Do you ever wonder why some people hardly ever get sick, have endless energy and look much younger than their years? With all of today’s highly educated health, fitness and medical experts touting their complex regiments and formulas, you would think you would have to have a doctorate degree to know how to stay healthy.
It’s really not that difficult. Our bodies developed over millions of years to adapt to what nature provides. It was all set up that way so that you don’t have to worry about anything. All you have to do is eat the things your ancestors ate.
Farmboat Oatmeal is standard fare on early morning voyages. It can easily provide all the nutrients and vitamins needed for a long days work without the side effects of modern sugar-laden breakfast foods. (You won’t find yourself starving for more junk food by 11:00 due to processed sugar overload and burn-off.)
The basic concept to remember is that naturally sweet foods release sugar slowly as your body needs it throughout the day, while junk food zaps your body with a huge artificial energy serge that leaves you drained and hungry when it subsides. This is the principal mantra of the junk food industry-“use lots of sugar and keep em’ wanting more.” Natural food is like a lithium battery. It is compact and its charge lasts a long time while junk food is like a big capacitor (a device used to discharge energy very quickly but has no holding power–kinda like an old fashioned photo flash bulb).
How to Make Farmboat Oatmeal:
Farmboat Oatmeal can be made from a wide variety of fresh, frozen and dried fruits and nuts. You never need to make it the same way twice. Just grab what’s in the galley and throw it in the pot. Here is a typical recipe for those of you who like instruction (You can replace each item with the suggested alternative ingredients in the brackets).
1 Apple
1 Pear (or Peach, Pineapple, Apricot or mango or strawberries)
Handful of Almonds (or Hazel nuts, Walnuts, Cashews, or Pine Nuts)
Half a Handful Raisins (or dried figs, dates, prunes or blueberries)
A shot or two of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (as much as you desire)
Ground Cinnamon
Oatmeal
Water (If you have a sweet tooth, try blending in up to 50% pineapple juice. — or if you like it creamy, use soy or rice milk instead of water)
Bring the water to a boil and add the hard fruit and nuts. (Apples and almonds for instance can use a little more cooking time than soft items like blueberries.) Add your favorite oat meal. If you are accustom to the slow cooking type then you might want to cook it first before adding any of the ingredients. You just want to cook the fruit and nuts long enough to soften them up and let the flavors blend. Add the soft and delicate fruits in at the very end. Frozen blueberries and strawberries for instance will turn to mush if you cook them too long.
Add the cinnamon and mix in ample amounts of olive oil. Early Mediterranean fishermen believed olive oil was a key ingredient to keeping their joints working smoothly all day. It was said that local Croatian salmon fishermen used more olive oil onboard than lube oil. Despite their hard lives, many who survived the perils of the sea lived long healthy lives. Extra Virgin Olive Oil has huge nutritional benefits as it is one of the few natural oils which requires no processing to make. Cinnamon is also a very healthy spice. It contains amazing properties to stave off a myriad of heath problems. Cinnamon was used for thousands of years to preserve foods by fighting unhealthy bacteria. Don’t just take my word for it. I highly suggest searching the internet for articles about olive oil and cinnamon when you get a chance.
Garnish your Farmboat Oatmeal with grated coconut, nutmeg, peppermint leaves, yogurt, berries or whatever else you can dream up. Try to make it different every day so that you can have variety in your diet. For most of the last million years, our ancestors were nomadic foragers who ate what they could find in a diverse range of environments. Unlike many other animals, our bodies seem to work best if they are fueled with a wide range of natural substances.
If you follow my advice, you will soon find that eating Farmboat Oatmeal at the beginning of each day will give you more lasting energy, a healthier feeling body and younger appearance–it should also help you loose weight because it will reduce your cravings for junk food.
Disclaimer: Of course check with your doctor before embarking on any major dietary changes that may effect your specific health situation.
The apples and pears staring in our delicious photo were grown organically by Maltby Orchards here in Washington.