Taking Back Control: Cooking, Curiosity, and Health

I’m not trying to criticise tomato ketchup; everyone enjoys it, and concentrated tomato should have real nutritional value. What I am saying is that we shouldn’t be passive or unthinking about what we buy. Making food yourself encourages curiosity and creativity. My homemade tomato sauce is simple: mix 150 grams of tomato purée with 150 millilitres of hot water in a clean jar. In a pan, warm a little olive or rapeseed oil, then add paprika, turmeric, garlic powder, basil or mixed herbs, ground black pepper, ginger powder, and salt if you like. Heat these gently for about five minutes so they blend together. Pour this mixture into the jar with the tomato purée and water, add two teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice, and stir well. Adjust the thickness with more purée or oil if needed, cool it, and store it in the refrigerator for about a week. It’s quick to make and far fresher than any bottled version with added sugar.

Cooking regularly makes you aware of how limited supermarket spice shelves can be. The small sachets are not enough for anyone who cooks often, so it helps to find larger quantities from Mediterranean or Middle Eastern shops or to buy in bulk online. Keeping a wide range of herbs and spices encourages experimentation and gives your food depth. I like paprika, turmeric, black pepper, garlic, and basil because they add warmth and colour to simple dishes. Cooking this way is not about fashion or perfection; it’s about awareness. Once you start thinking about how you make something as ordinary as tomato sauce, you start thinking about everything else you eat—where it comes from, how it’s produced, and how it affects your body.

I often roast large batches of potatoes, mixing them with oil, herbs, and spices before baking. After they are cooked, I cool them, freeze them, and later reheat them when needed. This process (freezing) can change the structure of the starch, lowering the glycaemic index (called “resistant starch”) and producing a slower rise in blood sugar. The same applies to pasta and bread that have been cooked, cooled, and reheated. These small habits reduce the strain of rapid glucose spikes and the heavy insulin response that follows. Whole, balanced foods and steady blood sugar help protect against metabolic stresses on the body linked to insulin resistance and diabetes.

I am not a health fanatic, and I do not follow strict rules. Sometimes I eat too much starchy food, and I make my own beer. Alcohol must be treated with respect, but making it is creative and social, part of what makes life enjoyable. My approach is not about strict diets or hard to obtain ingredients. It is about being thoughtful, questioning habits, and finding satisfaction in the process of cooking. As we grow older, maintaining muscle and mobility through sufficient protein and movement becomes vital to staying independent. Nobody achieves perfection, but each small act—roasting vegetables, blending herbs, fermenting cabbage, or making tomato sauce—builds awareness and control. Real health begins with curiosity rather than fear, and with the willingness to make rather than merely consume. And perhaps, if I am fortunate enough to reach eighty, I will be able to tell you whether any of this actually worked. But what works for one person may not work for others, depending on many factors.