would become interested in this topic. My food journey started with me being a small child not caring for food. It wasn’t like I deliberately deprived myself from eating. I just didn’t care for it and didn’t feel hunger all that much. Started doing sports and I had to eat more. Then I moved to Sydney and did physical labor and oh boy, my appetite skyrocketed! And it has stayed that way. I have many, many times unintentionally impressed people with my ability to consume enormous amounts of food. My grandfather thinks it’s quite entertaining and often says at the end of a meal: “Just finish off the rest of the meat and potatoes Emma”…where it’s usually way more than one serving left. Sometimes I have humored him. I have found myself feeling a bit odd eating with a dinner party where some girls have taken two bites, put their fork down and said: “On man I am so full.” This happened a lot around my model friends. I on the other hand could probably have finished off my own entrée, their entrée and still not feel full. Eating out with guy friends who also worked out hard was sometimes easier. Finishing off a foot long Subway sandwich was not a big deal. Although one time in Webster Groves a little cute old lady walked over to our table giggling. “I told my husband there is no way this sweet girl (that would be me) can eat such a large meal, but you DID!” Nowadays I am being very conscious what I put in my body most of the time. As I do eat a lot, I want it to be healthy. Do I eat junk food too? Sure I do. But not very often.

For me, eating healthy has everything to do with ADDING stuff to eat, not restricting your diet with SUBTRACTING items. And don’t get me started on the word “diet”. Diet is what you eat. Not to follow a certain diet. If you start incorporating good food they will push out the junk without you having to deprive yourself. Some people believe in making a complete overhaul and throw out all the “junk” and only buy new, healthy stuff. I don’t really believe in that shocking your system and wallet will produce a long lasting result. I have definitely been on a student/vagabond budget for a long time so I don’t think throwing out stuff is good. But the next time you are shopping for let’s say milk, after you have used up all your cow’s milk, how about you reach for the almond milk instead? Granola in the morning can be a healthy option, but it can also be a sugar trap. I do like granola, but I add a lot of pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds in it and little by little I am phasing the granola out. Not completely, but the ratio is definitely tipping in the favor of the seeds. I also drink a glass of green smoothie each morning. And then I eat breakfast. Many hardcore wellness people drink only a great big green smoothie and call it a day in the breakfast area. I can’t do that. I actually like breakfast. But as I have added the glass of blended fruit and vegetables, perhaps I will only reach for one open-faced sandwich (the number one breakfast choice for Swedes) instead of two? Adding something…not depriving myself.

I feel the key is to add small steps that you can see yourself possibly take for the rest of your life. One nutritionist that I follow is Sid Garza-Hillman. I stumbled across his podcast last year and I am so happy I did. Garza-Hillman is funny, sarcastic and his approach to health and happiness is rather unique. He recommends taking small steps in order to “Approaching the Natural.” Garza-Hillman says your step could be as small as to add drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning. I feel can you add a glass of water in the morning, maybe you can add drinking a glass of water at night as well. You will gradually build up habits and behaviors you can continue forever without you feeling restrained. Garza-Hillman’s approach has a foundation in philosophy as he majored in that in college before becoming a nutritionist and seriously, the man makes excellent points. And speaking of the glass of water, did you know that drinking water before bed can help prevent having a stroke? I didn’t before my friend Missy from the USA gave that advice in her interview which was part of the Worldwide Wellness Series I featured on this blog. Thanks Missy!

My time on the road being a vagabond has definitely given me things to add to my diet. Of course I had had mangoes before my trip to Thailand, but seriously, that trip solidified my love for the fruit. Having mangoes with sticky rice after dinner became a tradition during my time in Bangkok. The day before I left I said goodbye to the sweet lady selling the dish. After buying so much of her food she definitely knew who my friend and I were and I even had my picture taken with her. Back home in Malmö I went hunting for good, quality mangoes. I ventured out to the farmers market at Möllevångstorget. I found mangoes which were to my liking. Mangoes are now a definite staple in my diet now. But the story does not end there: The nice fruit vendor gave me a piece of Sharon/persimmon fruit to try and my life changed. Where has this fruit been all my life?!? I think I have tasted it before, but never cared to incorporate it into my daily eating habits. Again, food was not my thing before. Now I crave it. Not Marabou milk chocolate in the evening, but Sharon fruit. Okay, in the spirit of full disclosure, I still have chocolate from time to time; I am only human after all. Saying that adding eating this fruit made me stop having chocolate, well its not realistic and its not true. But again, ADDING the Sharon fruit maybe makes me eat less chocolate. So again, the key is winning by adding, not subtracting.

