Busy for the Holidays

Hi there!

I'll be writing a bit less over the next few weeks due to holiday business.  Stay tuned for more after the New Year.

- Monica

The Microwave Oven Controversy & How It Changed My Life

How safe is the food we prepare?  Where can we go to get good information?  Answering either of these questions when it comes to microwaving versus conventional cooking can be extremely difficult. However, it is worth taking a look at some dearly-held opinions about food.

Let's begin with the basics of cooking food.  Cooking at its most basic level is simply the process of creating a chemical reaction in food through the application of heat.

Conventional cooking means the application of heat from an outside source resulting in a chemical reaction in out food.  As you increase the temperature of food, the molecules within it move faster and faster and begin to collide.  These collisions produce can cause changes in molecules or can produce completely new molecules with properties unlike their unchanged predecessors.  These changes can include variations in taste, color and texture.  This process can also lead to the malformation and destruction of certain food molecules.

Due to these changes, some people prefer to consume their food in its raw state.  They claim that food retains more of its nutrients and other healthful properties if left uncooked.  This is the most basic reason people have become interested in raw diets popular today.   It's also the reason fresher foods are better for you.

Microwave cooking is unlike conventional cooking in many ways.  As opposed to cooking by simply applying heat, microwaves cook food by agitating the molecules which causes enough friction to generate heat from within.  This molecular friction can be so intense that the molecules are damaged - ripped apart or deformed. While overall the process of cooking through microwaves is considered to be more gentle to food, molecular breakdown still occurs and it happens in a different way than conventional cooking.

While it is true that all forms of food manipulation through cooking can cause harmful molecular breakdown/deformation (burned or charred meats, for example, contain carcinogens like heterocyclic amines (HCAs)), the kinds that result from microwave cooking are different from those created by conventional cooking. That is probably the only thing we can confirm factually.  Some people have attempted to link microwaved food to poor nutrition, lymphatic disorders, cancer and lowered DHL (the good cholesterol) levels, however not much has been yet proven.

The microwave oven was banned in Russia in 1976 due to concerns regarding the impact on health.  The ban was lifted after Perestoika.

After the World War II, the Russians also experimented with microwave ovens. From 1957 up to recently, their research has been carried out mainly at the Institute of Radio Technology at Klinsk, Byelorussia. According to US researcher William Kopp, who gathered much of the results of Russian and German research - and was apparently prosecuted for doing so (J. Nat. Sci, 1998; 1:42-3) - the following effects were observed by Russian forensic teams:

• Heating prepared meats in a microwave sufficiently for human consumption created:
• d- Nitrosodiethanolamine (a well-known cancer-causing agent)
• Destabilization of active protein biomolecular compounds
• Creation of a binding effect to radioactivity in the atmosphere
• Creation of cancer-causing agents within protein- hydrosylate compounds in milk and cereal grains;
• Microwave emissions also caused alteration in the catabolic (breakdown) behavior of glucoside - and galactoside - elements within frozen fruits when thawed in this way;
• Microwaves altered catabolic behavior of plant-alkaloids when raw, cooked or frozen vegetables were exposed for even very short periods;
• Cancer-causing free radicals were formed within certain trace-mineral molecular formations in plant substances, especially in raw root vegetables;
• Ingestion of micro-waved foods caused a higher percentage of cancerous cells in blood;
• Due to chemical alterations within food substances, malfunctions occurred in the lymphatic system, causing degeneration of the immune system=s capacity to protect itself against cancerous growth;
• The unstable catabolism of micro-waved foods altered their elemental food substances, leading to disorders in the digestive system;
• Those ingesting micro-waved foods showed a statistically higher incidence of stomach and intestinal cancers, plus a general degeneration of peripheral cellular tissues with a gradual breakdown of digestive and excretory system function;
• Microwave exposure caused significant decreases in the nutritional value of all foods studied, particularly:
• A decrease in the bioavailability of B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, essential minerals and lipotrophics
• Destruction of the nutritional value of nucleoproteins in meats
• Lowering of the metabolic activity of alkaloids, glucosides, galactosides and nitrilosides (all basic plant substances in fruits and vegetables)
• Marked acceleration of structural disintegration in all foods.

