Chef Loretta Keller of Coco 500 and and the Moss Room, along with nutritionist Dr. Andrea Garber of UCSF told us all about how real food -from fresh, sustainable, organic ingredients, cooked with love - vs. factory food affect our brain chemistry and our moods. Two brain images showed how food and addictive substances, like certain street drugs, stimulate and light up the same areas of the brain - how we seek the same reward... and how the reward is blunted in obesity. Dr. Garber also reminded us how the food industry is well aware of research showing that environmental cues stimulate overeating (and therefore over-spending)... large portions are one example... even if we have stale popcorn in front of us, if we're sitting in front of a large bowl, we'll tend to eat more of it!
Chef Keller told us of fishing tales and restaurant decor that inspires consumers. The Moss Room, her restaurant at the California Academy of Sciences, among other things boasts a large pond with river fish - NOT the kind you can order for lunch, she emphasized! Chef Keller showed us images of delicious, sustainable seafood dishes from her kitchen as well as from a trip to Mexico... including some mouth-watering squash blossom tacos... we were ready for lunch!
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