Healthy and Happy Living
The summer is winding down, and it’s time to pick up healthy routines again, especially to prepare us for the months ahead. I’m not suggesting dieting—there’s no joy in that! I’m talking about forming a healthy relationship with food. Once you find balance, happiness sets in, and the results will follow.
“Health” and “wellness” get thrown around a lot, without much interpretation. There are six dimensions of wellness: emotional, occupational, physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual. Food is one of our basic needs, so allowing food to be a source of nourishment for all six dimensions of wellness ultimately allows us to form habits that enrich every aspect of our lives.
With that, I’m focusing on an ingredient, tahini, and showing you how to incorporate it into a Tahini Bread recipe.
How is this going to fulfill all six dimensions of wellness, though?
Emotional: Try a little raw tahini from the jar. What foods does it remind you of? Noticing how textures and flavors make us feel can turn trying a spoonful of tahini into an emotional experience.
Occupational: Are you cooking to take a break from the action? Pausing your busy day to make lunch or unwinding with a cooking project can relieve some occupational stress.
Physical: The act of cooking is ultimately very physical. You’re not cooking for a workout, but maybe this wholesome Tahini Bread is fuel after you’ve exercised.
Social: Will you share this bread with someone you love or cook it together? Maybe you’ll enjoy the recipe so much, you’ll pass it on. You can, of course, tell me how it went in the comments!
Intellectual: A recipe is a scientific formula that builds a diverse set of skills, and learning about nutrition is a quest for knowledge about how our bodies react to food.
Spiritual: Be grateful for all the blessings that allow you to cook and eat. Acknowledge the source and journey of all the ingredients that arrive in your hands.
Fast facts about Tahini
Tahini is basically peanut butter, but made with sesame. Sesame seeds are toasted and ground to make a paste that’s a popular ingredient in North African, Greek and Middle Eastern cuisine.
You’re probably most familiar with it in hummus and baba ghanoush. It’s nutrient-dense and high in protein, so eat it in moderation.
Revi❤️