- from Dr George J Georgiou, Ph.D.'s research into microwave cooking

It is important to recognize that this information from the research is applicable to the food itself.  It does not refer to the affects on humans, nor does it contrast the effects of cooking foods conventionally.

There have been numerous projects and bits of research done regarding the safety of microwaved foods, however it is unclear as to whether any of the information can be trusted.  This is because many people out there are looking to prove their point one way or another.  There is also the question of suppressed research by major corporations who have much to lose should microwaves be declared unsafe.  MANY myths and half-truths abound on the internet regarding the truth.  Unfortunately it is extremely difficult to get an accurate, unadulterated view of how microwaves truly affect human health.  Most of what you'll find is horrifyingly scary accounts of the severely unsafe microwave balanced by a common-sense view of exactly the opposite.

As for me, I decided to try an experiment for myself instead of relying what others say.  I decided to stop using my microwave for a few months to see what would happen.  Here's how it went.

The first week I had to explain to my significant other (SO) why we weren't going to use the microwave any more.  This was met with cries of protest and derision for my opinion that the microwave might not be as safe as we think.  It took several days, but eventually I convinced him to just give it a try.


Mostly I had used the microwave to heat up leftovers and to cook veggies.  I almost never cooked a meal in it unless I was at work and usually that meal consisted of a frozen vegetarian lunch.  Though these were the only real uses I had for the microwave, it did get used frequently.  

The first few weeks were probably the most difficult.  I found myself mindlessly popping leftovers into the microwave without thinking.  I agonized over what to have for lunch at work.  (I hate plain old sandwiches.  I usually took leftovers to work with me.)  I gnashed teeth over it and cheated a lot at home.  At work I eventually figured out what to take for lunch that could be eaten cold or room temperature or went out to eat if I wanted a hot meal.


About a month in I decided in order to stop temptation I should take the microwave out of the kitchen.  I took it into the basement and hooked it up there at the request of my SO.  I did so and soon I found I was eating my leftover food cold.  I didn't bother making veggies at all.  Yep.  I was that lazy.   Over time, though, I realized I had two perfectly capable tools for heating up leftovers - the toaster oven and *gasp* the stove.

As I began to get used to heating up my food in the frying pan or in a metal bowl/pan in the toaster oven, I began to realize something: Leftovers heated up in this way didn't take too much longer and they tasted WAY better.  I got better and better at doing it.  Next thing I knew I had learned to reheat food a variety of ways, almost all of them superior to having been reheated in the microwave.   It's true I also learned to burn fried rice to the bottom of a pan or two and I was guilty of charring a slice of pizza or two.  As with many things, it just took practice.

Since I did want to start eating veggies again, I began to learn to cook them in new and exciting ways.  I was much more comfortable standing in front of the stove and had a new appreciation for it.  I started looking for new recipes and tried all kinds of new things.  The steamer basket for my big pot suddenly was very useful.  I learned to dry saute.  I found out you could boil veggies without destroying them.  Roasting veggies in the oven was delicious.  All in all I found that removing one simple way of doing things led to several slightly harder but much more rewarding ways of doing things.

At work I began to prepare more fresh foods like salads and cold pastas.  I developed sandwich alternatives like bringing what I'd normally eat on bread in separate containers so they'd stay fresher.  For example I'd bring pita chunks separate from the hummus with carrots and cucumbers to dip.  The variety of my lunches improved greatly.  Since I wasn't eating frozen boxed foods, I figured my work food was probably more nutritious and lower in fat.  Co-workers began to get jealous over what I was bringing in because it looked so good.


In addition I learned to plan my meals at home and for work more carefully and considered how much time things would take.  Since I knew that cooking took a little more time, I didn't wait until the last second to cook food.  I began to plan for when I would be hungry, rather than let my hunger dictate to me.  That change was a big one for me, especially since I had been having issues with my blood sugar.  There was less stress about cooking and eating since I had already taken care of it in my head before I was hungry. 

