Food equals life. For Brian Meerbott, the culinary mastermind behind Mother Earth Products’ delicious recipes, there’s a good explanation for that: “At it’s best, food is the centerpiece of family gatherings, the glue that brings and holds people together over a shared experience,” he expounds. Food is so much more than a way to satiate our hunger.
Meerbott, a military man turned chef, served in the US Navy for almost 20 years until he pursued his true calling: cooking. “It started out as an outlet I used to relieve stress while I was serving in the US Navy,” he confesses. “I would come home after a long day of work from a job that I didn’t love and realize that cooking allowed me to forget about the stress of the day.” According to experts(1), cooking helps prevent a variety of mental disorders, such as anxiety, lack of focus, and even depression.
Along with his love for anything food related, Meerbott discovered the endless possibilities of cooking with freeze dried (FD) and dehydrated (D) foods. We decided sit down and pick his brain about everything: from the way he sees food to the delicious bite-sized delicacies with a longer shelf life.
His thoughts? It turns out that freeze dried and dehydrated foods ARE the food of the future. After all, cooking is all about trying out new ingredients, and freeze dried and dehydrated foods by Mother Earth Products are no exception.
The Pursuit of Happiness
Contrary to popular belief, happiness is not circumstantial. There’s no point in waiting for everything to be perfect to feel happy with yourself. That’s exactly how Meerbott realized that being a retired military man was not the end, but the beginning in his pursuit of happiness.
“It was a rewarding job; it served its purpose, but something was keeping me from being happy and fulfilled,” he claims. “Cooking was just the opposite; I loved it. I am so comfortable in a kitchen that it doesn’t feel like work; it’s fun.” By connecting with his inner chef, Meerbott managed to find happiness, and now he’s ready to share his love for cooking – with a little help from Mother Earth Products.
It’s All About The Senses
While taste is usually the one sense we rely on to judge whether certain foods are worth our time, eating is a much more sophisticated experience. According to Meerbott, we use all our senses when eating, even if we don’t mean to. From seeing(2) and smelling to touching and hearing(3), every sense brings something different to the table, shaping each meal into a holistic experience.
Meerbott stresses on how much the looks of a dish may keep us from enjoying food to the fullest these days. “Most people aren’t willing to try something they have never had before if it looks like garbage, but it may be the best thing they have ever eaten,” he says, reminding us that we should never judge food solely based on the way it looks.
Take freeze dried and dehydrated foods, for example. Not only do they taste amazing, but they also carry as many nutrients as their fresh counterparts. What’s the lesson behind Meerbott’s words? No sense alone is capable of determining whether certain foods are tasty or not.
Freeze Dried & Dehydrated Foods Are the Food of the Future
As consumers become aware of the planet’s rapidly changing food supply, a lot of questions arise. As a result, factors, such as safety and convenience, climb to the top of the consumers’ priority list and for a good reason. With these priorities in mind, Mother Earth Products embarked on a mission to supply consumers with foods that not only are safe to eat, but also have a long shelf life and cater their needs for convenient food.
Impressed by the team’s passion for fruits and vegetables with longer shelf life, Meerbott decided to become part of this food-loving family and joined the ranks of Mother Earth Products doing what he does best – cooking. Even though it wasn’t the food but the team’s zeal that drew him in the first place, he came to realize the real value of freeze dried and dehydrated food.
“Freeze dried and dried fruit and vegetables are products of the future,” he concludes. “The rising demand for food products with longer shelf life, combined with the increasing demand for seasonal products throughout the year, supports the growth of the dehydrated food market.” So, the real question is: Are you ready to become part of this nutrient-dense food evolution?
Meerbott proves to us that with every twist and turn, something greater and more exciting may come along. “Mother Earth Products has been a major part of my personal growth and professional development,” he admits, and we couldn’t be more grateful.
References:
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/minding-the-body/201505/kitchen-therapy-cooking-mental-well-being
- http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/meeting_abstract/20/4/A618-c
- http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950329316300271?via=ihub
