Fast natural food

Opinion Piece Fast Natural Food www.naturalhub.com

Conceptually, here is nothing inherently wrong with so called 'fast food'. Existing 'fast foods' can use different processes, different and additional ingredients to re-create an urban version of natural food. Food technologists have the techniques to deliver 'just in time' fresh natural fast food, and if they turned their attention to presenting whole foods in a way that met wide consumer 'mouth feel' and taste acceptance, then 'fast and natural' could become the dominant choice for an educated population.

Excess calories and 'empty' calories eaten day in, day out is a big part of the problem. Choosing mineral waters over sugared, flavored, carbonated water may not be as attractive, especially for children, but we are the adults in charge of our kids health. Educating children is the key. But occasional 'blow outs' on empty calories certainly won't do significant harm. As long as they are in reality occasional.

Burgers

Meat patties made from grass fed beef are healthful. With the addition of protective anthocyanin laden dark cherries, even more so. With the use of fresh anti-oxidant laden 'spray free' rosemary herb, Rosmarinus officianalis, even more so again. Add beet, add more healthful anthocyanins. Add very dark leaf lettuce. Choose natural fats such as beef tallow or butter, or a smear of olive oil, over industrial trans fatty acids. Fortify the buns to replace missing nutrients. Add whole seed meals to the flour. Add antioxidants to the flour.

Healthful natural food burger? No problem.

Burger trends
NZ 1998-sales are down 13%

French fries/chips

Potatoes are a very healthy and nutritious tuber. Deep fried potatoes as one interesting way of preparation as PART of a varied diet is healthful in my opinion SO LONG as a natural, cold pressed, predominantely monosaturated or saturated oil is used (e.g. canola oil). And so long as the temperature is correct - not so high the oil is damaged, but hot enough to cook the french fries quickly, which prevents the oil or fat soaking in. Oils and fats are damaged to a degree by constant re-heating, so use oil for deep frying once only. Additional health building anti - oxidation factors can be built in by sprinkling with herbs such as rosemary, or adding garlic.

Healthful natural french fries/chips? No problem. Expensive, but.

Fish and chips

The arguments relating to cooking chips also relates to cooking battered fish. Fresh natural oil, used once, right temperature. The flour batter can again be fortified, with anti oxidants added. Fish, of course, is the food supreme. It is an important source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are almost always in insufficient supply for the Westerns industrial diet's demands. The other important elements are not to cook the fish too long (which may possibly damage the omega-3 fats), and to avoid 'top of the food chain' fish such as shark. Shark ('dogfish') is a superb tasting fish, moist, succulent, and bone free, but it has a relatively high mercury content due to the pollution we choose to put in our oceans.

Healthful fish and chips? Yes, superb natural food, but expensive.

Pies

Meat pies can use scrappy low value trimmings, including some cartilaginous parts. These may be especially valuable in helping maintain the bodies articulating joints. Some people have suggested that a part of the reason that arthritis is increasing is that we no longer eat slow cooked stews which include bones and their cartilaginous tissues. Pie fillings are in effect 'casseroles' or 'stews'. There is no reason they can't be specifically made to include antioxidant containing carrots, onions, leafy green vegetables; there is no reason they can't be 'super charged' with calcium from laboratory tested natural dolomites, and then be baked with a crust made from natural fats - such as butter or beef tallow - and vitamin fortified flours.

Pies lend themselves very well to fast natural food. Iron deficiency in young women in the West is suprisingly common. With the right consistancy of filling (so it doesn't spill on your dress), and careful attention to 'value adding' it's nutritional content, the pie could become the ultimate mobile fast natural food, a meal in a pastry case. Perfectly suited to browsing and 'eating on the run'.

Healthful natural pies? Very definitely.

Pie trends
NZ 1998-sales up 7%. Total consumed-20 million.