Friday, March 9, 2012

March is Nutrition Month, Call It Cooking Month

But the chances are you already know what to eat. In fact, in a recent study, 85% of Americans were aware of functional foods (those that pack a health punch beyond their nutritional value), but less than 50% of us are actually eating them.

Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/health/2012/03/09/manuel-villacorta-nutrition-month-call-it-cooking-month/#ixzz1odT9MN6N


As a nation, we have demanded quick, easy meals, and insisted it's all we have time for. In my practice, all I hear is that people are too busy and too stressed to cook. But is time really the problem? In a previous generation, we learned to cook from our parents, especially our mothers. I myself am of the first generation that was raised largely with the packaged foods that became available in the 1960s and 1970s. And I can see the influence of this food in people of my generation—I go to their homes and no one is using the stove. Often, they don't really even know how to. They've turned to prepared, processed foods out of necessity, not just time constraints.

Sweet and Savory Slow Cooked Cuban Picadillo

And let's just be clear—opening a package is not cooking. In 2011, a recent study found, 72% of meals were prepared at home. This was an unexpected piece of good news out of a bad economy. But it's mixed good news, because a lot of that "preparation" wasn't really cooking; it was plating up processed foods.
The fact is, it's not just about eating at home—it's about buying whole

Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/health/2012/03/09/manuel-villacorta-nutrition-month-call-it-cooking-month/#ixzz1odTYlgIN

By Manuel Villacorta