I talk a lot about nutrient density evolving to be next to flavor, texture, appearance, portion size etc. while creating dishes and more importantly when choosing our own meals at home and in restaurants. This idea shouldn’t be such an eye opener to chefs and consumers considering the reason we eat is to nourish our body, isn’t it?
Never mind all the myths surrounding the year of 2012, we are facing the fact that our high maintenance lifestyles will soon burn up all of our natural resources and quite possibly only the self sustainable will survive. Maybe not in my time, maybe two generations from now, but it is not far-fetched looking down the road we are headed. Without getting too in depth, as I like to keep this blog light, is that what it will take for people to start recognizing that the food you put into your body will either benefit you, prevent and even reverse disease or will harm you and rapidly do just the opposite?
Let’s take a trip back to the primal days when there were no 5 star prix fixe menus and million dollar Coca Cola ads sugar-washing the brains of children. The intellect was not nearly as advanced and the mechanical resources obviously minimal. No grab and go crap or even the machinery needed to make vats of MSG or refined sugar to poison the population with. Even if there were, like many animals, our human ancestors would have listened to their body’s needs and intuition and not ingested the toxic substances. They probably wouldn’t have been fooled by shiny labels or convenient packaging. If only we could maintain that mindfulness and eat for optimum survival, our population would be a much, much healthier one.
Sadly, it is our cultural influences through the media and advertising that lets us think eating fast food and Cocoa Puffs is acceptable. On top of that is our hectic lifestyle that tells us that we don’t have time to cook at home or to stop and grab something nutritious to our health. “There is just no time!!”
While working with individuals and families on how to simplify cooking nutrient dense meals at home, I am always on the lookout for a convenience food that is organic and nutrient dense. There are a few decent grab and go bars that are natural and just what they should be without any man made extras, but, then there is one that has 52 superfoods in it! Yeah, 52…
They’re called Good Greens bars, based out of Shaker Heights, OH, and not your typical dry flavorless health bar. With super greens like spirulina, chlorella, wheatgrass, barley grass folded in next to spinach, Nova Scotia dulse, beet juice, alfalfa sprout, and hemp powder to name a few, you would think these bars tasted bad, real bad. Not the case. From the level of sweet, clean and chocolatey flavor I figured they must be juiced up with sugar to mask the Z-52 formula. Nope, these bars are low glycemic and suitable for diabetics. More-so, the carbs here are “Good Carbs,” stabilizing blood sugar levels and insulin production as well as curbing hunger.
Not only is one bar a full serving of your fruit and vegetables for the day but it’s the DHA and Omega 3s that improve cognition, the acai berry, green and white tea extracts that increase energy and the chia seed, ginger root, aloe vera, milk thistle and ground flax powder that are going to detoxify your cells while you are on the go.
The only problem with these bars, for me, is that they are not stacked up in place of Snickers bars and Skittles in the candy aisle of every grocery store with shiny packaging and cartoon characters to market them the way these junk food giants do. I love the idea that the superfoods are snuck into these delicious bars. Oh and they will most likely sell for around $2 a piece. Not bad for the amount of nutrients you get for just 200 calories each.
There is also Good Greens powder that can be used in smoothies and juices and contains all of the same benefits as the bars. Go to http://try.goodgreens.com/ to get a free sample and also a 50% discount on your first purchase.
