Blog of the Month: Health Bean

Blog Of The Month: Health Bean

Wed 27 Feb 2013

Story by Selena de Vries
 

Food for the Soul



As a Dietitian, I am definitely a self professed foodie. Being surrounded by food brings joy to my soul and happiness to my belly. You’re bound to find me wandering the farmer’s markets or in the heart of the house, the kitchen, where delicious food shines and people come together around the table.

Inspiring Healthy Appetites and Happy Bodies



When I think of food, I think simple, wholesome, and nourishing. I started Healthbean because, as a Dietitian, I’ve noticed that we’ve drifted away from the simplicity of health. Healthbean is about inspiring healthy appetites and happy bodies and I felt the way to do that was to go back to the basics.

With a focus on natural, whole foods and eating close to home, you can inspire your true appetite. Leading your body to its happy place can be as simple as discovering what is in your food and where your food is coming from.

Let’s Eat REAL Food



I want to show people that food doesn't need to be complicated. People from centuries ago certainly didn't have the food issues of today. And, although there are many factors that have changed today, food remains relatively simple, if we let it.

My top criteria for real food:

1. Understanding ALL of the ingredients on a food label
2. Knowing where the food was grown or where it came from
3. Unprocessed – A very general rule of thumb: If you can replicate the product (either pretending to in your mind or actually recreating it) in your own home using the exact same ingredients as listed and using equipment from your own kitchen, then it’s likely to be unprocessed. If not, then it is likely a processed product, which you wouldn't want to consume on a regular basis.

For example, say a product has glucose syrup on the ingredient list. Well, we know that that is likely a sugar of some sort. However, I don’t think many people would have glucose syrup in their kitchen cupboard. So, we would rate this as a more processed product that we wouldn't want to consume regularly.

My reader’s top favorites!

You’ll find on my blog that I break down the nutrition trends, inspire local taste buds and celebrate with wholesome recipes that have received the thumbs up approval, including:

• Kamut dark chocolate energy bars
• Stone ground whole wheat English muffins
• Salted caramel turtle candies

About the Author: Selena is a passionate Dietitian getting back to the basics with food. Focusing on whole foods rather than focusing solely on nutrients, she celebrates real food inspired by your local farmer. Find the benefits of following a whole food lifestyle and scout on some delicious recipes on her blog, Healthbean. For more healthy living advice and tasty recipes follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.