Actually, it’s not new food at all. In fact, it is as old as most native peoples treated their food for preservation purposes. Ok, it has a newer twist to it.
I’m talking about dried food. In this case, freeze-dried food.
A blog friend and I were commiserating with one another about healthful food not being easy food. We neither one like to cook but we have each discovered that what we eat affects our health.
When I set out in my van last fall I had stocked up on freeze-dried entrees. I only had to heat water, stir it into the food, and wait ten minutes. Easy, right?
But not healthful. When I showed the stats to a nutritionist at Structure House she was unhappy about the amount of sodium in those entrees. And I was unhappy with the amount of grains in them.
I don’t know how many of you have read the book Wheatbelly but I know my midriff bulge is wheat because it went away when I stopped eating grains and came back when I started eating them again.
So, I was looking online at beprepared.com where I buy my freeze-dried entrees when it occurred to me I didn’t have to buy whole entrees. I could buy meats, vegetables, and fruits individually. With the bonus that the fruits and vegetables had nothing on their ingredients list except that fruit or vegetable. Yes, the meats have salt but not as much as the entrees have. And some of the meats have grains and/or sweeteners so I still have to pay attention to their ingredients. I’m looking at you Italian Meatballs.
Each can of food lists a serving size and how to rehydrate that particular food.
So if I want a meal of one meat, two vegetables, and a fruit I have to have four different containers to rehydrate them, right?
Not so fast there. We were looking for easy, right?
So, who says I have to rehydrate them at all?
After all, something else I was looking for was snack type foods that would satisfy my desire for lots of crunchy pieces.
So here’s last night’s dinner: Italian chicken, peas, zucchini, and pineapple.
Scooped out of four different cans into a 9″ pie plate and eaten without rehydrating. Eaten with my hands like popcorn. Lots of hand to mouth motion. Easy. Healthful. About 300 calories.
Now, I just have to figure out how to add some fat to those foods so the fat soluble vitamins in the vegetables don’t go to waste.
Be aware when eating freeze-dried foods right from the container, though, that you need to drink lots of water. The guidelines for drinking eight 8-oz glasses of water per day originally said you get most of that from the food you eat. But not in this case.
I spent all evening drinking more than usual. Then made a couple extra middle of the night trips. So I should probably eat and drink these “new” foods earlier in the day, right?
In a few minutes I think I’ll have roast beef, sweet potatoes, green beans, and peaches. Sound good?
TTYL,
Linda
I’ve done the same….love the freeze dried foods! A quarter cup of asparagus…to die for!
I’m not sure I would be satisfied eating food like popcorn unless, of course, it was popcorn. I don’t know much about dried food or about wheatbelly but will check it out. When trying to lose that excess baggage (fat), I usually eat pretty healthy. It’s simple food like chicken or fish preferably and plain vegetables. I usually figure I can cook a healthy and low calorie meal pretty easy. Sodium is a big issue when eating out or even eating those frozen dinners. However, I’ve got to admit I get pretty tired of being on diets.
as you know… i’ve been on the wheat belly way of eating for at least two months now going on three.
and i see such a difference.
but i’m like you.
i have never enjoyed cooking like most people do. i want fast and easy.
that’s how i got into trouble to begin with.
but this is fantastic!
the only dehydrated or dried food i’ve ever eaten were dried fruits… and those MRI’s you talked about.
the sodium is a huge no no for me too.
i’ll definitely look into this. thanks dear bean! XO
Just curious – what does Dave eat while you’re eating so healthy? I’m not sure I’d like the food without adding the water. Very interesting. We’re trying to increase our water intake since the doctor wasn’t happy with Jim’s kidneys.
I’ve been making my own pro-biotics. A curious discovery is that kombucha is very similiar to apple cider vinegar – just not brewed as long. I’ve started using fruit vinegars to preserve veggies. Yummie. FWIW, I have not figured out a good mobile kombucha brewing system as the ‘brew’ needs to breath and has the risk of spillage.
Linda,
Could you get in touch with me? I also travel in a Roadtrek AND a Segway!!! We must have a lot in common!
Thanks,
Nelda
love the freeze dried food ..