We wanted to share with you a recent article in the Canyon Ranch Connection for summer fun, coupled with an activity centered around children and cooking. It offers a perfect opportunity to get kids involved in the kitchen and promote healthy eating choices as well. Canyon Ranch nutritionists, chefs and guests have been quoting the latest New York Times best-selling book by writer Michael Pollan, Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual (Penguin, 2009).
It’s a considerable (but still concise) expansion of Pollan’s super-laconic, seven-word rule for healthy eating from In Defense of Food (Penguin, 2008) – "Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much."  We like Food Rules because it gathers a tremendous amount of practical wisdom about eating well into 64 sensible rules and one short, accessible little book. Rule 49 is "Eat slowly," 58 is "Do all your eating at a table" and 59 is "Try not to eat alone."  Combined, these add up to leisurely meals shared with family and friends."  Rule 51 states, “Spend as much time enjoying the meal as it took to prepare it.”  As Pollan explains, this honors the cook in addition to reminding you to slow down and savor every bite. Perhaps the most important and shortest rule in the book is "Cook."  All the research points to a clear connection between the decline of home cooking and the rise of obesity in the U.S.  When you cook your own food, you know what is in it.  Cooking every meal from scratch may not be practical for many, but there is much to be gained by making the effort to get into the kitchen more often. Cooking is most satisfying when the preparation of the meal, as well as the enjoyment of it, is shared – and particularly when it is shared with children.  Kids love to help in the kitchen, and there’s no better way to teach them about the basics of healthy eating – as well as the valuable basics of cooking – than to let them join in.  It is good to let them help with more than cookies – they will learn that cooking is about more than making sugary treats. This wonderful recipe below from Canyon Ranch Nourish is easy and offers much for small hands to do.  The smallest child will get a charge out of pushing the on-button on the food processor after you’ve closed the top.  Kids can fold up and seal the wrappers with your help.  They also love the succulent, fun-to-eat result, especially if you have chopsticks on hand and leave the red chili peppers out of the dipping sauce for kids.  Try it some rainy Sunday afternoon, accompanied by steamed broccoli or greens or carrots and a salad.  Enjoy! When you are in a time crunch........ “A quick meal can still be a healthy meal,” says Judy Deutsch, M.S., R.D., L.D.N., a nutritionist at Canyon Ranch in Lenox. “A black bean or chicken-and-bean burrito on a corn tortilla with salsa and guacamole is a nutrient-dense meal chock-full of antioxidants – including lycopene in the tomatoes, lutein and zeaxanthein in the avocado, and lots of flavonoids, fiber and protein in the beans!” Have a wonderful summer and set aside some time to create meals with friends and family!!

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