Getting kind of serious about cooking the Whole Foods way

A couple of weeks ago, I didn’t know anything about chia seeds, the glitter of the antioxidant world.

The grayish, mildly nutty kernels work on oatmeal or salads or even ice cream, delivering an unobtrusive dose of protein, healthy omega-3 fats and fiber. Along with kale and blueberries, they’re on the short list of foods ready to make you invincible – or at least help you survive flu season.

But I didn’t learn that until after the cold January day when I noticed a shaker labeled “chia seeds” at the Whole Foods salad bar. I sang the Chia Pet jingle in my head (Ch-ch-ch-chia!) and reached for the ranch. But I had already unwittingly eaten the mysterious seeds in various desserts, thanks to Whole Foods’ $5 “Health Starts Here” meals, which – as prepared by the store’s Lisa Markley – are invariably wholesome and delicious, and often incorporate esoteric ingredients.

After devouring Markley’s lunches every week for nearly a year – one of the highlights of my suburban office job – I decided to sign up for one of her cooking classes. Held next door to Whole Foods in the market’s Cooking Studio, the classes are designed to demystify healthy eating. With a Master of Science in nutrition from Bastyr University in Washington state and a certificate in dietetics from the University of Kansas Medical Center, Markley knows how to make Brussels sprouts taste like something other than toilet water.

“I enjoy helping my customers overcome feeling intimidated of trying new foods that they have heard are good for them, but have no idea how to prepare in a way that actually tastes good,” Markley told me when I met her.

At the class I attended, a lesson on how to cook with healthy fats, Markley used the studio’s gorgeous kitchen to make a nutritious version of ranch dressing with almond milk, lemon juice, raw cashews, and a variety of herbs and spices. She generously drizzled it on top of her own version of local vegetarian joint Eden Alley’s Avocado Vera Cruz salad. The colorful, filling mix of chopped veggies, beans and rice was sprinkled with pumpkin seeds, which she heated on a stovetop until they popped like popcorn. Dessert was a raw strawberry-apple, chia-seed crisp dusted with cinnamon, which gave the dish a pleasant dimension of warmth.

My 10 classmates were all attentive and curious, ready with questions about the benefits of grapeseed oil and how to doctor Markley’s ranch dressing to trick their kids into eating it. Some people devoured the salad more enthusiastically than others; we weren’t all in the same place on the road to eating differently. If we weren’t quite ready to toss our dairy products in favor of soy yogurt and almond milk, we were at least willing to consider it.

As a regular consumer of Markley’s meals, I wasn’t surprised at my impulse to lick the plate when I finished eating. But in this instructional setting, I imagined myself trying these dishes 10 years ago, when “cooking dinner” meant microwaving some Easy Mac. I would have been pleasantly surprised that a dish containing no processed cheeses or pasta-related elements could be so satisfying.

“My classes feature nourishing recipes made primarily from plant-based whole foods, humanely raised animal products, and food-allergy-friendly ingredients,” Markley said. “I prioritize using nutrient-dense ingredients that are local, organic and seasonal whenever possible.”

Take that, 10-for-$10 Hungry Man dinners. But can you afford to eat this way?

According to Markley, you can.

“Start with a solid, healthy breakfast, and strive to make it a routine,” Markley said. “Getting the day off on the right foot will give your body the energy it needs for a focused and productive day and will also make you less prone to making poor choices later in the day. I enjoy steel-cut oats with berries or chopped fruit, a handful of nuts or seeds, and a dab of raw honey.”

And you can stock up on other inexpensive staples, such as whole grains and beans, and frozen berries or other produce that may be out of season or more expensive fresh. Foods that are domestically in season tend to be more readily available and cheaper, both at Whole Foods and local farmers markets. (Markley leads free guided shopping tours to make selecting these items easier; e-mail lisa.markley@wholefoods.com.) She uses these ingredients to cook in batches, so that her time in the kitchen is more efficient. She also recommends eating greens regularly – as in every day.

“Greens are the most readily available, nutrient-dense foods we can eat and are very low in calories, so we can fill up on them,” she told me. “Have a large salad for lunch or dinner, or steam up some greens as a side dish. Make a commitment to spend more time in the kitchen and less time eating out.”

It is also important, she reminded me, to pay attention to the “gray area.” Just because something is good for you doesn’t mean you should overdo it. For example, olive oil can be healthy, but not as a big pool for drowning a whole loaf of bread before dinner. Point taken. Perhaps it’s OK to dust my morning oatmeal with chia glitter, but I shouldn’t use it so liberally that I find it between the couch cushions months later, alongside actual glitter.