A few months more passed.  I had happily forgotten about the microwave.  Though my SO was still sneaking down to the basement occasionally to heat up mashed potatoes, he had all but given up on it, too.  What I noticed about myself is that I had shed a few inches from my waistline and was generally feeling better.  My SO had noticed the same thing about himself.

While I can't say with any certainty that microwaved food was bad for us, there was an undeniable change in our health for the better.  I had learned that I didn't need the microwave and that other cooking methods were far better.  Why settle for rubbery food that may or may not have been healthy for me?  Was it really worth the 5 minutes I saved?  Simply answered, it was not.

I decided to keep my new way of preparing food.  I prefer it.  The microwave now sits in a niche in my living room where it is only used to heat up buckwheat therapeutic pillows in the cool months.  Overall I feel more confident in my ability to make food and reheat my leftovers.  I am happier knowing there is zero controversy regarding my food preparation.  I don't worry that my food preparation method is more likely to give me cancer or cause me any harm.  I like the improvement in my diet and have come to love cooking.  (I even got more counter space out of it!)  There is no way I'd ever go back to using the microwave.

Looking back, I believe it was abandoning the microwave that had the greatest effect on my health of anything I ever did.  It was not that I had removed a potentially harmful way of cooking from my life, but rather it started me on my journey to becoming a good cook.

The moral of this story is that when we think about things instead of just accepting the status quo, there can be immense benefits to be gained.  Regardless of whether or not science can support commonly held beliefs, we can make decisions that have a positive outcome.  Perhaps it is worth taking a closer look at all the other 'safe' things in our life and deciding it is time for a change.  Why not live the healthiest, best way possible?  Is it really that much harder?  For me that meant getting back to basics and taking more time for me.  What does it mean in your life?

One Success Story

I saw this article on CNN and thought it was worth sharing.  People often have to work to find the right path to fitness for themselves.  This is one woman's solution.

From fat to gym rat, woman loses 200 pounds By Steve Almasy, CNN

My favorite quote  is this:

"I tell clients and people in my classes that when you can look me in the eye and say, 'Oh my gosh, I had brownies and ice cream last night, and it was so good,' that's when you have it," she said. "If you pick it up and start to eat it, and the negative self-talk starts ... that's when you put it down and say, 'No, thank you.' "

Cooking and Your Imagination - Plus a Beef Stew Recipe

No doubt you've often heard people refer to cooking as an outlet for their creativity.  Certainly it can be if you let it.  Cooking makes use of our ability to imagine what certain ingredients will taste like together.  It can be hard sometimes to figure out which tastes go best together, but with experience and a little help from millions of home cooks who've come before you, you'll get quite good at combining flavors.

If you are a fan of watching cooking shows, it is probable that you have a good 'food imagination'.   When you watch watch Chef So-and-So drop garlic into the sizzling pan, you can almost taste it.  When the spices come together you can just about smell their aroma.  You can use this ability to your advantage.  Imagination is an important quality for a cook.  It allows you come up with dishes of you own or customize the recipes you find in books or on the web.  You've probably done this already when you've left out an ingredient you don't like from a recipe and added something you thought would be better.  Even if you think you don't have a good 'food imagination', you know what you like to eat and that is an important thing to know.

The way I see it, learning to cook is like learning to dance.

First you learn about the equipment.  In dance it's your body; You learn how to stretch and how to move.  In cooking it's your utensils, gadgets, kitchen machinery and your pots and pans; you learn to how to use them and make things work.

Next you learn the basics.  In dance you learn the steps one-by-one.  In cooking you learn the various techniques of preparing food like how to chop vegetables or how to sauté. 

Next you get a little experience putting things together.  In dance you learn combination of steps and how to do a few things at the same time like turning while performing a step.  In cooking you learn more advanced techniques that combine skills together like making a roux or a sauce.

