Grass-Fed Cheese Please!

I was in a Safeway store in a rural area yesterday and found a terrific bargain. Kerrygold Dubliner cheese is aged 12 months (meaning little or no lactose to give us gas and other gastric complaints) and is grass fed (which means it has a healthier fat profile than do cheeses from grain-fed cows). To top it off their regular price was only $7.57/lb or 47 cents a serving -- a bargain for grass fed cheese -- and this stuff is really good. It tastes something like an aged U.S. cheddar crossed with swiss cheese. Grass-fed cheese is hard to find in a regular supermarket and is usually quite expensive. Finding this at a good price in a rural area was a big win! I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for this in other supermarkets.

The fat profile stuff is important for those of us who have mood disorders. When it comes to Omega 3 fatty acids (something that just about every modern psychiatrist recommends his patients take fish oil supplements to get), it's not how much you take in,

8 Things I Consider When Choosing Food

1. Do I like it?
2. Is it nutrient dense (i.e., how much nutrition am I getting for the amount of calories in this food)?
3. Does it have things I particularly need: (fiber, vitamin A, folate or other B-vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin C, protein, selenium, iodine, magnesium, potassium)
4. Is it free of chemicals or other things I want to stay away from? (e.g., pesticide residue, hydrogenated fats, high fructose corn syrup, excessively high amount of sugar, excessively high amount of fat, etc.)
5. Do I like it raw or in simple dishes that work well in my small kitchen area and small energy budget?
6. Can I store it at room temperature or does it require a freezer (which I do not have) or refrigeration (I have a very small refrigerator)?
7. Am I likely to eat all of it before it goes bad?
8. Taking into account all the above, is it worth the price I’m paying?

How does this work in real life? Let’s take a look at some very different foods:

Jelly Belly Jelly Beans

1. Yes! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them!

Feed Your Head: Wild Alaskan Salmon Spinach Salad

Trident Wild Alaskan Salmon Burgers

Quick, simple, delicious, energy efficient, inexpensive, nutritious, and mood enhancing!

Per person:
1 or 2 wild alaskan salmon burgers
2 cups prewashed organic baby spinach
Trader Joe's fat free Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette
Toasted Sesame Oil (a little sesame oil makes spinach more nutritious and delicious!)
Freshly ground pepper