Uncharted Territory: The Kitchen

As a kid, food was not my thing. I didn’t care for it and my parents struggled to get their small little girl to eat. Yes I was small. Short and skinny. Not like now. I would at times survive eating only bananas and maybe pasta. I feel sad for my dear mom and dad. And also for myself, what was I thinking?! I am making up for it now. I was always a very healthy kid and maybe that is because even though I didn’t care for food, I always liked to be outside, play and do sports. That interest is obviously still strong today. But the kitchen was an uncharted territory for me, and it stayed like that for years. Later in life I used to be the entertainer in the kitchen. The one who sang songs or cracked jokes while others cooked up a storm. Or I volunteered to take the car and go buy ice cream for dessert. I was always told I would make a better trophy wife (thank you kindly) than a housewife. However, during one year the health of 3 American nine year olds (my darling triplets) was my responsibility. They grew to be very healthy and strong so that gives me a bit of courage, meaning: I can keep other humans alive with my cooking. Although I did not do very advanced cooking and yes their parents were obviously very much involved too. Still, the triplets are alive today.

Even though I preach the importance of physical activity, I do believe one of the first steps in leading a healthy lifestyle is to take an interest in the kitchen. And it’s about having an interest and willingness to try new things, not being uber talented. Anyone can read a recipe and follow it. Well, okay most people can. I think it’s important to have a willingness to fail at times. If you have to throw out something that burned to a crisp, so be it. The cost is usually manageable. Although I did have a few small meltdowns when my macarons went haywire last year. Almond flour was not cheap…well not to me. I was then still in Stage Three. Stage Three you say?!…let me explain.

Sometimes in order to explain things, one does it in terms of stages. Stages of grief (often 5), stages of culture shock (often 4), stages of change (often 5), and stages of sleep (often 4). Here are the 5 stages in the process of becoming good at cooking, according to…well me.  

Stage One: May not really eat, a picky eater at best, feels food is a nuisance

Stage Two: Starting to enjoy good food, but totally clueless in the kitchen

Stage Three: Starting to play around in the kitchen, but may not want to commit to buying ingredients of good quality

Stage Four: Willing to spend money on good ingredients and kitchen tools - full speed ahead

Stage Five: Total rock star in the kitchen, can cook AND entertain at the same time

At this moment I think I am at Stage Three and Three-Quarters (total Harry Potter reference here!). Will I ever get to Stage Five? Not sure. For the moment I get super nervous when someone watches me cook. But I do enjoy watching others cook. The other day I shocked my parents when I declared how lovely I thought it was to watch a show about baking. My dad kept bringing it up for days! The weeks that followed my comment, my mom and dad made sure to call me and let me know every time there was a baking show on TV.

You can most definitely be inspired by cooking shows on TV. My current favorite is watching the British chef Jaime Oliver. I love how easy he makes it look. And things can get a bit messy in order to get the flavors to marry. Don’t be afraid of handling produce a bit harshly, like Jaime Oliver. Touch the leafy greens! Sounds weird…but you get my point.

Get inspired from traveling! After spending some time in the Dominican Republic, I started incorporating cinnamon more and more in my cooking as I had many amazing dishes there which included the spice. While living in Australia I started enjoying beetroot as they used it regularly Down Under. Find inspiration anywhere and everywhere! Although sometimes the dish you thought was so fantastic at the little restaurant at the cute piazza in Rome may not taste so amazing at home. The atmosphere and company you have while you eat means a lot too. However, currently I am determined to try to recreate a Thai dinner, inspired by my recent trip to Thailand of course, by making Pad Thai and mangoes with sticky rice. I will attempt to do this, but it can of course be a bit tricky to get good ingredients for this here in Northern Europe. 