After you know all the basics and get a good handle on some of the intermediate things, you can start to improvise.  You use little combinations of techniques you've learned to make something appealing.  Once you've mastered the techniques, you can use what you know to make something truly amazing happen.  However the best things happen when someone who has a mastery of skills uses her imagination to create something exciting and new.

As in dance, the more you practice the better you'll become at different techniques.  The first couple times you try to sauté something could result in something less than desirable.  It happens.  You still eat the food an think of what you'd do differently next time.  In the worst cases, the failed attempt goes in the trash.  It happens even when you are a 'good' cook.

Using your creativity to try to imagine what tastes good together is the same way.  You need to practice it to get good at it.  When I find myself cooking the same thing over and over again, it gets really easy.  It also gets boring.  I like to revisit my old standby recipes and try using new and different flavors once in a while.  You can change the flavor by varying the ingredients, herbs/spices, or cooking methods.  An exercise I like to try is using a standard basic recipe and trying different combinations of herbs each time I make it.

Feeding your mind is a great way to feed your creativity.  For me this involves cooking recipes from certain traditions and then using little combinations from those recipes.  I also pay attention to the flavors that almost always accompany the main ingredient I'm cooking such as meat, chicken or special vegetables.  It can help to have little themes or stories for your seasonings.  This helps you recall groups of ingredients that taste good together. 

Flavors grouped by ethnicity might include:

• thyme, garlic and wine - France
• oregano, basil, garlic and Italian parsley - Southern Italy
• curry, turmeric, ginger and fenugreek - India
• cumin, cilantro, lime and jalapeño - Mexico
• ginger, mint, lime and cilantro - Thailand
  

You can also group things by traditional main dish associations:

• for poultry - parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme (like the song!) and sometimes celery seed or paprika
  
• for pork - parsley, sage and basil
• for white fish - butter, lemon, dill and pepper

By utilizing these combinations and ones like them with basic recipes, you can create very flavorful meals.  The next step is finding basic recipes to use as a springboard for your creativity.

A great source for basic recipes is the The Joy of Cooking.  I use the 1997 version as it has most of the older recipes unchanged from their original state, but includes many ethnic dishes.  What I like about the recipes in this book are the no-nonsense, not jazzed-up versions provided.  These recipes are no-frills and you can add whatever you like.  If I had the older versions of the book, I'd probably use them.  This book is absolute MUST HAVE in the kitchen.  If you don't have a version of this book, I recommend getting one right away.

The following is the basic beef stew recipe from The Joy of Cooking.  I like it because it gives you the technique to build any stew.  My favorite herb to use with this recipe is thyme.  I almost always add red wine when I do.  When I get tired of thyme, I pick another herb from the list and build my changes to the recipe from there.  Here's a few variations:

version 1 - French thyme & wine, leaving out parsnips, extra garlic
version 2 - English thyme (more bitter) & beer, using all veggies but no garlic
version 3 - 1/2 oregano, 1/2 basil, using beer, adding 8 oz sliced crimini mushrooms, no leeks

These variations may seem subtle, but they do produce different results.  Try out your own and see what you like best.  I almost never make the same dish exactly the same.

Basic Beef Stew
 6 to 8 servings 

By altering the vegetables or the proportions, the recipe variations are limitless. For a fresher flavor, add more vegetables or herbs toward the end of cooking.  For a deeper flavor, use a few spoonfuls of Meat Glaze to enrich the sauce.


Pat dry:
2 pounds boneless stewing beef, such as chuck, short rib meat, or bottom round, cut into 2-inch cubes


Season the meat with:
1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried herbs (thyme, marjoram, savory, oregano, and/or basil)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper


Dredge the meat with:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour


Shake off any excess flour.  Heat in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat:
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, bacon fat, beef drippings or other fat

Add the meat in batches and brown on all sides, being careful not to crowd the pan or scorch the meat. Remove with a slotted spoon. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan (add more if needed).

