Our tips
While we may not always have sufficient time for the art of slow food, for our own health and wellbeing, it is worth trying to incorporate some slow food aspects into our everyday lives. Here are some basic tips on where to start.

Eat whole foods. Make most of your food every day by eating fresh, whole foods — including fruits, vegetables, wholegrain breads and cereals, legumes and nuts — and try buying it from a local market.

Involve the kids. Plant a herb garden with your children. Talk to your children about where different foods come from and encourage them to help you prepare meals — even if it's only washing and peeling the vegies.

Eat together. Sharing meals with close friends or family members is a really important part of the celebration of food and its contribution to happy, healthy living. In our fast-food culture, where a food has come from, how far it has travelled and the processing it has undergone is something we just don't think about. And as a result, highly processed foods can easily become part of our everyday menus. Yet research consistently shows that an over-reliance on processed foods can have seriously negative consequences for our health. So, how can we slow our food down?

A growing slow food movement
The slow food movement started in Italy in the mid-1980s as a reaction to our fast-food culture, and in 20 years, it has grown into a worldwide phenomenon with more than 80,000 participants. Slow food is all about understanding and appreciating the growing and cooking of foods, as well as enjoying the eating of them.

It's all about a celebration of food, using fresh ingredients and mouth-watering recipes, and taking time to savour each mouthful and the social aspect of sharing a meal. Slow food promotes the consumption of local produce, environmentally friendly production and enjoying foods that protect and enhance our health.

Your say: Do you think we should be embracing more of a slow food culture? Do you think you eat too much fast food? Share with us below...