A Canadian climber and friend of mine has an interesting theory.
Everybody, even the nicest person ever, has the potential to turn into a selfish A**, if they just climb high enough into thin air. Reportedly, this threshold is different for everyone on the scale between sea level and the top of Mt. Everest.
While I probably just never climbed high enough to have statistical evidence of this theory, I experienced first-hand other effects of adapting to the increasing altitude.
Most interesting to me is that starting roughly at 4000 m altitude, our sense of taste becomes somewhat numb. That’s the reason for countless adventure meals I had in the past that were packed with salt and additives to intensify their flavour when I supposedly needed it – not to mention palm oil and glutamate, to create an illusion of taste on my tongue.
At EAT freedom, we feature generous amounts of herbs and spices in our meals. This isn’t only because herbs are a staple in many Italian recipes and taste great, but mainly because they are the ultimate natural source of flavour and can be our allies against the organoleptic decay at altitude. Plus, they come with a practical, healthy pay-off beyond the bounce of freshness they add to a meal.
Parsley is packed with minerals and vitamins such as Vitamin A, which is great for the inflammatory aches and pains that can come with a challenging hike. Basil mitigates the crash and burn that can happen after eating sugary snacks and oregano replenishes gut flora, maintains a healthy PH level in the stomach, and boosts digestion.
Sure, we’re talking fresh herbs, and none of them is a miracle drug that does the trick overnight, but we see no reason not to set the good habits forth as we venture outdoors – do you?
Check out our signature tomato soup with basil, ricotta cheese, and potatoes and our rice salad with tomatoes, pesto alla Genovese, shrimp, and asparagus. We harness the power of herbs in our adventure meals because we believe performance and nutrition go hand in hand. Our intent is that hikers have layers of nutritional support available to them, for greater success on their trek.
What are some of your go-to herbs? We’d love to know, as we are always on the lookout for natural ways to enhance both flavour and health.
Sara
