What to do if you don’t know how to cook?! Like, not even a little bit!?
This letter came in from Brenda about her frustration with learning how to cook.She was so frustrated with food. She knows a lot about nutrition and thinks she should know how to cook more, but doesn't! “Hi Alex,I have some huge hurdles before I begin. The first is I'm 63 years old, & believe it not, I've never learned how to cook. I was married for 35 years & until my husband's sudden death in 2000, he did all the cooking.The problem for me is not learning about foods & nutrition, I literally have a library of books & knowledge on foods. I've studied health & nutrition for over 30 years but am only self taught. It's my passion to do as you are doing, healing myself first & then helping to empower others to do the same. My point in telling you this is, it's inconceivable to me how I could have learned all this & not know how to cook.I am dealing with ADD & Hypothyroidism & know how vitally important nutritious food is.If you can suggest what I can do to obtain help with the necessary steps to cook nutritious, delicious tasting meals, please let me know. Most all the people I know of that cook on TV don't really go through each step & it's usually not that healthy.”A:Hey Brenda,I sense your frustration - that cooking feels complicated and choosing recipes that avoid the common food triggers is next-to-impossible.Instead of overwhelming yourself with cookbooks and recipe ideas, I recommend watching healthy cooking videos on Youtube. Watch a lot of them.Some of us are visual or auditory learners, which makes videos an easier way to learn new skills like cooking.Don’t watch to take notes. Just watch and listen to get a feel for what the healthy chefs are doing. What ingredients they use, how they prepare and cut them, how long they cook them for, and how they season them.Watch a whole mess of 'em. Like 20 or more videos.You'll start to anticipate what the cooks are doing, and you'll gain more confidence when you finally step up to your own stove.You can try some raw foods recipes that don't involve heat or the stove, just blending, cutting or mixing of raw ingredients to help you get comfortable in the kitchen.Here are some videos to get started with:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpVwPTAYlMwhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEJSDGVRQowhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVyPue3qx7o Now, there are some other interesting blogs and books out there that talk about the ideaof intuitive cooking.That you don't always need to follow a recipe to make beautiful, simple, delicious, healthy food.Read some of these:http://marysnest.com/2012/02/01/intuitive-cooking-how-to-cook-not-what-to-cook/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-turner/intuitive-cooking-how-to_b_657563.htmlhttp://www.care2.com/greenliving/intuitive-cooking-five-ways-to-find-your-inner-chef.htmlStart watching.Then try one thing.Then once you've been successful cooking that one thing, try a local cooking class.Or ask a friend who can cook to come over and help you make a simple rice dish with some steamed vegetables.Keep it simple. Taste. Enjoy.Learn more about My favorite chocolate protein for smoothies!!Repeat.XO, Alex"Positive Psychology Certification program
Did this inspire you to cook more?
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