The Ingredients I Build My Meals Around

Simple food, recognizable ingredients and meals that actually satisfy

My approach to food isn’t about finding one magical superfood.

It’s about the foundation.

When I cook, I want ingredients that resemble food before they resemble a chemistry assignment. Vegetables, fruit, herbs, grains, legumes, eggs, fish, meat, nuts, seeds, fermented foods, dairy when desired, and fats such as olive oil.

Not because every packaged ingredient is inherently bad.

Because simple ingredients make it easier for me to understand what I’m eating and build meals that actually nourish and satisfy me.

Build the plate before obsessing over the details

Instead of chasing individual nutrients all day, I like thinking about meals as a combination of a few basic components.

Protein for satiety, muscle maintenance and countless processes throughout the body.

Plants for fiber and a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and plant compounds.

Carbohydrates for energy.

Fats for flavor, satisfaction and essential biological functions.

Then I make it taste good.

Garlic. Onion. Citrus. Fresh herbs. Spices. Vinegar. Olive oil. Chili. Honey. Whatever fits the meal.

Healthy food should not taste like a punishment.

Variety matters

There isn’t one vegetable you need to eat every day or one breakfast capable of fixing your life.

Variety gives you a broader range of nutrients while keeping food interesting.

Try different colors. Different greens. Different protein sources. Different herbs. Different grains and legumes.

Food is nourishment, but it’s also culture, pleasure, ritual and connection. A healthy relationship with food should have room for all of those things.

I want my meals to leave me feeling nourished, not afraid of the next ingredient.

Relax reminder:
Build meals from ingredients that nourish you, then make them delicious enough that you actually want to keep eating that way.