Add:
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped leeks (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (optional)

Cook and cover, stirring often, over medium heat until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes

Add:
2 bay leaves
1/2  to 1 teaspoon of the same herbs used to season the meat
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper


Return the meat to the pot and dd enough to cover the meat at least halfway:
2 to 3 cups beef or chicken stock, dry red wine or white wine, or beer

Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover and simmer over low heat until the meat is fork-tender, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.


Add:
2 to 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 or 4 boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 turnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, 35 to 40 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and skim any fat from the surface.  Taste and adjust the seasonings. 


Garnish with:
Chopped fresh parsley

My own additions from time to time:

8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 cup pearl barley
cooked egg noodles
a handful of green beans

Serve with warm rolls and a salad. You can also serve over egg noodles for a nice one-pot meal.  This dish is fun and easy to make.  The results are always a crowd-pleaser.  Give it a try.  :D

Buckwheat Pt 1 - Pancakes!

I was never really interested in buckwheat until I started working for a company that specialized in buckwheat pillows.  Even after working there for quite a while and learning all about the coolness that is buckwheat, it still took me forever to give it a try.  One day I did and now I'm hooked.  It's delicious.  I am still looking for ways to include buckwheat into my diet, but I always come back to my favorite buckwheat dish - buckwheat pancakes.

Let's do things backwards today.  Before I get into the details of buckwheat, how about a recipe?

Spiced Buckwheat Pancakes
(for 2 or 3 people)
1 cup buckwheat pancake mix (I use Bob's Red Mill Buckwheat Pancake Mix)
1 organic egg, beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (canola is a good choice)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon organic cane sugar

filtered water
real unsalted organic butter (no margarine or butter substitutes)

Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl except for the water and the butter.  The mixture will probably get very thick and gummy.  Add about 1/2 cup of water to get the batter evenly moist and mixed.  Add more water 1/4 cup at a time until the batter is of the consistency you prefer.  I like my pancake batter liquid, but not watery.  These pancakes tend to puff up a bit so you may want your batter slightly runnier than traditional pancake batter.  If in doubt, try making a pancake with your batter thicker and see if you like.

Warm a large skillet on medium heat.  Add a little bit of butter, let it melt and swirl it around the pan.  Pour a small amount of batter into the pan so that the final size of the pancake is about 3 or 4 inches across.  (Small pancakes like these cook faster and are easier to handle without ruining them.  If you feel confident you can tackle bigger pancakes, go for it.)  Let the pancake cook until the edges start to solidify.  The batter will bubble a bit and when the bubbles have gotten bigger and deeper, you should start thinking about flipping them.  They need a minute or so on the other side.

Serve the hot pancakes immediately.  They can be served with regular syrup, but as syrup is typically made of high fructose corn syrup you may want to try some other options.  In our house we prefer real maple syrup, used sparingly.  The traditional way to eat buckwheat pancakes is with applesauce.  You can also try a bit of molasses with them for a rich, vitamin-packed treat.

So while you are munching away on your easy, delicious pancakes, let's talk about buckwheat and why it is good for you.

Buckwheat, also know as Fagopyrum esculentum, is native to parts of Eurasia and was first cultivated about 6000 BC in Southeast Asia.  It was subsequently grown all over Asia, Europe and Africa.  It was also one of the first crops cultivated by Europeans in North America.  These days buckwheat is grown all over the world.

Buckwheat is not wheat (although sometimes it is mixed with wheat flour so be careful if you have a wheat allergy).  In fact buckwheat isn't even a grain.  It's the seed of a grass-like plant related to rhubarb.  Buckwheat's name comes from the fact that it resembles beech nuts and is used in a fashion similar to the way wheat is used.

This tasty little seed has been used in cooking all over the world and has played a major role in the cuisine of many countries.  Japan's famous soba noodles are made of buckwheat as is kasha from Russia.  Breton gallettes feature buckwheat flour crepes.  Northern Italians enjoy polenta made with buckwheat.

Since buckwheat is not a grain, it contains no gluten, making it a good choice for folks with wheat allergies.  You can even find beer made with buckwheat malt that contains no wheat.  (Look for gluten free beer.)

