My Story

in #cooking7 years ago

Since I was a young child, I was very interested in cooking. My mother and grandmother spent a lot of time preparing food at home. I was mesmerized by the culinary art they were performing in our kitchen. They taught me to cook everything from scratch because they believed that only home-cooked food could bring and convey warm energy to people we fed. Furthermore, when we prepared our food, we knew for sure what ingredients our food contained. I still remember the tempting smell of chicken broth from grandma's kitchen, which was an alluring place of culinary magic. Moreover, I can easily recall its taste in my mouth. Amusingly, the chicken itself looked very skinny, almost like it was starving, yet the broth was incredibly delicious. Fortunately, back then during the Soviet Union period, the products we bought at the grocery stores were organic with no chemicals added; therefore, we didn’t have to worry about the quality of the food we ate. Now in Russia most of the food we buy in the supermarkets is natural; therefore, we don’t have to read the labels to be convinced of high quality. In some cases, we may find the label "GMO modified", and then it’s your choice to buy or not to buy this product.
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Having previously traveled all over the world, I had never seen such a huge variety of food at the grocery stores as I had seen in America. A European can get lost here. It is like a big museum.

I like to cook, it is truly my passion, therefore I can spend hours walking through the aisles looking at 15 types of pasta or fish, or exploring the bottom shelves at the groceries’ stores as the healthiest food is typically found there. I read the labels in order to get an understanding of what ingredients that various foods contain.The variety amused me, but what surprised me was that an apple pie contained around 40 ingredients (!), most of which I did not recognize. When I did some research, I realized that most of the ingredients are not healthy for us. The recipe for an apple pie consists of apples, flour, eggs, butter, sugar, salt, and baking soda. That’s it! Every child knows these items. Just seven ingredients and I can guarantee it tastes fantastic!

Thus, the variety of food can be amusing, yet dangerous at the same time. Therefore, I plunged deeper into the research of several famous cutting-edge doctors regarding the food, that can keep us healthy, gives us energy, prolongs our lives, and increases the quality of our life. I've read about what type of food is good or bad for our bodies, and I also found out that in order to make money, American companies use hormones and antibiotics to raise livestock, fish, or poultry in short period of time. I have plunged deep into the "food topic"; yet, I haven't blindly trusted all the doctors, and I've done my own research where in addition I used scientific literature to compare one diet to another or the results of some similar research of one doctor versus another .

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Overall, I've read about 15 books in three months, watched hundreds of videos on YouTube, and poured through many articles. It has been quite a journey for me which has opened my eyes and has forced me to learn more about this topic. It took me a couple months of studying after which, I eliminated some of the grocery stores from my shopping list.

It became obvious to me that "WE ARE WHAT WE EAT"; thus, I started buying groceries keeping this thought in my mind.

The research has shown that micro and macronutrients can change our DNA over time. Food can change the way we feel in 5 to 15 minutes! I prefer not to be controlled by food, but rather control my life and to feel vibrant, energized, sharp-minded, and happy.

Unfortunately, now I understand why America has such a high rate of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s and … you name it.

Food is the answer.

In 2015, when my daughter was born, my new found knowledge that I gathered about food was right on time. I do not want my child to have any of the health problems that I mentioned above, because of GMO modified food full of chemicals and hormones. I want her to be healthy and enjoy the taste of real whole food like I did when I was a child.

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However, I’m faced with the problem that even the grocery stores with a big variety of whole food couldn’t offer enough options for newborn children. The stores sell some healthy snacks and some purees which are not nutritiously sufficient for my baby's good health. For instance, some of the suggestions were -heavily processed instant oatmeal and cereal where the macro and micronutrients were almost eliminated. Instead of feeding my child with useless food, I decided to make delicious and healthy meals myself.

Some of you might think that I'm a stay at home mom, who has plenty of time to cook all day but this is not true. I also work like you do, I am a current student of the Health Coach Training Program, I'm also busy like you are, but I also care about my child and my family like you do. That’s why I would like to share my experience about how to cook delicious and healthy meals fast and easy for you, your better half and your children, so you can enjoy your vibrant and happy life.

This is why I would like to share my knowledge and experience. I would like to invite you to follow along as I cook delicious and healthy meals. I hope you will join us as I share fast, easy great tasting meals for you and your family. If you look closely, you’ll see my inspiration and my precious daughter Sophia Grace who occasionally cooks with me.

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It is my philosophy that we teach our children early in life about the importance of healthy food and its preparation. That is why I try to involve her in the cooking process.This is also a good way to bond with her.

Enjoy our recipes, nourish your body, and stay healthy!