JamieOliver.com

Hi Jamie,

Eating well to me is :

1. About having a variety of food.

2. Eating more homemade sweets than shop bought, so we know what is in it.

3. Cooking home cooked meals.

4. Eating lots of fruit and vegetables.

From Jeena

My idea of eating well is a big slice of steak and kidney pudding that has been steaming on the cooker for hours, served with firm boiled potatoes, brussel sprouts and carrots, all smothered in the gravy from the pudding.  You did say eating well not healthily.  Cant do that much harm once in a while.  bye bye

koukouvagia wrote:

To me eating well means buying fresh seasonal ingredients, the best quality that I can afford.  Then bringing them home and treating them well, and that includes:

- avoid frying
- cook vegetables simply and not too long to obliterate their nutrients
- avoiding refined starches
- eating with the television turned off and at the table
- eating slowly
- eating the vegetables and proteins first, and leaving carbs near the end.
- preparing food simply

I couldn't agree more...
but let me add...stick to proper portions

Chrissa SKG wrote:

koukouvagia wrote:

To me eating well means buying fresh seasonal ingredients, the best quality that I can afford.  Then bringing them home and treating them well, and that includes:

- avoid frying
- cook vegetables simply and not too long to obliterate their nutrients
- avoiding refined starches
- eating with the television turned off and at the table
- eating slowly
- eating the vegetables and proteins first, and leaving carbs near the end.
- preparing food simply

I couldn't agree more...
but let me add...stick to proper portions

We've completely revamped our portion sizes of proteins this past year and tripled our vegetable consumption.  We used to eat 8-10oz of meat, now only 3-6.  It's a much better life.

Being in Greece I think you would agree that we greeks tend to overcook all our vegetables, fasolakia, bamies, anything that gets thrown in to the pot stays there way too long swimming in an ocean of olive oil.  We've stopped all those and I'm trying to get my parents to understand that eventhough they're eating healthy "fasolakia me tomata" that all that oil and overcooking of the vegetables is not much healthier than a cheeseburger.

There are several critical necessities to "eating well" as far as I and my family are concerned.

1) eat REGULARLY.  We eat meals at regular times, everyone knows when these times are, and plans accordingly.

2) eat TOGETHER.  Our family has at least one meal a day, sitting together, and indulging in good conversation while we eat.  The boys (13 and 15) and I eat all three meals together, but DH is gone to work early and not home for lunch.

3) eat HEALTHY.  I am on a personal mission to minimize the intake of artificial colorings, preservatives, flavorings and additives in all food.  Nearly everything we eat -- with the exception of a few small "ingredient" type things -- is natural, organically raised (not necessarily certified organic -- but that's a whole different discussion), and as local as possible.  We eat a balanced diet loosely based on the Mediterranean food pyramid.

4) ENJOY both preparing and consuming your meals.  I love to cook.  DH enjoys it, too, when he has time, and our boys are well on their way to being able to handle themselves well in the kitchen.  Mealtimes don't start as we sit down to our filled plates -- they begin with the planning and preparation of each meal.  Enjoying your food, and eating well, require (IMHO) interacting with your food in ways far beyond scooping it off your plate and into your mouth.  Planning meals happens over days, or weeks, or months.  We raise a lot of our own food, and that happens pretty much exclusively during the summer months here in Canada. 

It's not difficult to eat well.  It's definitely more work than popping a frozen commercial entree in the microwave, but not by much.