Inspiration can come from friends too. I rather ask a good friend for a recipe after eating a delicious meal than buying just any cookbook of the shelf. I have learned from friends to pour some olive oil on soup to enhance the fish flavor. Or that one can use Greek yogurt instead of whipped cream as a side for a chocolate cake. If you don’t want to buy a cookbook, you can always find stuff online. And again, you can find inspiration. To get excited about food. Maybe you won’t be cooking per se, but perhaps you can start by learning how to match different types of food with each other. Like making a spread of tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, kalamata olives, prosciutto, fresh basil leaves, fresh sourdough bread, walnuts, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Buy spices! Spices make anything more fun! Over the last few weeks I have doubled the amount of spices me and my current “roommate” (that would be my sister) have. Her comment: “It's fine you buy spices for us, but why can’t you buy them from the same brand so that our spice rack looks nicer?!” Side note, my sister is not shallow, she is just way better at decorating a home and making sure it’s ecstatically pleasing than I am.

Okay on the topic of cooking, well actually on the topic of making something in the kitchen...baking... As I kind of mentioned earlier, the first time I baked regularly was in 2013. I had been to Paris twice the previous year and was absolutely obsessed with macarons. Great first project for a beginner. Not. But I persevered and became decent at baking them. I still like to bake. Fresh bread is my favorite thing to eat in life. And you don’t even have to put crack (Nutella) on it. Fresh baked bread only needs a little olive oil for dipping and it’s heaven on earth. Baking bread is fun, but take advantage of kitchen equipment, if you have access to some. I always think I can knead the bread by hand, but end up calling out for my dad to help me. He kindly takes out some machinery which saves the day. Started out as a strong, independent baker, ended up as a little kid screaming for daddy to save her dough! I have some learning to do…

I will end with a cliché, but it’s true: Can I kind of learn how to cook, anyone can! Just work your way through the stages. You may be able to skip at least stage 1 as not everyone was like me, a little kid not enjoying food. And I would say cook with confidence. If in doubt, make sure to serve a very good wine with your meal. And right now, Roble, a cheap but good, organic red wine from the Spanish vineyard called Casa Galvis, is what I drink. 

Food fit for a viking - second edition

Right now I am spending time with my parents and sister and in the morning I am serving them a shot. Yes hardcore right :)  However, this shot is made of amazing leafy greens and fruits.

I am pretty sure I am shocking my parents on a regular basis nowadays with my healthy eating. I did not think shocking them was even possible after all my years on the road and the adventures I found myself in that they later learned about. But as a child, I did not eat my veggies. I basically did not eat anything. Food was a nuisance to me. I am making up for it now.

One of my favorite nutritionists is Kimberly Snyder. She works with a lot of celebrities and although that does not impress me too much, her celebrity clientele gave her exposure and I “found her." She has a Glowing Green Smoothie recipe that is the bomb. However, I like breakfast. As in eating my breakfast and not just drinking it. In Sweden it’s customary to eat open faced sandwiches for breakfast. So I have this smoothie as a shot. A large shot. I drink it first thing in the morning as you should always eat fruit on an empty stomach. This shot gives me some veggies and fruit and if I mess up my eating later that day, at least I know I have had some goodies in my system. Because I can eat. I eat healthy, but boy do I love food! Her recipe is as follows, but as with all my cooking, I am freestylin (and this has good results and disastrous results) with the quantities. And if you cant get your hands on or don't want to spend the money on organic produce, at least not initially, don't sweat it, use regular produce. I make a batch and keep it in the fridge. Each batch lasts for at least 2 days chilled.

• 1½-2 cups (360-480 ml) water
• ¾ pound (340 g) organic romaine lettuce, rough chopped, about 1 head
• ½ head large bunch or ¾ small bunch organic spinach
• 3-4 organic celery stalks, halved
• 1 organic apple, cored, seeded, quartered
• 1 organic pear, cored, seeded, quartered
• 1 organic banana, peeled
• ½ fresh organic lemon, peeled, seeded
• organic cilantro with stems (optional)
• organic parsley with stems (optional)

Chop it all up and blend away! If you can invest in a good blender it's great! Its awful trying to get into a good habit if you find yourself cursing over bad kitchen equipment that may not blend well and is hard to clean.

