When giving up something for Lent, it can be hard to let go of a fundamental element like meat. But local chef Alan Ramirez would tell you it’s all about mindset.
One might think someone who cooks for a living would naturally eat well at home, but not so for many. The kitchen environment is fast-paced and for a long time during his early career, Ramirez would often eat whatever was close at hand, whether it was fast food or a microwave meal.
“In the kitchen, it’s not like we always eat this fancy food or anything, you stuff your face with whatever you can find if you can find a minute,” Ramirez said. “It’s in the culture of the kitchen, it’s something we try to help our employees with, how to eat and their diets.”
In his early 20s, suffering from a lot of allergy-related health issues and failing to see much progress from exercise, Ramirez started exploring other avenues to improve his health.
“And that’s why I started to change my lifestyle,” Ramirez said. “I was working out but I wasn’t eating very well, so I wasn’t really seeing any improvements in my physique.”
At his restaurant, Sea Salt Healthy Kitchen on St. Simons Island, the menu is based on the results of his efforts to improve his own health — all vegetarian meals, but with meat as an option.
“My philosophy, the way I like to eat, is to reduce meat consumption and incorporate fruit and vegetables,” Ramirez said.
He quickly found that food is fundamental to all aspects of health — everyday energy to heart health to disease prevention. His own experience is an example. He eliminated many of his allergy problems by adding vitamin C and soups to his regular diet at home.
“It’s the main source and preventative medicine that’s going to help us stay away from disease,” Ramirez said.
There’s really no rapid shortcut to a healthy diet, and he recommended reading about healthy diets and the benefits of each one and incorporating those into meals. Look at your specific health needs and tailor your food intake based on that, he said.
Organic food is an important part of that, he said. It was hard to find in Brunswick when he started trying to improve his diet, but it’s much more accessible now at supermarkets and farmers’ markets, if not in the variety he’d like.
“I noticed a huge improvement when I switched to organic food,” he said.
If “you are what you eat” holds true for people, it’s also true for animals, so he says to be discerning about what your plants are fed in the way of fertilizer and pesticides. The same goes for meat, look into what animals are fed before you eat them.
He recommended a book called “The Dirt Cure” by Maya Shetreat-Klein as a source for information. It details the benefits of good organic food, healthy organisms that are in organic food, how farm animals are raised in a way that makes healthier meat, the effects of pesticides, and how they can help.
“Find good sources of animal protein, increase vegan nutrient intake, drink water and exercise,” Ramirez summarized. “If you eat animal proteins, I always say try to get grass-fed or grass-finished. A lot of these animals get fed really bad (food), and that’s going to be reflected in the nutritional value of the meat as well.
“People say healthy food is expensive, but have you seen a doctor’s bill?”
Reading labels and doing a little internet research on brands before heading to the supermarket can quickly make an informed shopper out of anyone, he added.
“Even if something says it’s fresh, you don’t know when it was harvested, how it was harvested or what preservation methods were used,” Ramirez said.
A good starting point is smoothies. He suggested a berry smoothie. Organic, healthy berries aren’t hard to find and they’re loaded with nutrients. Further, smoothies can be a treat or an entire meal.
“There’s not a set recipe, and you can always add vegetables, kale, beets for more nutrients,” Ramirez said. “You can trial-and-error it and see what you like and what gets your attention.”
Directions: Measure out equal quantities of the berries, banana, granola and blend. Add other ingredients to taste or desired nutrient goals. Aside from the aforementioned additions, Ramirez also recommends superfoods like flaxseed, amaranth and pumpkin seed, and supplements like spirulina. Ingredients like almond butter can add to the taste as well and improve cholesterol.
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