CAFE HAVEN

Some tips and things to know before cooking

Although I wouldn’t want to be too stressed out about what I eat or drink, personally, I try to be on a not exactly perfect, but healthy-enough diet. On the other hand, I also notice that you cannot explain away food and nutrition on the purely physical/material level. For example, a dish would taste and feel very different when prepared in a loving and joyful mood, and stressed out or angry mood, even if it is cooked with the same ingredients and method.

The same goes for how you eat and drink. A healthiest salad may give you a heartburn if you are stressed out, not present, or arguing with others while you eat. A dish or a food combination that should give you a bad digestion may give you no trouble if you are eating with gratitude and/or when you are eating with a good company.

We also hear confusing information so often on what particular foods or ways of cooking are good for us. New research findings are published each day that sometimes contradict with previous ones. Although information is important, I feel it is also essential that each of us listen to our own bodies.

Here are the basic points that I have in mind based on my layperson' research, as well as my personal experience of what seem to work for me and my famiy. As I mentioned in the introduction page, I encourage you to do your own research and find the diet that best suits you. And most of all, try to relax and use your creativity and imagination!

What I use for cooking; fresh organic ingredients whenever possible.
What I try to avoid or rarely use: refined sugar, refined salt, refined wheat flour, soy and soy products (unless they are fermented), processed food with chemicals and food additives, hydrogenated oil, cow's milk.
Whenever possible, grains, nuts, seeds and legumes are soaked for a while and sometimes sprouted to enhance digestion and nutritional values.
I try not to combine starch/ sugar and animal protein in a dish or a meal for optimal digestion. Starchy dishes (e.g. bean dish, grain dish) and animal protein dishes are combined with lots of vegetables, especially fresh green salad.
It is convenient to have a food processor or a hand blender (the one with different attachments) and nut&seed grinder, especially when you make raw dishes.

Enjoy cooking!

Some tips and things to know before cooking

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