Recipe from http://kimberlysnyder.net/blog/ggs/

I believe in eating/drinking your vitamins and minerals when you can. That said, I used to take a whole lot of supplements. Because I have a lot of friends that are personal trainers/nutritionists etc and they love to use me as a guinea pig and see what changes we can do to my body.  I used to take so many supplements that friends asked me if I was terminally ill after they looked in my kitchen cabinets. So I had to scale back, but I did not remove all of them.

I know its been fashionable for quite a while in fitness circles to drink green smoothies. But not all of them are tasty and if they taste like grass clippings from your yard, you will probably not keep drinking it. Because this smoothie has a lot of fruit in it, it’s sweet and easy to drink. I also make smoothies with more veggies and that takes more determination to down. Some people have asked if I like juicing. Sure. But I prefer smoothies as its using all of the veggies and fruit, and you don’t get the issue of disposing of waste. You also get the benefit of the added fiber in your drink.

First it may seem a bit expensive to spend so much money on fruit and veggies as it takes quite a lot of produce to make a rather small amount of liquid. But trust me, your health will thank you.  And wannabe supermodels, this is better than spending money on expensive face creams. This is good for skin, energy level and digestive system to name a few things. Even the actual chopping can be beneficial to you health. I feel like I am doing something good for myself when I do this. Okay, this is a bit "hippe", but try to be present when you chop. If you cant feel the calmness of the act of doing something good, at least you wont cut your fingers off so its a win-win either way.

My family eats healthy, but I love that I can sneak in some adjustments to their dietary habits. Seriously, no one saw this coming, but it’s a testament to the fact that people can change.

Over and out! :)

Food fit for a viking - first edition

So by reading books and listening to lectures by people in the health field I have started to discover new things to incorporate into my diet. I DO NOT believe in deprivation. How I see it, if you incorporate more and more nutritious foods, they will slowly, but surely, kick out the trash. And I use the word ”diet” as in talking about what I eat, not the kind of ”diet” that involves eating only fat/eating no fat/eating only soup/eating only purple things…etc. Anyone who knows me knows I have never, ever jumped on the train heading for “Starvation Ville”.

For this time around, I will introduce chia seeds and nutritional yeast. I could just say “eat more veggies” and keep it vague and appeal to more people. But I want to introduce some specific food items/supplements which works for me. And okay, not everyone has my body type that reads this, but incorporating these things into your diet may give you a boost of energy and help with detoxification of the body (and honestly those things are key). So here goes:

Chia seeds are right up the alley for a Viking Princess as I have learned that Aztec warriors use to eat them to maintain a high, or at least a steady, energy level. At first they look like little black seeds. But when you soak them in water or almond milk they expand into a gel-like consistency and becomes up to fifteen times bigger. It makes you feel full for the moment and also for the next few hours. They contain a lot of Omega 3 essential fatty acids, oh yes I love me some good FAT! The list of nutrients that are in chia seeds is astonishing, and just to mention something, it’s a complete protein. Chia seeds are also great for a gentle detox of your body as it helps get the junk out of your system, due to it's high level of fiber. 

How to consume chia seeds? I sprinkle them in smoothies or make a pudding of them by soaking the seeds in almond milk, and eat the pudding with a few berries on top as a snack. You can put chia seeds in bread when you make your own, but as I am a newbie in the kitchen, I am not quite there yet. But I have had bread with chia seeds in it and the seeds don’t really ad any flavor, just nutritional value. 

Next up, nutritional yeast. Yes yeast! Yikes! It’s in an inactive form so it’s not the type you use to make bread with etc. I first came in contact with nutritional yeast when I dabbled, as I do from time to time, with vegetarianism and veganism. Nutritional yeast is like chia seeds, a complete protein and a great source of B vitamins. It’s great to obtain shiny, healthy hair! And oh, it’s cheap!

