Healthy, Meet Delicious

I really enjoyed this new monthly column by Mark Bittman in the New York Times Dining section: Healthy, Meet Delicious. Bittman’s philosophy of eating vegan before 6pm and having what he likes for dinner seems like an easy way to eat more healthfully and make sure you get your vegetables in. I have been trying something similar, although I allow myself yogurt and occasionally eggs. But I like this method because I don’t feel deprived and because it is an easy lifestyle change to adopt.

I tried Bittman’s recipe for chopped salad last week and I liked it a lot. If you shred a lot of cabbage and carrots at one time, they will keep for a while undressed and can then easily be incorporated into chopped salad, coleslaw, other salads, stir-fries and so on. I have found that the easiest way to prompt myself to eat more vegetables is to have them prepped and ready for when I get hungry, so I don’t default to an easier and less healthy option at lunchtime.

The smoothie recipe also looks good, and is very similar to one I make often, especially during the summer months.

Trying to Eat Healthy?

Seriously, trying to eat healthy can make you crazy. I have been there. Read: The Terrible Tragedy of the Healthy Eater.

Restaurants Overhauling Menus

Restaurants overhaul menus because of calorie count rules – Los Angeles Times – This is why it’s a good thing to require restaurants to display calorie counts on their menus, even if many people don’t take action as a result. It forces the restaurant to re-evaluate its menu, make portion sizes more reasonable and offer more healthy choices so it doesn’t get the reputation for being a feeding trough. Those of us who do want to eat healthy most of the time may actually have options when we go out to eat as a result.

Happy Cows = Healthy Food

This is an optimistic, positive story that demonstrates that doing the right thing is not necessarily at odds with doing good business.

“Bob nervously began to experiment by withholding antibiotics. To his astonishment, the cows didn’t get infections; on the contrary, their health improved. He realized that by inserting antibiotics, he may have been introducing pathogens into the udder. As long as cows are kept clean and are given pasture rather than cooped up in filthy barns, there’s no need to shower them with antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals, he says.

Many cows in America now live out their lives in huge dairy barns, eating grain and hay and pumping out milk. But evidence is growing that cows don’t do well when locked up, so now many dairies are reverting to the traditional approach of sending cows out to pasture on grass.”

• Op-Ed Columnist: Where Cows Are Happy and Food Is Healthy (nytimes.com)

How Healthy We Think We Eat

Here is an interesting infographic about how healthfully we eat. People who are on some sort of restrictive diet seem to eat healthier than people who eat everything. The key is not the type of diet, but that you are actively thinking about what you eat.

How Healthy We Think We Eat 

 

Giving Up Bread for a While, plus Super-Simple Peanut Butter Cookies

I realize it’s been a long time since I last posted. As I said in my last post, lately I’ve been more improvisational in the kitchen, letting recipes inspire me rather than following them religiously. While I’ve been inspired in the kitchen, I haven’t been similarly inspired to post, mainly because I’m afraid I’ll become repetitive. Frittata is a good dish to eat week after week — to take one example — but perhaps not to read about.

Here’s something new I’m trying: not eating processed foods made with flour. That means no bread, pasta, crackers, pretzels or baked goods. I’ve also cut way back on dairy and refined sugar, although I haven’t given those up entirely. No more cream in my coffee, for example, but I’ll still have my morning yogurt with granola and berries. There are few ills that a bowl of really good yogurt can’t cure, or so I believe.

Why am I doing this? I’m hoping it will have a positive effect on my health, particularly my recurring insomnia and lack of energy. By cutting out bread-type foods, I am opening up space for more whole foods: more whole grains, fruits and vegetables. (I am not going gluten-free, though, nor am I being a fanatic about this; the idea is to reduce my consumption, not drive myself crazy.)

I’ve been at this for a week and so far, I can’t really report much difference. My sleep this week was normal, which means not great. I don’t feel like I’ve lost any weight, although ever since the batteries in my bathroom scale went dead, I’ve been a lot happier on that score. However, I will stick it out at least a month, because I don’t think I can expect any real results in less time than that.

I discovered a new recipe for super-simple peanut butter cookies this week that don’t require any flour or dairy. (They do have sugar, though.) And they are very toddler-friendly; my kid would probably live off these if he could. Here’s the recipe, which is simple enough to memorize.

Combine 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup sugar (I think you could cut the sugar down to even ½ cup, if you wanted), and 1 egg in a bowl. Mix well (I used an electric mixer). Drop by tablespoonfuls on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes, until golden-brown. You do need to let these cool quite a lot. They get more cookie-like as they cool.

They are surprisingly good. Think of them as tiny energy bombs. Just one will keep you going on a dull afternoon.

Whole Wheat Pasta?

We eat pasta at least once a week. In an effort to eat more whole grains, I am searching for a whole-grain pasta that actually tastes good. My problem with these pastas is that they are too grainy or coarse. The only success I have had is with a pasta made from spelt. Anyone have brand suggestions or cooking tips?

Whole-Grain Pastas That Taste Good

They are trading their good-for-you rigor for warm, nutty flavor.

