Riah Durick is the owner of Nourished Folks, a unique local business featuring a daytime cafe, meal subscription service and food store offering family-style meals, snack trays, homemade broths and more. Photo furnished
BY RIAH DURICK, NOURISHED FOLKS
Since I started Nourished Folks, my mom has been trying to get me to use the word “health” in our marketing. But I’m annoyed by the organic food market, jaded by the diet industry and stick my nose up at counting calories. She is right, though, that the kind of food we sell in the shop is, by definition, healthy.
To us at Nourished Folks, “healthy” food is a cornucopia of rainbow vegetables that come from the ground, anchored by beans and grains to sop them all up. We think healthy food is made mostly from scratch, is organic sometimes when the stars align and generally just feels good for you to eat.
With that said, here are some healthy eating tips for 2023:
1. Every time you take a bite of food or sip a hot mug of whatever it is that you love, consider its origins. Who started the seed that blossomed the vegetable? Who picked it, distributed it and put it on a shelf before landing on your cutting board and plate? Note how you serve the food. The mug, why do you love it so much? Maybe nostalgia or the size of the handle. Pay attention.
2. Slice things, dice things, cut your finger every once in a while – it’s therapy with immediate gratification. Notice how every one of the five senses is ignited, not just taste and smell. Take your time both preparing to eat and while eating. We’ve come to think of this act as a chore, and sometimes it really is just that. But oh, what a treat to slow down and enjoy the process.
3. Continually improve your communication with your body. How does your body feel when you eat this or that? Are you noticing it gets mad at certain foods or some foods provide more energy than others? Diet schemes try to make us believe that everyone has to do the exact same thing to enjoy the benefits. That’s a lie. Your body is different than mine; our lives are completely different; and we experience both of those things uniquely. What makes your body feel healthy?
4. Feed other people. No need for lavishness or tons of time that you certainly don’t have. Be it a quart of broth or your own leftovers, sharing food can provide rest for another. Feeding ourselves and our families is a full-time job – food logistics can shape entire days, morning, noon and night. To be able to take a load off of each other’s plates every once in a while feels good for everyone. It’s healthy.
5. Since five is a good number to stop, I’ll end with this: Celebrate with food. As a species, humans have always been pretty damn good at this. There’s always a cake, a casserole, a big piece of roasted meat. Food anchors parties celebrating babies and weddings, holidays and “just because.” When we’re having a dinner party with our friends or out to eat on dates, we are celebrating each other over food. Laughing around these big tables of food, going on about the world and even crying sometimes, we’re often at our healthiest while celebrating over food.