cooking with nothing

An additional challenge: eating with the seasons

     

I’ve most definitely learnt a lot during my recent food journey. At the beginning of the hypoallergenic diet, my list of allowed foods was quite restricted so I hardly thought about where my food was coming from; my main concern was whether I could have it or not. I was, however, shocked when the only pears (one of the few fruits I could eat) I could find came all the way from New Zealand to my little supermarket in Amsterdam!

I know this is nothing new. Food travels around the world so that we can have a selection of what we want, when we want it – regardless of season. But what happens to it during that journey? Eat the Seasons, a UK-based website lists a few basic reasons why you should eat seasonally.

There are a number of good reasons to eat more local, seasonal food:

• to reduce the energy (and associated CO² emissions) needed to grow and transport the food we eat
• to avoid paying a premium for food that is scarcer or has travelled a long way
• to support the local economy
• to reconnect with nature’s cycles and the passing of time

but, most importantly, because seasonal food is fresher and so tends to be tastier and more nutritious

Imported food is often artificially ripened, rife with chemicals and, quite frankly, not designed to be eaten all year round. Now that my food windows are opening up, I’m determined to try and eat local produce wherever possible. The aforementioned website has a great list of what’s in season month by month. I’m eager to challenge myself to ‘take on’ a vegetable I’ve never tackled before. Maybe this month I’ll give artichokes a whirl…? I’ve always put them in the too-hard basket, but apparently they’re quite simple to use once you know what you’re doing! Feel free to send me any tried and true recipes!

Back to the diet: Shellfish and coffee both passed the test, which is pretty exciting news. I used to enjoy a latte almost every day, but now I’m reacting to dairy (I haven’t tested milk yet, but yoghurt and cheese have given me symptoms) I’m going black. I’m also happy to say I’m not, and won’t become, addicted to the stuff. I really like the taste, which is why I’ll savour the occasional brew rather than choking down a grainy instant just to get my daily caffeine fix.

That’s what I love about this diet. You become so in tune with your own body that you know your own limitations. I’ve stayed away from all treats, including a ridiculous number of birthday cakes, for many months but decided to take a 1-cm sliver of a friend’s delicious, low-sugar carrot cake during the weekend. I picked off the cream cheese icing and savoured every bite. And, quite honestly, that wee taste was enough.

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