Eating Better in the New Year

A common New Year’s resolution is to eat better. This year, I definitely want to focus on eating more healthy foods. I have resolved to eat more soup, for one thing. I found that when I was eating a lot of soup last month, I ate less but felt just as satisfied, which is great if you’re trying to lose or maintain weight. Also, it’s easy to pack vegetables into soup. So I want to keep soup on the menu most days of the week.

Here are some resources I’ve found to help meet those healthy eating goals:

• Going semi-vegan: Mark Bittman advises us to eat at least one vegan meal a week. That doesn’t seem too hard.
• Ditch the recipes: The idea behind simplifying your cooking efforts and not relying so much on recipes is that you’ll cook more often and that you’ll eat up the produce you buy instead of letting it spoil. So, it leads to more healthy eating and less food waste.
• Eat more whole grains: If you replace refined grains with whole grains, at least partly, you’ll eat less and they’re better for you.

Related articles

• No More Food Waste! (simplycooking.wordpress.com)

Changes

This post might contain what some people would consider Too Much Information. If you’re only interested in recipes, I suggest you skip this one.

A little over a year ago, I started having insomnia — in short bouts at first, but it kept getting worse. Several visits to the doctor later, I was finally told a couple of months ago that I am in menopause. I would not say that I took this news gracefully. I really wasn’t expecting to deal with this particular life change for another decade, so I wasn’t at all prepared. My reaction was partly denial, partly a depressing feeling that I’d crested the top of a hill and was now looking down into the abyss. Irrational, I will admit, but transitions are usually tough.

It didn’t help that my insomnia kept getting worse — I can never tell, when I go to bed, whether I will sleep all night, just a little bit or not at all — and I have also gained some weight, which depressed me further since I’d done a fairly good job of losing and keeping off the post-pregnancy pounds. My doctor so helpfully told me that the weight gain had nothing to do with the menopause; I was probably just eating more. I honestly don’t think my eating habits have changed that much, but even if I have been indulging a little more, it’s still an indirect side effect of this wonderful change of life. Feeling tired and slightly blue all the time does not inspire one to eat healthfully.

Still, I’m tired of cringing at my reflection in the mirror, getting blue whenever I see pictures of myself and having a shrinking wardrobe of clothes that look good on me. I’ve resolved to lose some weight this month. I haven’t set a specific goal, other than to get on a downward trend, because I don’t want to be unrealistic and end up disappointing myself. The holidays are not the best time to try to resist temptation, as we all know. If I can lose even a couple of pounds, I think I’ll start feeling better about myself, and that will help with dealing with all the other changes I’m going through, not to mention the whole “mourning my youth” thing.

My strategy is to plan all my meals out a week at a time and stick to the plan. As the holidays get closer, I’ll allow myself a couple of free days per week, but until then, I’m going to try to be strict. I’m basing my eating plan on the simple No-S Diet: no snacks, no sweets, no seconds, except on S-days (Saturday, Sunday and special days). This is a simple plan that I think I can maintain for the long haul, which is the key to a diet that works. Although, I am reserving a small list of healthy snacks just for when I really need them: a cup of yogurt, a handful of almonds, a piece of fruit or a stick of string cheese. I’m also adding no-F (french fries and fried food) and no-W (wine) to the list, since these are particular temptations for me.

This first week, I’m focusing on eating a lot of soups. Eating broth-based soup is a good strategy because soup fills you up while remaining relatively low in calories. I also pack my  soups with vegetables. If all goes well, I’ll post one or two recipes later in the week.

I think it’s okay to allow yourself a period of adjustment, even mourning, when going through a transition in life. But I realized this week that feeling sorry for myself isn’t productive. If I really want to enjoy the next phase of my life, it’s up to me to take control of my own happiness. It doesn’t help to grumble about all the foods I can’t eat anymore (at least, not all the time). It’s better to focus on eating healthy most of the time, feeling good about myself and enjoying my favorites on an occasional basis, like the special treats they are intended to be.

Ginger-Scallion Tea

Image via Wikipedia

Cold season is upon us. As I type this, I’m looking out my kitchen window at a dreary rain and wet leaves plastered all over the deck. It can’t be long before I’m feeling that characteristic tickle in the back of my throat.

This is one of my favorite natural cold remedies. I always use honey in it, as it seems to act as a throat soother and cough suppressant. I hope you won’t be needing it any time soon, but just in case, go ahead and stock up on the ingredients now. (By the way, you can keep the ginger root in the freezer, where it should last the whole winter.)

Ginger-Scallion Tea

• 6 to 8 thin slices fresh ginger with peel, about the size of a quarter, smashed lightly with the side of a knife
• 6 to 8 scallions, white part only
• 2 to 3 teaspoons raw sugar (such as Demerara), honey or maple syrup, according to taste
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups water

Put the ginger slices and scallions in a small pot (preferably glass or ceramic) and add the sweetener, sea salt and water. Bring to a boil, stir well, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and serve hot.

This recipe comes from A Spoonful of Ginger by Nina Simonds.