Buckwheat is high in magnesium, which contributes to healthy muscles.  Buckwheat proteins contain eight essential amino acids.  It is high in lysine.  Buckwheat is also a good source of Alpha-Linolenic Acid, which is one of the two essential fatty acids necessary for human health.  Buckwheat is a great source of fiber, which can lower 'bad' cholesterol levels.  Another great property of buckwheat is that it contains rutin, which is a compound that helps strengthen the walls of capillaries, thus reducing the likelihood and occurrence of hemorrhaging in people with high blood pressure.

As if all that wasn't good enough, buckwheat grows best in poor soil.  In fact if soil is fertilized, it may reduce crop yields.  Buckwheat is drought resistant, pest resistant and it doesn't require a long growing season.  Most buckwheat is grown without any fertilizers or pesticides.  Much of what is available for purchase is organic, although it is rarely certified as such.  Simply put, this is a crop that is ideal for a small planet.

You can find whole buckwheat groats (the whole interior seed, hull removed) or buckwheat flour at most health food stores.  If you live someplace with easy access to Whole Foods or a food coop you can also find it there.  You may also find buckwheat at Russian/Eastern European food specialty shops.  Soba noodles can be found at many grocery stores, and definitely at Japanese and Korean groceries.

Buckwheat is all-around good for you and for the planet.  There's no good reason not to be eating it.  There are lots of ways to enjoy buckwheat.  At some point I'll revisit buckwheat and get you some more recipes.  In the mean time, if you are hungering for more ways to cook buckwheat, try looking for kasha, or soba noodle recipes.

Eating For More Than Hunger

Ask most folks why people eat and after the funny look they'll answer something like: "So they don't starve." or "To stay alive."  While those are the most obvious reasons people eat, another reason that is nearly as important is to improve or maintain health.  Of course people eat for other reasons, too, ranging from pleasure to boredom, but we aren't as concerned with those reasons today.

Way back before the advent of modern medicine,  people were using food to modify health and treat illnesses.  The first books of medicine were actually cook books.  This was not because there weren't medicines available (there were lots of herbs in use) but rather that there is no other factor that determines as much about a person's health as what they eat.

Every time we eat a meal, we have an opportunity to please our taste buds or to please our bodies.  It's also possible to do both at the same time.  Pleasing the taste buds and the body simultaneously is the only real way to improve health when eating in my humble opinion.  What that means is that good-for-you can and should equal good-tasting.

It's no secret that a most diets fail.  In fact nearly 95% of dieters regain the weight they've lost.  In the United States people spend more than $33 billion per year trying to lose weight with diet programs, special foods and diet beverages.  How could so many of us fail so often?

The answer lies in the fact that diets just aren't the way to get or stay healthy.  Not only do they have a terrible connotation, but the restrictions to calories, fats and other taste-enhancing components can cause foods to be terribly unsatisfying.  Instead of dieting, try changing your eating habits permanently for the better.  Making changes to your way of eating instead of following a fad diet offers a much more reliable and flexible option.

Changing the way we eat can be a daunting task.  It's definitely not the easiest work to undertake.  It can be helpful to take small steps to reach the goal of eating better everyday.  An easy way to start down that path is to begin asking yourself if what you are eating is pleasing to taste buds or pleasing to the body or both.  Sometimes we aren't necessarily sure if what we are eating is good for us or not and that's ok.  There are definitely things we know aren't good for us at all and things we definitely know are better for our health.

'Bad for you' foods are made to appeal to the most basic human desires - usually the craving for fats and/or sweets.  Fats and sweets were at one point a rare part of the human diet.  We crave them because our bodies need them to run but were historically difficult to find.  Our desire for them isn't a bad thing.  It's just the way we're wired.  However over the course of human development, cooks have been able to exploit the resources available to them and make abundant the very things which were once so rare.  The same things that are beneficial in small amounts have become detrimental because they are eaten in excess.  What that means is not that we should avoid fats and calories altogether, rather we should learn to incorporate them in our diets in moderation.

