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"We are what we eat.' — Ludwig Feuerbach

A firm defense of quiet material pleasure is the only way to oppose the universal folly of Fast Life. — Slow Food Manifesto

Whole foods: What is "eating healthy?" This can mean eating whole foods as close to their natural state as possible — unrefined grains, beans, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. Eating an apple vs. eating applesauce or drinking apple juice, or eating an orange vs. orange juice — that kind of thing. And, or course, avoiding foods that have been canned, frozen, or processed into bite-sized snacks, because they may have lost a lot of their natural vitamins and minerals.

In addition to eating whole foods, it's important to eat whole grains. These include brown rice, whole-grain breads, pastas, and cereals — it helps to read the labels to be sure! The first ingredient should say "whole wheat," or "whole oats," otherwise it is probably not made from mostly whole grains.

The more ingredients a product contains, the more processed the food is likely to be. This month, we'll feature whole foods and grains in a series of "slow food" recipes!

Slow Food: The Slow Food movement was founded as a pasta-eating protest in Rome in 1986 by journalist Carlo Petrin, as a joke reaction to the opening of a McDonald's franchise near the Spanish Steps in Rome. Because fast food was a household name, he wanted Slow Food to become a household name as well.

Today, Slow Food is a growing international movement, perhaps best defined as an alternative to its fast counterpart. The "fast food" image is of unhealthy fare, ecological exploitation and disregard for local eating preferences; Slow Food means nutritious and tasty diets, preservation of food-source environment, and food that is grown locally and sustainably. Since 1995, when it began to defend endangered foods, the organization has grown from 20,000 to 65,000 members in forty-two countries.