It does look like sawdust to me, but it has a little bit of a nutty flavor, not a sawdust one. Although I can't say what sawdust tastes like. I sprinkle it in sweet potato mash and pasta. I hear people use it as topping on popcorn. But learn from me, do not use TOO much. I read you can use it as a kind of Parmesan cheese type of a deal and sprinkled it VERY generously over pasta. Next day my neck was red and a bit itchy – yes I had overdosed. When I now use 2-3 teaspoons per day, I never had a reaction to it again.

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed nutritionist. And honestly, I am not trained yet to explain exactly how these food items/supplements works. If any of these things tickles your fancy, read up on them, and maybe just try to incorporate them into your daily diet and see how it goes.

“Food" - With A Side Of Plastic?

The best advice I can give someone who asks me about my healthy eating habits is: if you cannot pronounce the ingredients on the back of the package, don’t eat it. Actually, most food should not come in a “package.” The picture below is of sweet potato, carrot and onion peels. Looks a bit gross maybe, but this is what your trashcan should look like when you cook, not full of plastic wrappers.

Kris Carr (famous wellness activist and cancer survivor) once said:”If it's made in a lab, it takes a lab to digest”. Think about it. Why would you want to eat stuff that your body is not equipped to handle?

Two things in ordinary American grocery stores I simply cannot stand are the rectangular pieces made up by sugar that you pop in the toaster for breakfast (yes I know what they are called, but I rather not be sued). Pure sugar in the morning?! And those little boxes with cheese squares looking like plastic with crackers, so you can “build” your own pizza etc? (Again, totally know the name, but won’t say it). That is not food! While being a nanny I was rather strict with my beloved triplets and they could only have those “food” items on special occasions. I think sometimes they were not too happy with their Swedish nanny refusing to let them have these “foods” as often as they wished. However, they still love me so I am happy I fought that battle. 

Fruit pieces in a cup with syrup?! Eat a real apple! Vegetables coated with cheese? Well, just eat the cheese then. Don’t fool yourself thinking you are eating healthy. Okay, so that was more than two things I could not stand. I think I can write a list as long as Santa Claus’ list over naughty and nice children if I kept naming “food products” I have an issue with. We may very well have stuff like this in Europe too. I am really not trying to bash the US here. 

So what can I stand? I believe in eating food as close to their natural state as possible. Boil potatoes, bake fish in the oven…Experiment! I am not in any way a good cook…yet…but I try. I had a go with a head of cauliflower the other day and I totally lost. It turned into complete mash, but was edible anyway. Luckily I was cooking for myself and did not expect company. 

When you eat, think of what you are eating, what you are doing. Be mindful and present. Savor all the different tastes. And yes, experiment with spices! And experiment with eating styles from different countries: chopsticks are a great way to eat slower unless you are a talented ninja. Make sure your plate has color to it – bright orange sweet potatoes, intense green veggies etc. 

My point is what you put into your body makes a whole lot of difference. You may be very careful of changing oil in your car and putting clean fuel into it, why not taking care of your own vehicle, your body? Speaking of fuel, when you can, eat food that is produced locally. And I get this is hard. I enjoy mangoes and papayas too, but they are not exactly local to Sweden (or Missouri). However, eating locally grown produce is better for the environment and you, in terms of nutritional values. 

Alright, as much as I try to eat healthy, anyone who has seen me with a jar of NUTELLA knows I have my limits, I am definitely not perfect. Also, if there were no bananas in the world or if pasta never was invented I would not be here. No really. As a small child I kind of only ate those two things. My sister, the angel she was, ate all her veggies. Me, the rebel child, not so much. If I ever have kids I pray they are more like my sister! How I grew to become this amazon, I don’t know. Sorry mom and dad for being a picky eater, I am making up for it now!

I feel rather sad this blog post has such a negative vibe to it, but I am passionate about this! And I am not a licensed nutritionist so these are just my two cents. 

“The problem is we are not eating food anymore, we are eating food like products.” – Dr Alejandro Junger (from the film “Hungry For Change”). This quote resonated with me so much. I will leave you with that and hope it resonates with you too.