Culinary Tip - Basic philosophy for choosing your food correctly

Through my Culinary Tips blog, I will be sharing my 8 adopted principles of food selection. I encourage you to follow these guidelines when making your food choices, this way of eating will offer you a lifetime of savory, healthy choices that will be good for all of you, not just part of you. 

Guideline # 1. Choose whole foods.
What is the definition of a whole food anyway? Foods that nature provides with all its edible parts, whole foods have only one ingredient and that is themselves. Nothing has been taken out or nothing has been added to it. Examples of plant-based whole foods are, whole grains, beans, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds.  So favor eating an orange rather than drinking the juice, increase your intake of whole grains, like quinoa or brown rice, this will help you reduce your intake of refined grains like white rice; and if you like bread, favor breads made with whole grains, like spelt, millet, rather than the white breads.  

Ready to embrace guideline number #1?
I recommend starting where you are, if whole foods do not make it into your grocery cart. Start adding one in-season vegetable and fruit to your cart this week. Maybe grab a bunch of asparagus, a few oranges or grapefruits. Next week you may add dandelions, and look forward to strawberries in a few weeks.  
Is there room for favorites that do not necessarily are whole foods? Cookies anyone? Let me make the point by sharing a heart-warming joke.  Last year, I gave a talk to a group of young cancer survivors that have gathered in the outer banks for a week of surfing. They surfed and I cooked. I shared with them my 70-30 rule. At the end of the week, I found a gift in the kitchen counter with my name on it.  I opened it, the note say thank you for the amazing meals, and here is your 30%, enjoy it…it was a snickers bar!