Make a Shift in Attitude Before Your Health Declines
Chef Neff teaches how to pick a tomato for taste, not looks.
Make changes in your diet to bolster your health. You’ll feel better, have more energy and be able to maintain your active lifestyle. That was the advice of Chef Cary Neff, as he entertained a full auditorium of Wesley Homes residents and guests invited to “Flavors 450”, a live cooking and tasting event May 27, in Des Moines, WA.
You can re-train yourself – how to look for food, how to shop, how to store, and how to cook healthier, OR . . . you can go ahead and make the move to Wesley Homes, Des Moines Campus and be well ahead of the game.
A healthy diet and how Wesley Homes is making that lifestyle change easy was the focus of the Flavors 450 event. The term stands for Bursts of Flavor and only 450 calories per meal. The food cooked and served was a sneak preview of recipes to appear on their dinner menus – created in conjunction with Morrison Management Services and Neff’s revolutionary cookbook, Conscious Cuisine.
We’re not talking low-calorie, low-fat equals no flavor type of “change”. We’re talking flavor bursts that you’ve probably been missing for years; especially if you remember a time where you grew healthy, flavorful food in your own garden.”
Don’t you miss a tomato that tastes like a tomato – but that you can only get when it’s home grown or bought fresh from a local farm?
Eating fresh, and learning how to plan a meal first around the vegetables in season and adding the protein as a compliment, was emphasized by Neff.
Back to The Old Way
Neff teaches to select vegetables that are in season, like you did before canned vegetables and “better living through chemistry” confused “shelf life” with “fresh”.
A Second Chance for Peas
Neff also demonstrated simple ways to prepare fresh vegetables, like peas; the same dishes he prepared as a chef for Miravel Life in Balance Spa and Resort in Tucson. Creamy English Pea Arborio Rice Risotto finished with Prosciutto and Parmesan Cheese, was one of several dishes he prepared for the event.
“I always hated peas when I was kid,” said Neff, “The reason I couldn’t stand peas and considered them “yucky” was because my Mom overcooked them. As a chef I took to eating vegetables raw and experimented with cooking methods from different cultures. That’s what allowed me to give peas a second chance.”
Price vs. Quality
According to Neff, “the ingredients in the meals you shop for should not be bought directly on cost, but on quality.”
For example the Arborio Rice he used in one recipe today costs more than Uncle Ben’s white rice, “but it also has more flavor,” said Neff, “And Prosciutto ham costs more, but because it has more flavor you can use less.”
“That can of parmesan cheese that’s been in your refrigerator for months? You’re going to have to use a lot more of that to get any flavor than if you use a freshly grated cheese,” said Neff, and if you consider that cheese has calories, less is better.
The Audience Response
Neff took questions from the audience, after which residents helped themselves to an elaborate array of food and drink samples which they enjoyed at their covered round tables adorned with fresh herbs.
The cooking presentation was complemented by side table displays of fresh fruits and vegetables, many of which were the same ingredients used in the recipes and offered to the audience to experiment with at home.
“What I found by watching my own mother in a retirement community is that seniors look forward to their meals,” said Neff, and the positive responses he was getting from talking to individual residents after the event seemed to validate that observation.
Many residents commented on the flavorful Copper River salmon and vegetable skewers they sampled. “They delivered what was promised,” said one resident.
“I wondered what do we need a cooking demonstration for,” said Evelyn Young, a long-time resident of Wesley Terrace. “But it was so much fun and I’m excited to see the changes that are coming to our dining program.”
It’s so much easier to make a change to healthy eating when it’s fun and organized for you.
Such a holistic look at food source and preparation is not what one expects in continuing care facilities, but it is at Wesley Homes. They have made a commitment not only to incorporate the Flavors 450 concepts of using fresh in-season ingredients, but also to provide entertaining and fun events, like the one today, to engage residents in developing healthy eating habits.
–ilene ltitle for Wesley Homes
