Finding your Kitchen Intuition

I am no dietary expert. I claim no authority here though I pen these blog entries. One of the great benefits of the blogosphere culture is the instant availability of advice and information, particularly related to heath, diet and wellness.

But there’s a downside.

With so much information, who, or what, do we trust? With so many self-published authors self-publicizing and self-proclaiming their wisdom (myself not included, of course), who has authority?

As with so much, authority depends on the person seeking it. More easily than ever, a person can find a “reputable” source to legitimize almost any belief on any subject. Whereas there has always been a diversity of opinion among “experts,” it is now possible to view nearly every angle on a subject.

The overload problem is especially tough for those hoping to help themselves by learning to cook. What is healthy cooking? How do you find healthy recipes? Where does an inexperienced cook begin to learn about nutrition in the kitchen?

This confusion is compounded by the surplus of food items available at most supermarkets. Food providers in the U.S. and in many wealthy pockets across the globe have figured out how to source foods that meet everyone’s tastes—the cosmopolitan ideal. And now with so much chatter about how to use that food for healthy ends, no one knows quite what to do with it all. So we’ve turned to take out, cheap eateries and pre-made foods to replace scratch cooking. You can find plenty of criticism aimed at this trends, most recently from Michael Pollan.

For those who still cook, or would like to start, the options are overwhelming. Publishers pump out cooking books like GMO corn (Now More Variety! New and Improved Taste!) and there are infinite recipes on the internet. We’ve lost touch with the capacity to make intuitive choices about what to eat, even if we’re committed to making those choices ourselves.

Throughout the past century, since the food scientist W.O. Atwater began publishing nutritional charts and guidelines through the USDA, people in the U.S. became increasingly accustomed to receiving expert knowledge from nutritional officials. Somehow, government rubrics regarding calories and nutrients translated into rules that govern the country’s eating and, more importantly, food production. Now, in an age where more people are standing up to reclaim autonomy through food choice, the choices are immobilizing.

To help, The Garden Salvaged (your friendly, neighborhood, non-expert blogger) will feature ideas for reclaiming an eating identity (and cooking confidence) in the supermarket and the kitchen—a new periodic post titled Kitchen Intuition is meant to be a two-way street, a place to find suggestions as well as a platform for leaving your shopping, cooking and eating tips for the rest of the community. A potluck for the digital age.