No Rain: It's Time To Think About Drought-Friendly Foods 🥵

Should we talk about the weather?

5 min read

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APPETITE FOR INSTRUCTION

The good folks at Harvard Medical School are making great strides in an area that has been shockingly overlooked in the past: a 2013 survey of medical schools revealed an average of fewer than 20 hours over 4 years devoted to nutrition education. 🫤 This programming trend has prevailed despite diet-related diseases, which are largely preventable, being the leading cause of illness and death in the US. The new Culinary Medicine and Nutrition class at Harvard Med is the first of its kind and will hopefully pave the way for other curricula to follow suit.  They’re bringing tasty back.  

THIRST TRAP

If the docs are Harvard are hungry like a wolf, your fruits and veggies are thirsty like a Kardashian.  In these increasingly toasty times, it’s worth noting the absurd amount of water required to yield the crops that we have come to depend on—rice, sugarcane, and wheat, for starters. And don’t get me started on #almondguilt, guzzling about a gallon PER NUT. (However, one pound of beef requires twice as much as that, so…) Point being, we are heavily reliant on water-intensive crops as food sources, and while no one is suggesting we cease all use of these staples cold turkey, it’s time to understand the alternatives:“the familiar (quinoa, squash, arugula) and the lesser known: red orach; rattlesnake beans, a purplish pole bean; tepary beans, mesquite flour; and pigeon peas, a protein-packed legume.” There is a bounty of sturdy crops out there just waiting to be embraced and better understood. (Like a Kardashian…)

ANALYSIS PARALYSIS

Caveat moment: a gentle reminder that here at All Too Well, the name of the game is moderation.  AKA common sense, or even the dreadedly overused B-word: Balance.  As in, queso AND cardio. My job is to equip you with good information (with a side order of wordplay) so you can make informed decisions as you navigate your Highway To Well; not to make you feel judged or panicked about doing everything “right”. The wellness conversation can start to feel very noisy at times, and the stress associated with making “healthy” choices can create its own set of problems, as is the case with orthorexia, a disorder characterized by an obsession with healthy eating, and one that can be hard to diagnose and easy to ignore. I’m here to remind you to do the healthy stuff that feels good, and to also order the fries. For more, here’s a common sense take on the key to a long and healthy life. Hint: it’s boring.

HERE’S A TIP, MAKE THE CHANGE

Back to today’s topic, it’s time to embrace more drought-friendly crops! No, squash is not as sexy as sirloin. And beans are not as comforting as cupcakes. But they’re one of nature’s most perfect foods in their combination of protein, fiber and nutrient density, and arguably one of the most versatile for cooking, baking and blending (Google ‘Black Bean Brownies’ if you don’t believe me). The challenge, if you are willing to accept it, is to be more mindful of the water-guzzlers versus the preservers and swap often.

• If you garden, consider planting pole beans, sturdy greens like chard, and versatile, food-friendly herbs like lemon balm and oregano

• If you cook, try experimenting with new ways to cook squash, or pickling okra

• If you neither garden nor cook, you still SHOP and EAT. So read a menu through a broader lens that helps you do your part. Tomato sandwiches! Chickpea chips!

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Speaking of hot, our friends at HIGHER DOSE are having a Labor Day Weekend sale starting now! Which means their sauna blankets and award-winning red light hat to promote healthier hair growth are yours at a sweet discount, courtesy of moi. Get 20% off site-wide (excluding full size saunas, subscriptions, and bundles) until September 2nd using the code LDW20 at checkout.

GIVE PEAS A CHANCE

The humble pigeon pea (actually a bean, but as misunderstood as a peanut—neither a pea nor a nut, but a legume, is your mind blown yet?) has more protein, fiber and micronutrients than its more famous cousin, the garbanzo bean. And high on the list of drought-friendly foods. Here’s a fun recipe for Pigeon Pea Hummus, courtesy of guest contributor, kitchen adventurer, master of efficiency and zero-waste cook, my husband: