The 12 best things I ate in Lebanon

I just got back from a food research trip to Lebanon. It was an interesting time to visit Lebanon. Lebanon has for the past three years experienced what the World Bank describes as the “most devastating, multi-pronged crisis in its modern history.” A result of the 2019 financial collapse that was exacerbated by the pandemic and then the 2020 port of Beirut explosion.

Why travel there now? Because my curiosity pulls me toward interesting stories and delicious food.

For those of you who didn’t follow along with my adventures on Instagram, I’ll recap by sharing a list of my 12 favorite things I ate in Lebanon and exactly where I got them:

Let’s start with breakfast.

• I custom designed my own saj at Saj Stories in Beirut. I made one with peanut butter, pear, and rosemary. What a flavor combo! I think I should add an overnight oat with these flavors to our breakfast menu.

• I had a Zaatar manakish from e baladi in Byblos that had the best texture! It reminded me so much of a light and slighty chewy Neapolitan pizza crust.

• The best hummus I had was actually at a breakfast I had at Beit Kanz in Beirut. It had the best texture and flavor of any hummus I had on my trip. Beit Kanz is also an NGO that employs over 1,000 Lebanese women.

• I know this isn’t a traditional Lebanese breakfast, but I was so impressed with the avocado toast with poached eggs and ikura from Meat the Fish. The owner is a total Japanophile and sells tons of Japanese pantry items as well.

Now for lunch and dinner meals.

• I tried traditional twice fried coriander chicken livers from Gemayel Restaurant, just a 15 minute drive from Byblos in the mountains. This dish was the yummiest version of chicken livers I’ve ever eaten. Crispy edges and so juicy and tender. I could eat it every day! Did you know chicken liver is leaner than chicken breast while also being more nutrient dense? I’m thinking of sneaking it onto the menu either as a side or blended into a chicken meatball. What do you think? Also I really love how a lot of Lebanese meat stews are made with either sour cherry or pomegranate molasses. The sweet and sour flavor using these superfoods is interesting to me and I want to add something to our menu with this flavor profile.

• Also at Gemayel Restaurant, I also loved fwaregh, intestines stuffed with rice, meat, chickpeas, and spices. Incredibly juicy, moist, and comforting.

• Lastly, also at Gemayel Restaurant (can you tell I’m a huge fan?!), I tried tiny fig birds. So juicy and the crunch you experience is from the tiny bird bones.

• I’m still dreaming of the falafel from Falafel M Sayhoun in Beirut, the falafel shop that’s infamous because it started out as one shop run by one family and then one brother broke off to open a competing falafel shop right next door using the same logo in a different color. I tried both and preferred the one on the left with the with gold crown. Their recipe famously doesn’t have onion in it because the original founder didn’t want people to have smelly breath during lunch. Their falafel is very crunchy outside and moist inside. I’ve always wanted to add falafel to our menu, but it’s a tricky thing to get right to make sure it’s crispy after it’s been refrigerated. We’ll try, though, because now that I know how tasty they can be, I’m a huge fan!

I loved a traditional Armenian raw meat dish I had called tchi keufte from the Armenian restaurant Mayrig in Beirut.

• I also loved the Mayrig osso bucco with truffles and would definitely order it again.

Here are my two favorite desserts.

• A chocolate tart I had at Cluster 001 coffee shop in Beirut was dreamy. I told myself I’d only eat half but then devoured the whole thing. They make a different pastry every day from scratch.

• Lastly, I loved the za’atar chocolate cake I had at Tawlet in Beirut. I didn’t think I’d like the combo of za’atar with chocolate, but it was to die for! It kind of reminded me of how lavender tastes good in desserts. It tasted like a rich chocolate cake with very subtle herbal and floral notes. I think our avocado chocolate pudding would taste delicious with a tiny amount of za’atar in it. BTW, this restaurant, Tawlet, has rotating home chefs who prepare the kind of dishes often made at home but not usually found in restaurants. It’s part of a larger group called Souk El Tayeb that sells food from local chefs and home producers (you MUST buy the spiced nuts in their shop!) and that also cooks and donates meals to those in need. It’s a must visit if you’re in Beirut!

I feel so grateful I get to experience food from around the world, share my stories with all of you, and design menu items based on what’s inspired me most. I want all of you to feel like you’re traveling through food as you experience our menus as it’s such a fun way to learn, feel connected to other cultures, expand your palates, and be exposed to more plant variety.

To all the foodies out there, Lebanon should definitely be added to your bucket list! You’ll not only eat well but get to experience the warmth and resilience of the Lebanese people. Come with cash, common sense, and an open mind and you’ll leave feeling inspired and connected.

With gratitude,

Julie

P.S. Special thanks to my friend Marie-Helene, a Lebanese hotelier (founder of Villa Clara hotel in Leros, Greece) living in Beirut, who told me where to eat and stay. She recommended I stay at the NGO hotel Beit Tamanna, where proceeds go toward fulfilling the wishes of children. The location of the hotel was the best, right on the main street called Gouraud Street, where there are tons of coffee shops, restaurants, and bars.

Recipe: These Poblano & Zucchini Cakes Are a Zesty Way to Veg Out

Tried our Poblano & Zucchini Cakes yet? It’s an all-time Methodology fan favorite for its earthy, zesty flavor profile that ends with a touch of heat. These versatile savory cakes are great with anything—thrown onto salads, stuffed into burritos, paired with a root-vegetable mash, or even just nibbled on as a snack. They’re also insanely good for you as they’re packed with plant ingredients to keep your gut in tiptop shape. Now you can make them in your own kitchen. Try this adapted recipe you can easily prepare at home.⁠

These savory cakes are zesty and earthy—and end with a bit of a kick.

Here’s an adapted recipe for our bestselling Superfood Poblano & Zucchini Cakes:

Ingredients

• 1 large zucchini, grated⁠

• 1 poblano pepper, roasted and diced⁠

• 1/2 cup almond flour⁠

• 1/4 cup coconut flour⁠

• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed⁠

• 1 teaspoon baking powder⁠

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder⁠

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder⁠

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt⁠

• 2 tablespoons olive oil⁠

• 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk⁠

• 2 eggs⁠

• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped⁠

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice⁠

• Optional toppings: avocado, salsa, cilantro, lime wedges⁠

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the grated zucchini, diced poblano pepper, almond flour, coconut flour, ground flaxseed, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and sea salt.⁠

3. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, almond milk, eggs, cilantro, and lime juice.⁠

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.⁠

5. Using a spoon, form the mixture into small patties and place them onto the prepared baking sheet.⁠

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges are crispy and the cakes are cooked through.⁠

7. Serve hot with optional toppings such as avocado, salsa, cilantro, or lime wedges.⁠

Our Easy Healing Chicken Soup Is a Warm Hug in a Bowl

After a long day, nothing soothes the soul like a warm helping of chicken soup. You could just about call it the epitome of comfort—and when done right, it can also be uber-nourishing for your body.

We’ve got our own Healing Chicken Soup on our regular rotation, designed to not only deliver comfort but also revitalize and promote gut health by maximizing plant ingredients. Most of these, you likely already have in your fridge or pantry. Sure doesn’t hurt that it cooks in just half an hour—making it a perfect supper on a busy weeknight. Snuggle up with a bowl (or two!) and watch your stress melt away.

Here's an adapted recipe of our top-selling Healing Chicken Soup that you can easily do at home:

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 large carrots, peeled and diced

• 2 celery stalks, diced

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

• 6 cups chicken broth

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 2 cups packed fresh spinach leaves

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent. This should take about 5 minutes.

2. Add the carrots and celery and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

3. Add the chicken, chicken broth, thyme, oregano, basil, and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

4. Add the spinach and parsley to the pot and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

5. Serve hot and enjoy!

Follow @gomethodology for more easy recipes!

This No-Bake Peanut Butter Treat Keeps You Satisfied for Hours

Most of us don’t get enough protein. But it’s so important to fill up on the macronutrient—after all, it’s the building block of muscle, it can help you maintain bone mass, and it keeps you fuller for longer. 

Here’s an easy way to get your fill in between meals or for dessert—and it tastes just like the peanut butter cups of your childhood. We’ve adapted our popular Peanut Butter Cup Protein Balls into this easy, no-baked recipe. Just mix everything together, scoop into balls, and keep in your fridge for whenever the craving hits.

Here’s an easy recipe for protein balls, made nutty with peanut butter:

Ingredients:⁠

• 1/2 cup peanut butter⁠

• 1/4 cup almond milk⁠

• 1/4 cup honey⁠

• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder⁠

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder⁠

• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed⁠

• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut⁠

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the peanut butter, almond milk, and honey.⁠

2. Stir in the protein powder, cocoa powder, and ground flaxseed until well combined.⁠

3. Roll the mixture into balls and place them on a plate or in a container.⁠

4. Roll the balls in the shredded coconut until they are evenly coated.⁠

5. Refrigerate the balls for at least an hour before serving.⁠

6. Feel free to roll the balls in chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or additional cocoa powder for added flavor and texture!⁠

Nominate Someone Special to Get a Surprise Methodology Box

The holidays remind us that we have a lot to be grateful for, and that it feels good to do what we can to help others.

Methodology is based in Concord, the East Bay of Northern California, and we’d love to donate Methodology boxes this holiday season to deserving people in the East Bay each week. Help us pick gift recipients for whom you think the gift of Methodology would brighten their day and take some stress off their shoulders.

And more importantly, remind them that they aren’t alone and that the universe has their back.

To help you brainstorm, think about whether you know someone going through tough times, like a recent breakup, a job loss, loneliness, or a health issue. Or someone with a big heart who gives so much to their family, friends, or community.

Nominate as many people as you’d like. You’ll need to know their email address and delivery city so we can coordinate a delivery with them.

We won’t share the info that you input in the nomination form with the recipient or anyone outside of Methodology. We’ll tell the gift recipient, if selected, that you nominated them and only share a note from you if you’d like us to.

Thanks in advance. Wishing you a holiday season filled with peace and joy.

The Methodology Team

Julie on Her Health Journey, Goal-Setting + More on the Alchemize Life Podcast

It’s easy to think Methodology’s CEO and co-founder Julie has always been on point with her health-and-fitness game. She works out every day and eats light, balanced meals on the regular. But that wasn’t always the case—believe it or not, in her teens and twenties, Julie’s regular rotation revolved around fast food and other not-so-nourishing eats, which directly affected how she looked and felt.

She shares her journey in a recent podcast with Alchemize Life, where host and one of her close friends from Stanford, Justin David Carl, chats with Julie about everything from her well-being journey, to how she started Methodology, to her philosophy on setting and meeting goals, and more.

Listen to the full podcast here.

Sardinian Grandma’s Longevity Minestrone Soup Recipe

Julie Nguyen here, co-founder and CEO of Methodology. I’m fortunate to spend several weeks a year in a different Blue Zone, and this Fall I traveled to Sardinia for the first time. Sardinia is an Italian island in the Mediterranean with the longest lived men in the world.

Sardinian centenarians are known for eating vegetable soups pretty much daily, so I asked Sardinian Chef Alice Cherchi of Sardinian restaurant I CherChi based in Cagliari, a city on the southernmost tip of Sardinia, to teach us how to make her grandma's minestrone recipe.

This nourishing recipe is easy to make and the perfect cozy meal for this time of year. It tastes best the day after you cook it, when the ingredients have had time to meld.

The recipe calls for lard to add flavor, which is common in traditional Sardinian recipes where meat and animal fat is used as a seasoning rather than a main in everyday meals (meat is reserved for special occasions). If you don’t want to use lard, you can substitute it with pork belly or ground pork if you eat pork or with an umami mushroom powder if you prefer to keep the recipe vegan.

The soup can be served with bread or fregola, a Sardinian pasta. I prefer to eat the soup with just chickpeas as the main form of complex carbohydrates since chickpeas are a whole food starch packed with fiber and protein.

Note that the chickpeas in here are dried chickpeas, not canned chickpeas. Soaking then cooking the chickpeas yourself as called for in the recipe will give you a chickpea with a firm texture that has a nice bite to it, as opposed to canned chickpeas that can be very mushy. If you’re short on time, feel free to use canned chickpeas that you put into the soup directly and simmer with the vegetables.

Check out this recipe on Instagram to see videos of what the soup should look like. Follow @gomethodology on Instagram for more recipes and to follow along with my food travel adventures that inspire our global, nourishing menu.

Ingredients for 4 people: 

200g of fresh pork lard

120g whole carrots

200g whole potatoes

160g green beans

200g escarole or chard or spinach

200g of dried chickpeas to soak

240g savoy cabbage

100g cabbage flower

40g celery

40g purple onion

2 sun dried tomatoes

8 fresh peeled cherry tomatoes

20g tomato paste

Salt to taste

Steps:

- Soak the chickpeas in warm water for 8 hours, then boil them for 30 minutes in water and salt

- Cut the vegetables into small pieces, except for the potatoes and carrots

- In a large saucepan, brown the lard over a low heat

- Pour in all the vegetables and brown with the fat from the lard

- Cover the mixture with water and cook for 60 minutes over medium heat

- Mash the carrots and potatoes with a fork

- Adjust the amount of salt to taste and let it rest for about 30 minutes

Is Microwaving Food All That Bad for You?

For all of microwave ovens’ pros, they’ve also faced a fair amount of criticism—thanks perhaps to fearmongering that’s spread through rumors, chain emails, and even popular media. Some claim microwave cooking could damage the nutrients in our food; others have brought up how the ovens expose us and our food to radiation. Some even believe they can cause cancer. Much as we all love convenience, we also tend to be skeptical of whether it comes at the cost of anything else—and especially whether that ‘anything else’ involves our health.

Photo by Unsplash/Gentri Shopp

Here’s the deal on microwaving food.

First of all, what are microwave ovens?

Life isn’t easy when you’re a busy working professional juggling a bajillion tasks every single day, and let’s face it—the last thing you wanna do after a long day at work is cook from scratch.  Enter microwave ovens, which you could just about call modern-day superheroes. The appliance makes reheating a breeze, requiring much less time than traditional ovens—a real godsend when it’s 12 noon, your stomach’s rumbling, and you’ve got a meeting to attend in 15.  Add to that the fact that frozen or microwaveable meals and snacks are everywhere these days and you’ve got a kitchen companion that most of us would deem practically indispensable. No wonder more than 90 percent of U.S. households today own the appliance.

You probably use your microwave at least once a day, but how does the appliance actually work?

We begin with the fundamental concept of a microwave. These waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation—that is, a type of energy made up of waves of electric and magnetic energy that move together through space.

With microwave ovens, an electron tube called the magnetron produces microwaves, which then get reflected in the metal within the oven and absorbed by food. The microwaves make the water molecules in your food vibrate, producing heat. As the outer layer of food warms up, the conduction of heat outside also cooks inside of the food—breathing life into your frozen or chilled meal and making it all the more enjoyable to eat, in just minutes.

As they’re able to carry out this heating process quickly, microwave ovens can be a more energy-efficient option when it comes to reheating food. They’re also generally compact—you can likely fit one into your kitchen, no matter how tight your space—not to mention affordable. 

Is microwave cooking really bad for us?

In the 2013 film American Hustle, Rosalyn Rosenfeld—a character played by Jennifer Lawrence—famously blows up a microwave, then proceeds to call it a “science oven” and claims it “takes all the nutrition out of food,” supposedly following an article she read by a certain Paul Brodeur.

This famously led to the filmmakers being sued by the real-life Brodeur, a journalist who has, in fact, written about microwave hazards in the past, but not the made any claims of the sort the movie tells us. Still, many folks in the real world continue to believe that microwave cooking can damage nutrients, making it less optimal than conventional steaming, baking, or sautéing.

Thing is, pretty much all methods of cooking alter—in many cases reduce—nutrient value, depending on factors like the temperature and cooking time. But because microwave ovens are able to cook food quickly with low temperatures, microwaving is actually one of the cooking methods least likely to destroy nutrients. This is a point backed up by a number of studies, including one from 1982 that found no significant differences in vitamin retention between microwave and conventional cooking, and one from 2009 that showed how microwave cooking is among the cooking methods that led to the least loss of antioxidants.

In some cases it may even enhance the benefits of certain foods—for instance, a 2019 study showed how steaming and microwaving broccoli can increase its flavonoids as compared to when it’s boiled. And because microwave cooking doesn’t heat up as much as, say, a regular oven does—temperatures don’t usually go beyond 212°F or 100°C—it can even keep harmful compounds from forming in certain foods. An example is bacon: a 1989 study found that heating the processed meat in the microwave produced the least nitrosamines (compounds formed when nitrites get heated excessively) compared to other cooking methods.

Now we do know that microwave ovens employ radiation, specifically electromagnetic radiation—but can this contaminate food? The short answer is no. Food does, in fact, absorb microwave energy—but because it uses non-ionizing radiation (i.e., radiation that can ​​move atoms in a molecule, but not remove electrons), it can’t actually tamper with your food’s chemical makeup. 

And as for whether that radiation can directly harm us and our bodies, there’s no evidence to support that either. Microwave ovens today are designed with safety in mind—for example, they can only make microwaves when the door is closed, and those microwaves stay within the confines of the oven. Plus, US federal standards have limits on the amount of radiofrequency radiation that can leak from a microwave oven—which is well below what would cause us any harm. Even if radiation did leak out, it’d still be of a level too low to cause harm to us, and for as long as you’re purchasing your appliance from a reputable brand, you should be safe.

So How Should We Actually Eat?

With all these points in mind comes the million-dollar question: how should we actually eat for optimum health and longevity? It’s worth taking a page from author and entrepreneur Ramit Sethi on personal finance; unrelated as it might sound at the onset, his insights on big wins can also be applied to your body’s health.

Sethi emphasizes the importance of big wins versus the minutiae—that is, instead of focusing on details that are relatively miniscule in impact, it makes more sense to focus on the few important things that make a big difference in the long run. In this case, those big wins would be the consumption of whole foods, portion control, and eating mostly plants (a wide variety of them)—as opposed to jumping to nitpicking small details like whether you’re microwaving your veggies.

As we’ve seen, nuking your food doesn’t make it unhealthy and might even be a better option than other cooking methods in some cases, as the fast cooking time lets the food retain more nutrients or even help keep harmful compounds from forming. And nope, radiation doesn’t contaminate the food. Overall, the microwave is a great tool to have in the kitchen that lets you heat food in just minutes—it’s all about choosing the right foods in the right amounts.

Nutrition can seem unendingly complicated, with all the different variables around—macros, meal timing, cooking methods—that can affect the health-giving qualities of what we eat. All valid points, folks. But you can at least rest assured that the microwave isn’t the enemy. Nail the basics of eating high-quality whole foods, balanced portions, and ample plant variety, and you’ll be well on your way to feeling happier and healthier overall.

The Methodology Story

What does it take to build a brand known for food that’s—in our CEO and co-founder Julie Nguyen’s words—”beautiful, yummy, and comforting?” Julie recently had the opportunity to talk about Methodology on Ramon Vela’s The Story of a Brand podcast, and if you’re curious how the brand got to where it is now, read on or check out Julie’s podcast interview, which is broken into two parts: Part 1 and Part 2.

The Roots of the Brand

In Part 1, the episode entitled “Healthy Food You’ll Look Forward to Eating,” Julie shares that making healthy eating “fun” was the goal for Methodology—after all, it’s that fun bit that makes people want to stick to eating right. “The only way we’ll heal people is if we have them consistently using the product,” she says.

Believe it or not, it’s not fellow healthy-food companies that Julie considers competition; it’s junk-food companies, who market their products in a similar “fun” vein. With that in mind, Julie and the Methodology team think of every single detail of the product design and experience—the visuals, packaging, textures, aromas, colors, and use of rare ingredients—to craft up the Methodology meals, snacks, beverages, and other products the brand is known for today.

It took many years, trials, and tribulations to get to where Methodology is now. For starters, Julie wasn’t always one to know how to eat right, having grown up “unhealthy, overweight,” and on prescription drugs for everything from acne to eczema to anxiety to asthma as early as her 20s. By improving on what she ate, her health turned around (just eliminating dairy helped stop her asthma attacks!) and she learned firsthand the power of “food as medicine”—something she believes in so strongly that Methodology owns the trademark for this tagline.

Julie shares how she used to spend hours every Sunday to shop for groceries, plan menus, cook, portion, and weigh her food—which, considering she was also working 60 to 80 hours a week, definitely took its toll. “There has to be another way.” Other meal-prep services at the time just didn’t deliver on what she wanted—the macros were there alright, but the flavors were “bland.” She had the vision of creating food that hit all the right boxes: “beautiful, yummy, comforting”—and easy to prepare for busy working professionals.

And with that came Methodology. Julie started making food with her co-founder Stephen Liu on the side while she was working in tech roughly seven years ago. Initially the service was just for friends, but with more folks clamoring to try their food, she decided to take the plunge—i.e. quit her day job, liquidate her retirement savings, and launch Methodology as a business she’d work on with Stephen full-time.

That was only the beginning of what would be seven years (and counting!) of the crazy ride that is Methodology—and this was no walk in the park. Julie admits her Vietnamese immigrant parents weren’t too crazy about the idea, wishing she had stuck with her more stable career in tech. She learned she had to “let go” of the notion of her parents having to understand or approve of what she does. “No way I could live my dream life unless I was okay with people not understanding me,” she says. Thankfully, she still had plenty of support—from Stephen, her circle of friends, her mentor and investor Kunal Sarkar, and others.

In the brand’s early days, she and Stephen were “slaves to the business,” working 100-hour weeks and taking no salaries. “It wasn’t sustainable.” Today, though, Julie works remotely from different parts of the world, living in a different country every month—which is something she’s always dreamed of doing, and which she shares she’s highly grateful for.

As she continued on to keep Methodology up and running, problems would pop up left and right—and Julie admits she “wasn’t as mentally strong” in the beginning to be able to cope. But as they say, experience is the best teacher—and through successfully tackling more challenges as the months and years went on, Julie no longer “flips out as much” and now believes every problem is solvable.

How Julie Approaches Food at Methodology

Meanwhile, Julie talks about values, vision, and sources of inspiration in Part 2 of her interview, the episode entitled, “​​High-quality, Fully Cooked Meals for Busy People.”

Here, Julie emphasizes the role her values play in designing Methodology to be what it is—even if it means making compromises. “We have to do things the right way—even if it costs more, even if it means our target audience [or market] is smaller,” she explains. “Even if it means [Methodology] won’t be a billion dollar business.”

Julie talks about the Methodology user experience she’s envisioned and designed—it’s one that’s meant to make customers feel “proud” to prepare their meals. “There’s an artistry to it,” she says. People, she shares, tend to underestimate the pleasure that comes with whipping up a meal with creativity and artistry behind it—yet understandably, not everyone has the luxury of time to do so. But that doesn’t have to mean relying on the many sad (and unhealthy) convenience options around.

“When you’re too busy to cook a meal, we don’t want to create a soulless experience where you’re just popping something hideous into the microwave and it’s purely just functional,” says Julie. And Methodology was created to fill in that gap—with creative, sumptuous meals that let you tap into your artistic and imaginative side, flavor- and presentation-wise—and as everything’s fully cooked, they’re ready to eat or reheat in just minutes.

The use of glass jars showcase the fresh naturally colorful ingredients inside, from the moment you open your fridge. “I think about that as a key moment in the user experience I designed for,” says Julie. “I want to change how people feel in that moment that happens several times a day to a moment of joy.” Jars also help keep food fresher for longer, and because they’re reusable and sustainable, they’re better for your health (look ma, no plastic leeching into the food!) and the environment, too.

Of course, selecting the right ingredients is another major avenue that Julie puts great importance on. As a health-food brand, Methodology uses only whole unprocessed foods, with no gluten, refined flours, wheat, refined sugar, and dairy. “We really follow basic principles around eating,” she says. “Mostly plants—unprocessed, unrefined plants in the right portion size.”

Given the higher price range of Methodology meals, Julie also has to make sure the customer experience is “seamless”—and that there’s lots of quality control in place. As Methodology’s menus change weekly, achieving that isn’t always easy; but thanks to her tech background, she was able to tap into the resources to build custom software to help the culinary team with keeping track of the recipes and executing them consistently, each and every time.

Asked for her words of wisdom, Julie admits that she’s surprised it’s taken as long as seven years to get where the brand is now—which is longer than she’d thought it would. But with her co-founder Stephen and the rest of the Methodology team by her side—as well as the support of everyone who’s ordered from Methodology over the years—she pushed through, with successful results. 

This is only the beginning for Methodology (expect a ton of other fun stuff in the coming weeks and months!), and we’re thankful for everyone who’s joined us along the way.

When It Comes to Food Labels, Natural Doesn't Always Mean Healthy

We’re sure you see the term “natural flavors” a lot on packaged food at the grocery stores. But what does it actually mean?

At first glance it suggests that something’s healthy—or at the very least, harmless compared to the more in-your-face unpronounceable ingredients. In truth, it isn’t quite that simple.

The FDA defines the term to refer to “essential oil, oleoresin, essences” and the like derived from natural sources like plants or animals, and used for flavoring. But as author Roni Caryn Rabin points out in the New York Times, this comes with a loophole when it comes to non-organic foods. In this category, flavor manufacturers don’t have to disclose their ingredients—even if they do contain synthetic solvents, preservatives, emulsifiers, and the like—so foods that sneak those in can qualify as having “natural” flavors. Which is great for those companies’ profit, not so great for your body.

Here at Methodology, we don't hide any of the ingredients we use under the guise of "natural flavors.” Only wholesome and nourishing ingredients go into our food—think fruits and veggies, herbs and spices, unrefined sweeteners, fermented foods, and traditional condiments from around the globe.

The colors of the food you see peeking through our glass jars? Those come from real-deal colors like beets, spirulina, ube, and more. And where we do use powders, these are of the high-quality sort that preserves as many nutrients from the source. Though our meals are fully cooked (making them easy to heat!), you won’t find any preservatives in the stuff we make—which is why they need to be refrigerated, but that also means you’ll only be feeding your body with the good stuff.

See the difference Methodology can make in your life by subscribing today.

That’s color from real-deal, wholesome ingredients you see right there!