FruitMonster FaceMail: Cooking a Local Dinner
Look, Sometimes I Cook My Food
A lot of visitors to my site wonder why I even take the time to explain why I cook food, doesn’t everyone cook their food? What’s so wrong with that? Well, here at fruitmonster.com, I have essentially two audiences – those who are fruit-curious and those who are already into the fruitarian lifestyle.
For those who are already in the fruitarian lifestyle, there is a very strong emphasis on raw food. This is because raw foods, or ones that are not cooked (or cooked below ~104 deg F) have all of their enzymes and other micronutrients intact. They also do not have the toxic byproducts that sometimes show up when we cook things. So, the theory goes, that by eating raw foods we can achieve the most optimal states of health. And that is largely true! Raw foods are fantastic, and I promote the raw food lifestyle on this site! Especially with smoothies, juices and fruitmonstering sessions! But I have to explain myself, because a large part of the raw food community will reject my thoughts as ‘heretical’. I can even be kicked out of some raw food circles for sharing ‘non raw’ food ideas/content. But I hope that those people will listen to what I have to say.
We Need to Go Local!
Cooked FruitMonster Garden Zucchini with Herbs
But I am also coming to understand in a very profound way, that the key to solving the world’s problems flows through what we put in our mouths! And to escape the Corporate Crap Sandwich that we are caught up in, we need to shift our diets to locally sourced, organically grown foods! This type of fruitmonstering diet will naturally follow the seasons and will be based on the foods accessible to us from our local environment. So, although I love me some bananas, I really can’t sustainably base my diet off of them without shipping them in from a far away place, can I? I also, living in southeast Australia, cannot grow them (or mangoes!) in my backyard or barter with my neighbors for them. We need to keep this in mind!
Growing Your Own Food and Cooking It
Monstering Corn I Grew!
BUT, I sure can grow a lot of other amazingly awesome fruits and veggies! But many of these food items just simply aren’t edible in their raw state (potatoes, other tubers)! Others may be edible, but they are difficult to digest due to the large amount of cellulose in them. That means one cannot get enough calories from monstering them raw (e.g. brocolli, zucchini).
‘Healthy’ is Bigger Than Just Your Body
But, by cooking my garden grown goods, I am able to feed myself out of my backyard. And while, yes, this is not as optimal for my body, it is more optimal for our communities and our planet. ’Health’ has to do more with general well being of the rest of life around you than you might at first realize! I think that is much more important, and I’m not afraid to shift to a less optimal diet for that cause. And to be honest, I’m still eating an extremely healthy diet, balancing my non-local purchases (bananas and mangoes) with local ones (peaches, pears, apples, apricots) and cooking things lightly or steaming them for a short period of time (you don’t have to torch them!).
And who knows, maybe someday I will move to a tropical area and be able to monster mangoes at will!
In Summary:
Eat as much raw food as you can, sourcing it from mostly local sources. Strive to eat seasonally, and don’t be afraid to cook your foods, especially if it allows you to feed yourself out of your garden. Because growing your own food is power and this ailing planet needs that now more than ever!
