Be In a State of Wonderment About The Food You Eat

When it comes to food, it's a good idea to get into the habit of being a curious explorer. Get into a state of wonderment about the food you eat everyday. I’m not referring to the Nutrition labels and all the stuff we’re already obsessed about. Although that’s important as well. No, I’m referring to fun stuff like finding out the origins or family roots of a food. Like how fun is it to find out how a common food came about or how peanut butter or honey etc are produced? And what about finding out where most of the country's garlic is produced-California, or that eggplant is a tomato relative, or what about Chayote, a fruit which is consumed like a vegetable and is not at all sweet! It's in the squash family.

It's an interesting process to get well acquainted with your food. “Unwrapped” on Food Network is a show which reveals the manufacturing process for 100's of foods. Another show for interesting food facts is “Good Eats” and The Secret Life of although it is now cancelled. Here’s a past episode from Unwrapped:





And Here's a Short History Lesson About The Hot Dog:




It’s important to remember that food is not merely for subsistence or fuel. Food is a vital part of the delight of life, just like love, leisure, time spent with family etc. When we put food into its rightful place, then we see how important it is to develop a more positive, attentive, exploratory, grateful attitude towards eating.

Tea-A Flavor for Every Taste & Need

Tea has many health benefits as we all know. Green tea has been heralded for its superior antioxidant content for example. However the focus is seldom on the versatility of teas in terms of the endless flavors available or purposes (i.e calming, detoxing, invigorating etc) they serve. Whether you are in the mood for something with some citrus/fruit zing, something to calm your senses, awaken your taste buds, or give you a little taste of the exotic, I say bring on the tea. What simpler way to have multiple, unique taste experiences with little effort.

There are as many tea choices as there are purposes or moods for them to fulfill. Today more than ever, the world of tea is more exciting than ever. My favorite companies are Yogi Tea, Bigelow, Tazo and Celestial Seasonings. On the Yogi site they take the interactive approach to tea selection and even allow you to select your tea based on “Mood, Flavor or Purpose”. If you’re not a tea connoisseur, this process is very helpful.

The thing I like about Yogi Tea is that they have many therapeutic teas geared towards specific ailments- the flu, stress, digestive issues, immune function, women’s health, emotional well being etc.

Great Yogi Flavors: Lemon Ginger, Moroccan Orange Spice, Mayan Cocoa Spice, Calming

Great Celestial Seasonings Flavors: Lemon Zinger, Black Cherry Berry, Chamomile, Cranberry Apple Zinger, Mandarin Orange Spice, Peppermint

A cup of tea just on it’s own, with a favorite dessert, or as an alternative to coffee is always a good choice. And for some reason, a cup of tea at the end of meal creates a calm, satisfied stomach and seems to balance everything out. Well it certainly seems to help. And most of all it's a tantalizing food experience in a cup and is easy to access.