Using Whole Foods to Add Flavor to Recipes

Whole foods are, quite simply, fresh ingredients. Things you harvest from your own garden are whole foods. To be sure you are using whole foods, ask these four questions.

Does this food actually grow? Take an apple, for example. You can see it grow on the tree, but a jar of applesauce doesn't grow on a tree.

Have any ingredients been added? An apple is a whole food. You will not see any label on the side of it with a list of ingredients, whereas, with the applesauce, you will find a list of ingredients and often there are some you can't even pronounce.

What processes has the food gone through since it was harvested? Fresh apples are whole food. When cooked, pressed, squeezed, dried, or peeled, they are no longer whole food.

Have any of the edible parts been removed? Whole grain is a whole food, but when made into white flour, it is no longer whole food.

Cooking foods from scratch is what we call cooking with whole foods. It is an exciting way to cook. It is very healthy since all the good things are still in the whole foods. Even though it is not as quick and easy as cooking with packaged foods, cooking with whole foods is not as hard as you think.

Having whole foods on your counter top is very attractive and inviting. They often give off a very pleasant aroma. If you live in a place where you can have your own garden, you can have whole foods right at your fingertips. You can raise an herb garden on a windowsill. Otherwise, a farmer's market is a good place to purchase these fresh foods. Buy some good whole food cookbooks. They will help by giving you ways to use whole foods. They are available online or at most good bookstores.