Black Beans and Tortillas and Always Cook at Home

Do you know that some of the longest-living, degenerative disease-free cultures eat beans and tortillas as a staple in their diet? Staple as in they eat them pretty much every day. I came across this little tidbit recently in the instagram feed of the Bluzone Book.

Now, I’m pretty sure their black beans are organic because that’s just the way you grow them there. And they probably slow cook them to deliciousness. They also serve homemade corn tortillas from nixtamalized heirloom corn as well as other homegrown goodies.

I thought of this little story when I was rolling out these sourdough tortillas. The Bluezone author also mentions the importance of fermented breads and the work that the lactic acid does on the grain, its digestion, and its impact on blood sugar.

Other similar practices held by various long-lived cultures around the world included moderate and regular alcohol intake, plenty of fresh produce and herbs, and only eating sweets for celebrations. Most importantly, they all ate home-cooked food from an origin that they could recognize.

Ruthie is on board with this as she has offered, no, insisted upon pulling up a chair and tearing salad leaves or washing dishes. She lets out a squeal when the tortillas puff on the griddle and she drinks bone broth straight from her bowl (and the bowls of those who flat out didn’t know what they were missing).

There’s just so much mixed up information out there about what we should eat and what we shouldn’t. I feel like maybe we could all agree on this:

Cook food at home from ingredients that haven’t been tampered with and whose origin you can find. But always cook at home.

And don’t ever do what I did and let your kimchi supply run out. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner; friends. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.