I’m glad you stopped in, electronically at least! My name is Cynthia Wilson. I have led an unusual and fun-filled life, having lived in Texas, Oregon and the British Virgin Islands, and having been employed in television and radio, as a massage therapist and spa specialist, as the owner of two still successful businesses, and now as a personal chef and caterer. Working with food is fulfilling for me, so to speak, and it’s what I want to focus on in this blog. I have worked with a variety of people, food professionals and even farms to help create wonderful dishes using fresh from the farm ingredients whenever possible. I work with people all over the country from my home base in the Hill Country outside of Austin, Texas, a place known for its outdoor activities and healthy lifestyle.
My blog is right for you if you want to know more about your food environment and find interesting kitchen and cooking ideas with each read. As you read and discover new facts, ideas and recommendations, I hope you will consider changing the way you eat, how you shop and what you feed your family. I hope you will be inspired to support local farmers or see that you, yourself, can contribute to your food needs and those of your neighbors and family by growing a few things. I hope you will be encouraged to eat more healthfully, to choose more nutritional foods, and realize that what you feed yourself and your family matters in so many different ways. And I hope you’ll find my recipes helpful, because I will share my favorites!
So let’s get started with some background on what changes so many of us can make for better health and, frankly, more happiness, with a few things I consider to be fact:
1. When it comes to food, retro is in.
Only a few decades ago, obesity was a rare exception, not an increasingly depressing and commonplace occurrence. Exercise certainly plays a role, but a lot of it is how we eat: large amount of high-calorie, heavily processed foods, made for convenience rather than nutrition – or, in many cases, flavor. Eating the way our ancestors used to, with more fruits and vegetables, grains and lean meats rather than processed breads, cakes and fast food, results in a healthier, leaner body and may help us live a longer, more active life. Chemicals and preservatives may make food easier to package for longer periods of time, but they don’t make us better off, health-wise.
2. At the store, labels matter.
When you shop at the store, check out the labels. Yes, they’ll confuse you. When I first tried figuring out what polysorbate 60 or calcium chloride were, my eyes glazed over. Look for high fructose corn syrup – it’s the one ingredient you don’t need in food, yet you’ll find it in so many places. Ketchup, soft drinks, Yoplait yogurt, salad dressing and even in that wheat bread you bought yesterday. There has been a public outcry against HFCS and you may have noticed that labels on some products now say “No high fructose corn syrup”. Remember, the shorter the ingredient list – and the easier everything is to pronounce – generally, the better the food is for you.
On any label, look for calories, fat, saturated fat and any amount of nutrition: vitamins, minerals, and other essentials. I’ll detail what you should look for in a blog soon.
3. Almost anywhere you live, local food is better.
The term “eat local’ is gaining in popularity, and it’s no wonder. Food grown locally reaches your table faster, so it’s fresher and loaded with the original vitamins. It’s also better for the earth and the local economy. I’ll explain more in future blogs.
4. Organic
Organic foods have gained so much in popularity, there’s a danger that “organic” won’t mean anything anymore. Since so many people are now demanding organic food, the term itself is in danger of being “redefined” in the eyes of the USDA and others. Together, we’ll explore what organic really means and how you’ll be able to make the wisest decisions when shopping. Also, it’s more meaningful to buy organic for some produce (apples) than others (bananas) because of the thickness of skins and other factors. I’ll be telling you more about that, too.
I’ll share with you all of this information, cool recipes, what you should look for at the store, in restaurants and more. Trust me, this will be worth the read! I look forward to sharing all of this with you, and please feel free to contact me at Cynthia@chefcynthia.com. Until next time, eat well!
Chef Cynthia
