Gathering With Food

1.16
Can you remember a really great time of celebration with friends or family? Did it involve food? I think it's great if it did; I know in some circles it is frowned upon that we socialize and connect too much over food because it programs eating into our routine, feel-good events causing overeating, obesity and heart disease. One of our unfortunate problems in the US is not that we celebrate over food, but what we actually eat as we celebrate... our choices can be less than healthy.

It's not that every family or social interaction we have looks like a Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving, but gathering with food should be anticipated and celebrated. There's a rich history of feasting in cultures and societies the world over. The biggest issue for our western / American version of it is simply the choices we put on our tables for our celebrations. And guess what, that all goes back to our pantry...

In the last couple of years, Jennifer and I have gotten much more discerning about what we offer at family and social gatherings. No more sodas or ranch dressings with MSG, but you'd be surprised (we are) at how simplifying and making healthier food choices for celebrations makes for a better gathering. Our choices include more fresh fruits and veggies (lots of them), whole grains in baked goods, seltzer instead of sodas, and fruit juices to mix with the seltzer. Frozen Greek yogurts make an alternative to ice cream. Fresh baked apple crisps instead of store bought birthday cakes. Even some gluten free offerings (corn bread, gravies and more made with gluten-free flour).

The biggest challenge is stepping outside of our comfort zone to try new dishes and new recipes. Sometimes watching food, cooking and travel shows helps - we get ideas of what might be a new dish to try and then go about finding recipes and ingredients to get us there. The key to meaningful and lasting change in what we're serving is perseverance, as it may not turn out great, or be a hit with every guest (always best to try things out on close family first...)

So think about your next big gathering... maybe there are some ways you can make it healthier by design. Serve hummus instead of ranch dressing... Fresh made guacamole (with fresh garlic and cayenne pepper... mmmm) instead of french onion dip. Offer a lighter meat (chicken instead of beef.) Gathering and celebrating over food, even feasting, is a good thing, and the healthier our pantry is, the better our celebrations will be.

By the Way

To help us along in offering healthier foods at a next gathering, maybe a great cookbook is in order. There are so many online offerings, it is mind-boggling. Jen and I read Prevention magazine a lot, and Rodale Press has numerous recipe offerings on line and in print. Dr. Andrew Weil is a renowned MD of integrative medicine who is very savvy about cooking and eating in a healthy way. And Dr. Joel Furhman is another tremendous resource for healthy food choices. A key is to not get overwhelmed and try to make every offering the healthiest, tastiest thing anyone has ever had; just pick a couple or several menus choices at your next gathering and make those from a healthy recipe. Before you know it, you'll be stocking healthier ingredients in your pantry, and trading healthier recipes with your friends and family. And that's good for everyone.