You only have to look back at family photos from years gone by to become aware of how constantly things are changing. Our three children have now grown to be young adults. When they see photos of their younger years, particularly my daughter, they are horrified at the fashion choices I selected for them, exclaiming ‘Mum! I can’t believe you dressed us like that!’ – I look at the same photos and instead, focus on my changing body shape, whilst quietly wondering what I was thinking donning that hairstyle back in the day!
Food is like fashion. You can quite easily find yourself eating what’s in and what everyone else says you should or shouldn’t be eating. More often than not you don’t even understand why. Maybe you are caught in the crowd and just following along.
When it comes to our bodies, our focus continues to be outward when what really matters is what’s going on, on the inside. As someone passionate about food, cooking and eating, it saddens me that the pleasure of eating has been sacrificed for the desire to please. Ask a sick person, one who has received a terminal diagnosis what their number one desire is and they will always say to be well, not thin.
Our bodies require fuel. They need to be nourished in order to function, develop and flourish. This, in turn, empowers and equips our bodies to resist disease and keep us well. Food is that fuel. Real food, (you may know it as ‘whole food’ or as I like to call it, ‘naked food’), is food in its natural state, grown in season, filled with flavour and simply cooked. This is the food our bodies are designed to accept.
Eating well to look after the inside of your body is a lifestyle, a gradual process of developing balanced and sustainable eating habits. It is not achieved with restrictive fad diets or health programs endorsing radical instructions, such as: cut out food groups, cut out meals, focus on calorie intake rather than quality of ingredients or replace food with supplements and liquefied substitutes. These methods are not sustainable and are often not designed for your body to properly process. As one fad or myth is debunked in the media a new one takes its place and confusion reigns.
Food is not confusing, it is a celebration. The burst of flavour from a lush, red tomato ripened in the summer sun paired with basil leaves, a fruity olive oil and a smidge of sea salt is joy to your senses. Now, in my late forties, it seems my twenty-year old daughter has stolen, what used to be, my body and my current model has aged a little and continues to do so. However, I won’t be lured into believing my body shape defines me. Instead I’ll keep living a lifestyle that celebrates food, movement and the great outdoors, keeping my focus on healthy insides. As the fads come and go, I’ll remember the wisdom of our grandmothers ‘everything in moderation dear’ – I think those precious women nailed it.
ABOUT JANE
Jane Grover is passionate about food and cooking it well along with using wholefoods, home and locally grown, in season and where possible organic and biodynamic produce.
Jane is a qualified chef (now home cook), a wife, mother, cookbook author and dynamic presenter. She runs fresh produce market tours, cooking classes and LIVE cooking shows. Jane’s delightful nature, love of people and knowledge of food, leave audiences inspired and empowered to lead a healthier lifestyle.
When she is not off travelling with her family on a delicious adventure, you’ll find her at home in her kitchen and garden, tinkering with a new recipe or unearthing a fresh crop of potatoes. Jane lives happily on the Northern Beaches of Sydney with her husband Paul and their three adult children.
“NAKED FOOD – the way food was meant to be”, is Jane’s first cookbook, with over 90 simple and healthy recipes you can cook from scratch, creating food that tastes great and is good for you.
“My true aim with this cookbook is to equip and empower you to be unafraid to cook and eat well, meaning you can live a healthier life – you, your family and the next generations.”
“OUR DELICIOUS ADVENTURE – Recipes and Stories of Food and Travel” is Jane’s most recent cookbook.
Jane entertains with the family’s travel adventures and shares more than 75 of her simple, healthy, wholefood recipes designed for health and happiness. Join her as she gathers cockles on the Fleurieu Peninsula, nets blue swimmer crabs in Streaky Bay, savours local raspberries from Albany Farmers’ Market and eats freshly shucked oysters from the shoreline of Bruny Island, Tasmania. Who knows, her travel tales might inspire you to embark on a delicious adventure of your own.
Website www.janegrover.net
Instagram @janegrover_