The next time you're in a restaurant, look at a menu and examine the foods you find appealing.  What kinds of foods are they?  Would you consider these foods to be healthy?  It's ok to find foods typically considered 'bad for us' appealing.  After all, most of the time when we go to a restaurant we are going there to eat for pleasure, and not with our health foremost in our minds.

At this point, you have a choice - eat something 'healthy' that might be less appealing or eat something 'bad' that really appeals to you.  In some cases you can be lucky enough to find something 'healthy' and appealing, but often this is not the case.  Sometimes there is a happy medium and sometimes there isn't.  However using your wits you can manipulate your meal a little to get better nutrition and reduce some of the 'badness'. 

Here are some examples:

Scenario 1 - Burger Craving
You are craving a cheeseburger.  You have lots of options with this one.  You can get one from a fast food joint, from a pub or you can make one at home.  You can have french fries with you burger or soup or salad or nothing at all.  You can accompany your burger with beer, soda, or water.

The fast food burger is naturally the worst choice.  It has little nutritional value and is highly processed.  The norm in the fast food restaurant is to serve it with fries and a soda.  Fries and a soda are definitely not the healthiest thing you could be eating.  If you must eat at the fast food place, try skipping the soda and fries.  Have water to drink and in place of fries perhaps add something a bit healthier to your meal like a salad or fruit.  You still won't be eating an optimal meal, but you've gotten rid of some of the worst parts.

The pub may offer a better solution.  You can get a better quality burger that will have a better nutritional value and you can opt to have salad or soup with your meal instead of fries.  Salad is good because it is fresh and provides vegetable nutrients.  Soup can either be good or ok, depending on type.  Cheese soup is not as good of a pick as minestrone, but it is likely better than fries.

Making the burger at home may be the best solution as you can control the type of meat you are using, what toppings you use and what you eat it with.  If you are interested in low carb diet, you can omit the bun and fries and never even be tempted by their presence on your plate.  You can add all the veggies you want.  You can drink water with your meal or any other favorite beverage.  It's a win-win situation.

Scenario 2 - Breakfast
You go to a restaurant for breakfast and you want something satisfying, but you are keeping an eye on your health.

You could have muesli with fruit and yogurt.  Though you like how healthy the meal seems, you know you'd be missing the breakfast you really want to eat.  You might even eat a second breakfast at home later or make up for it with an extravagant lunch.

You could have pancakes, but really they are nothing more than fried refined flour with lots of syrup on top.  There isn't a lot of fiber or nutritional content in them and they are high in sugar.  They may be good for the taste buds, but your body will suffer.  You'll experience a jump in blood sugar that will be followed by a loss of energy.  You will probably be hungry again in a short while.

You could have bacon and eggs with hashbrowns.  Though this meal offers significantly more nutrition than the pancakes, there isn't much in the way of fiber or vitamins from vegetables.  You're missing out on micro-nutrients and variety.  Your meal may also be high in saturated fat.

You could have an omelet.  It includes the meat you might crave, but it also features sauteed vegetables.  It comes with whole-grain toast and fruit instead of potatoes.  This choice is kind of a happy medium since you are still eating a satisfying breakfast that makes you happy, but it includes some vegetables which offer more nutrition and a little more fiber from the toast. 


The moral of this story is that when you are just starting out on the path to changing your eating habits, you can simply make choices to improve a meal.  Take one step at time to get where you are going.  Ask yourself, "Is this the best choice I could be making?" and answer honestly without beating yourself up.  Then ask yourself, "Can I make this a better choice?"  It's up to you to decide when and how you start making changes in the way you eat.

The biggest hurdles to our goals are usually found in our own minds.  Be generous with yourself and patient with yourself.  By starting to think about what might make an optimal meal and making small modifications, you are preparing yourself for bigger changes to come.  It takes time and learning to see where and how you can improve is an important part of the process.  You can do this.  Nothing about the process is difficult.  It only requires you to want to make the necessary changes.