Here’s an
interesting fact: 75 percent of the world’s diet is comprised of just 12 plants
and 5 animals.
However,
this reality has damaging implications for our planet. In a report compiled by
the World Wildlife Federation and Knorr foods, our narrow eating habits are
causing a slow collapse of habitats and species.
Overharvesting
and use of pesticides is detrimental to the land where commercial farming takes
place, as well as the animals that live on that land. In addition, the
deforestation necessary for the production of red meat is a major source of
greenhouse gases.
So, experts recommend diversifying our diets in order to preserve the planet. This means searching abroad for unfamiliar foods. These foods, many from the African continent, are sturdier and more productive than our traditional food sources, which means that these crops are better for our environment and can feed more people to account for the rising population.
Examples of non-traditional food sources include salsify root, purple yams, quinoa, fava beans, and seaweed.
According to research done by Katherine Harmon Courage, probiotics
are more important than we think. Not only that, but the prebiotics—what we eat
that feeds the microbes in our gut—are also essential to our digestive health. It
is important to take care of the little guys in our bellies because they provide
benefits such as fighting infections and moderating our weights.
In her book “Cultured: How Ancient Foods Can Feed Our Microbiome”,
Courage explores the role our microbes play in our diets and the history of
ancient foods rich in probiotics. For instance, Courage discusses that when
humans were hunter-gatherers, we used to eat much more fiber than we do today,
which is an important prebiotic that feeds our microbes. She says that if we do
not feed our microbes, that they will eventually eat at the lining of our lower
intestine (which honestly sounds kind of scary).
She also discusses how foods rich in probiotics should be an essential part of human’s diets. In Korea, for instance, kimchi is an essential part of a Korean diet, and even in remote Greenland, probiotics can be found in traditional Inuit foods like kiviak: birds fermented in seal skin.
By incorporating foods rich in probiotics and fiber into our
diet, we create an environment where our microbes can thrive. In turn, our guts
will be a lot healthier.
There
are very few things on this earth that are as wonderful as homemade pasta. If
you’ve only
had the store-bought stuff, I highly implore you to try the real-deal.
Homemade pasta gets a bad rap as something difficult to make, but with only three ingredients and a bit of elbow grease and and determination, you can whip up an authentic batch of any noodle easily.
Here’s
what you need to make a batch of fresh pasta just like your nonna.
3
large eggs
4
cups 00 flour. This is a very finely ground and fine grade flour, but if you
have trouble finding it, all-purpose flour works just fine.
Salt
to taste
Start
by combining your flour and salt in a mixing bowl. With a clean work surface,
make a mound with your flour. With your hands or the back of a wooden spoon,
make a crater in the center of your flour mountain and add your eggs. Whisk
your eggs together with a fork and slowly begin to add the flour bit by bit,
until you have incorporated all the eggs and have about half of your flour
remaining.
Roll up your sleeves and begin kneading your dough. Make sure to keep your work surface well-floured to keep it from sticking. It should look a bit shaggy at first, but as you continue to knead it should come together nicely. Continue kneading for ten minutes, then wrap in plastic and allow to rest 30 minutes.
Once
your pasta has rested, it is time to roll it out and to cut it into noodles.
There’s a lot of impressive technology on the market that will do pretty much all of this work for you, from kneading the ingredients to rolling it out into perfect noodles, but to me, this feels like cheating. If you don’t knead your own pasta, then it simply won’t taste as delicious at the end. I don’t make the rules.
I prefer to use the old-school stuff. I can’t make pasta without my Imperia Pasta Machine. These are made in Italy, so you know they’re the real deal. I heard from a friend of mine in Vicenza that her, her mother, and her grandmother all own this pasta machine and swear by it. That’s how you know it’s good. I’m inclined to agree. It works perfectly every time and you get some beautiful and evenly shaped noodles.
Luckily, you don’t have to fly to Vicenza for one. You can order the Imperia Pasta Machine on Williams-Sonoma, along with different attachments to make all sorts of different types of noodles.
The
Imperia Pasta Machine is the real star of this recipe, because it’s not so easy
to cut perfectly shaped noodles by hand. This delivers a beautiful noodle every
time and takes up little counter space. With removable, easy-to-clean parts, a
clamping mechanism and rubber feet to keep it on your counter, and different
attachments, you can make any pasta with ease. With its intuitive design, you
will never go back to store-bought pasta again.
Once
your pasta is rolled, cut it into strips narrow enough to feed through the machine,
and turn the crank. On the other end of the machine, you should have
beautifully cut noodles.
Throw
the noodles into boiling water for about thirty seconds and drain. Dress your noodles
as desired.
If you’re looking for inspiration, I highly recommend making these noodles into Cacio e Pepe, which literally translates to cheese and pepper. I really can’t think of a better combination. This Bon Appetit recipe is one of my favorites.
You
can save these noodles in the fridge for two days, or in the freezer for two
weeks, but I doubt you’ll have leftovers.
If you’re ready to start making your own pasta, here’s where you can buy an Imperia Pasta Machine of your own. Go ahead and toss out those boxes of Barilla while you’re at it.
The Super Bowl is one of the biggest days of eating in America. In fact, a conservative estimate suggests that people eat, on average, 2,400 calories from start to finish. Super Bowl spreads are saturated with pizza, wings, dips, and everything for the “big game”. However, research suggest that, for some people, the binging does not end on Sunday.
This week in The Salt, Maria Godoy explores a study by Rachel Herz of Brown University that suggests that the team people root for affects how they eat the day after the game.
People who cheered for the losing team are more likely to continue eating unhealthily the following day. Herz says that the negative emotions people have after a team loses causes them to turn towards foods that trigger endorphins. “Foods that are high fat and high carbohydrate give you dopamine and endorphins and serotonin. And it’s dopamine, in particular, that’s the reward-and-pleasure neurotransmitter. And endorphins actually soothe our pain, both physically and mentally. The higher in fat the food is, the more endorphins you’re going to experience with that.”
Inversely, people whose favorite team won actually make
healthier choices on the Monday after the Super Bowl. These people tend to have
an adrenaline rush that keeps them from feeling hungry. In Herz words, “It’s
akin to when you’re really excited — like when you’re in love, or you’re so excited
about what’s going on you sort of forget to eat. From a neuro-chemical
perspective, your body is actually feeling the sort of high that you feel like
you don’t even need food, so your appetite is reduced.”
So if you blew your diet this week, you can always blame Tom Brady.
Gator Strat Comms 