Hangin' Out with Andrew Zimmern- A Point of View on Healthy Eating

Today on Travel Channel, Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods visited Taiwan to experience the cusine and culture of its people. This was an very intriguing segment, featuring foods cooked in herbal tea or tea oils, dried vegetables, fungus cure for the lungs that was worth thousands of American dollars...all exotic foods that were sworn to heal various types of human ailments. One of the bizarre foods that stood out, besides what Zimmerman called "Stinky Foods", was the black-boned chicken. It is actually a chicken with silky black skin once the feathers are plucked; and it was said by the chef that when eaten, it causes the human body to heal itself. Zimmern had the opportunity to try the black-boned rooster testicles soup- which Zimmerman advises has an explosive creamy texture! Wooooooh!! Ihhhhh! Couldn't imagine tasting that, but Zimmern expressed his approval of the dish with a head nod and a smile! Hey, I wish I can say that my morning bowl of oatmeal had the medicinal affects on my body as the black-boned rooster testicles because the thought of eating animal balls is not my cup of tea- He! He!

Though I love medicinal/holistic foods, I have never ordered a dish that contained any "strange" animal parts. BUT that doesn't mean I haven't consumed any, sad and gross to say (b/c you never know what the chef's added to a dish). According to Zimmern, it is the lifestyle of Taiwan's people to perpare and consume these bizarre-yet-healthy foods on a daily basis. It's so amazing how the foods in Taiwan are so carefully prepared to avoid losing their medicinal or helpful components. I don't mind eating my way to health as a lifestyle, which is something I continue to improve on a daily basis: lots of veggies, light on the salt, low on the fatty ingredients, white meat chicken and fish, fresh fruit, lots of whole grains and water. I must admit that I love an occasional cheeseburger and fries, Reese cups, apple crisps and frozen yogurt- ok a banana split blizzard too! (chuckle) Once you get past the age of 35, you began to slowwwww it dowwwwwn and TRY to get it right! Some got it together from the beginning. Some of us just don't TRY. Maybe we all need to visit Taiwan and get some awesome tips from them so we can develop healthier eating habits.