It’s never too late to turn on a new page and nourish your body. Most of us can agree that we have at least once heard of the famous saying “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. That is what we are all about at Kitchen Tricks and Tips. 

However, I would like to think that I speak for the majority when I say that the road map to “let food be thy medicine” was never quite clear. And yes many would argue that the issue was not so much about the food itself but our relationship to it. Like any other relationship it can be complicated at times. Food is diverse and it means different things to different people but if we eat with a purpose to adopt good health then we have a clear foundation on what to do. 

Before one takes medication we know what we’re taking it for and we have an idea of what we want the outcome to be. By the time a person is finished taking the prescribed medication you know you want to heal. So we need to shift our habits with food, cook and eat with the intention to heal.  

How to begin the healing journey using food 

Know where you are in your food adventure 

First decide where you currently are with your food habits. Do you over-eat and why? Do you make bad food habits, why? Know what you eat and why. These help you with an awareness to look at your food habits differently. 

Be clear about why you need to shift your eating habits 

It is important to identify why you need to make a shift on your food habits. Nourishing your body is an everyday choice which is why we’re not calling it a change but rather a shift towards a nutritious lifestyle. 

Know thy food 

Most people will struggle to recognize different food items because everything is always blended in together. Before you have expectations of what food can do for you, you need to know what each item is and what nutritional value you’re getting from it. 

There is no such thing as unhealthy food. YES I SAID IT! 

Food is what you make it to be. If you make it oily it is going to be oily. If you make it sweet then that’s how it’s going to taste. This is where you get to reclaim your power, cook with intention to heal.  

Know what’s in your food 

Not so long ago we were up in arms about vaccinating against covid-19 claiming that we did not know what was in the vaccine. Yet we eat canned food, we eat food that’s in boxes and food that’s already cooked without bothering to ask or check the labels to see what’s in it. I think it’s time we go back to the good old days, prepping and cooking our own dinners.

Tricks and Tips to start with 

Always go to the supermarket on a full stomach.  

Make the fruit and vegetable aisle your first stop in the supermarket. 

Make vegetables the star of your plate. 

Make herbs your best friend. They are full of flavor and healing properties. 

Make a list of what you are going to buy and stick to the budget. 

Never go shopping without a budget. Knowing how much you have to spend will help you pay attention to  what you are buying and determine if you need it or you want it.

Nthabeleng Meso

Chef | Writer | Entrepreneur

Nthabeleng Meso is a professionally trained South African chef. She is greatly skilled, multitalented, and passionate chef who’s focus in on sharing her talent with fellow South Africans through her new venture, Kitchen Tricks and Tips™️ (Cook. Eat. Heal™️). A programme developed to teach the local populous on the nutritional value of food.Chef Nthabeleng feels strongly on celebrating traditional African cuisine and adding her own tricks and tips to it. While Nthabelengis a proud South African chef, she also adds some twists to her cooking with Asians and European flavors to highlight her travel experiences and celebrating the spirit of the rainbow nation.