food philosophy

Couldn't agree more.

eat less crap, eat more food

want to lose weight? eat food.

Seems counter intuitive, doesn't it? If you're trying to lose weight, shouldn't you try everything in your power to eat less food? Well, yes. But, perhaps more important, you should get rid of the foods that are making you fat. Stay with me.

Each January, we are barraged with ads from food manufacturers trying to sell their lighted-up, supposedly healthy products, which they claim will help you shed weight. These products are expensive, don't taste good and are filled with God-knows-what to shave off calories. And each year, people, bolstered by their resolutions to finally change their bodies, eagerly buy into these claims, racking up expensive grocery bills and carts full of nutritionally empty foods.

This year, I challenge you to consider your resolutions differently. If you're serious about changing your body and health, then consider changing your lifestyle. The real diet foods - the ones that work - are the ones provided to us naturally. It's the stuff humans have been eating for millions of years (even though food manufactures want you to think that their invention of a dense diet bar filled with chemicals is somehow superior.)

Produce. Whole grains. Naturally lean dairies and meats.

Where does the fast food fall into this approach? Or the baked chips, diet soda, fat-free brownies or canned light soups? They don't. And you'll find that if you start avoiding these foods, after a while, they don't taste good. If these are the things we eat all the time, our palette changes to prefer them. And the fresh stuff - the good stuff - slowly falls by the wayside.

Bring the real food back into your life. Skip the baked chips (and check out that ingredient list next time you're in the store) and diet soda, and instead eat an apple with a little peanut butter. Drink pure, clean water or unsweetened tea (in moderation). Add lemon to it if you require flavor.

Here are some other healthy snacks to try instead of a 100-calorie bowl of cereal that's more akin to Frankenstien than healthy grains:

• Natural yogurt with fruit and or granola
• Fruit and a handful of nuts
• Whole-grain, naturally low-sugar cereal with skim milk
• A hard-boiled egg
• Raw veggies and a cheese stick
• Popcorn, lightly salted
• Homemade fruit and nut trail mix

I could go on and on. These are filling, satisfying snacks that give it to the food manufacturers. How could anyone say that a diet food bar is a better choice than what I've listed above?

The bottom line is this: If you can go with good, old-fashioned, common-sense choices when it comes to eating, and squeeze in some exercise, the weight will come off on its own. And you'll feel better because the quality of what you eat is better.

So, this New Year's, if your resolution is to lose weight, consider these thoughts. And, when your body is telling you it's hungry, eat food.

Want more ramblings? Check these out:

• Thoughts on dieting
• A fresh approach to health
• Christmas tea and the choices we make everyday

christmas patio party

a fresh approach to health

I went to the grocery store today - something I don't need to do anymore on a weekly basis now that I order my produce box online - to stock up on basics for my pantry and freezer. As I filled my cart with fruits, veggies and beans, whole grains, spices and baking ingredients, lean dairy and meats, I watched many others fill theirs with boxed and frozen meals, fake cheeses, packaged cookies, chips, candy, artifically flavored and sweetened snacks and other junk. In many cases, I didn't see so much as a single piece of fresh produce in their carts. Not surprisingly, the majority of these people were overweight and generally looked unhealthy, despite the fact that their carts also contained 100-calorie snack packs, meal-replacement shakes, diet sodas, "lite" breads, and other supposed weight-loss products. Part frustrated and part sad, I thought about what the problem is all the way home.

It seems as if people have gotten confused about and have forgotten what they are supposed to eat. Even the government's food pyramid is so complicated that no one can understand it. If we would all just take a deep breath and think about what generations have been eating for centuries it becomes obvious: we should be eating fresh food. Generations before us ate what was in season. They ate what grew in their window sills and backyards. They ate until they were full. They drank water and savored sweet foods, even fruit. In fact, my grandfather used to jump for joy at the oranges left in his Christmas stocking!

Our original snacks - fresh produce, nuts, yogurts and cheeses - have been replaced with processed food products. As we add in chips and soda and cookies, we eat less and less of the fresh, simple foods that contain naturally occuring vitamins, antioxidants and fiber. Instead, we buy processed foods that have these things added in by a food scientist. Why? When did an apple stop being delicious and satisfying?

This shift in eating is the obvious and the not-so-obvious link to our alarming obesity and cancer epidemics.  Because of this, I feel compelled to tell you how I - an average chained-to-my-desk-for-eight-hours-a-day person - manages to feel full and satisfied, generally sickness-free, and at a healthy weight each and every day. It's so easy, there's nothing really to remember. It's all based on good, old common sense. In fact, you might remember your mom telling you half of it when you were a kid.

• Get enough sleep and rest when you're tired.
• Keep fruit and veggies in your kitchen and fridge for easy grabbing (I try to keep a fresh fruit salad in my fridge, like the one shown above, most of the time).
• Breakfast should include fruit, a whole grain, and/or a healthy source of fat (like peanut butter) everyday.
• Skip the sugar or artificial sweetener and add honey or agave to your coffee.
• Eat a produce-based mid-morning snack.
• Bring a water bottle with you to work and keep it full, fresh and within reach.
• Eat fresh and filling foods for lunch - salads with beans, chicken, veggies, and cheese; a healthy sandwich on whole-grain bread or leftovers from a healthy dinner the night before. Eat fruit with your lunch.
• SNACK frequently and pair fiber and a low-fat protein together to keep you full. Good proteins include a handful of nuts or a smear of nut butter, cheese, a boiled egg, dairy. Good sources of fiber include fruit and vegetables, whole-grain bread or naturally low-sugar cereal. (So, think an apple and peanut butter, a cheese stick and whole-grain crackers, a hard-boiled egg and a peach, or a bowl of naturally high-fiber, low-sugar cereal and skim milk.)
• Exercise almost everyday, but vary the intensity and activity to keep it interesting, let your body heal and prevent injury. (My "off days" still usually include a one to two mile dog walk.)
• Eat a dinner that's made up of mostly vegetables and lean protein. Add a whole-grain side only if you haven't eaten many grain-based foods that day. Grains are important, but keep them in check, always shoot for whole-grain foods, and fill up on the fruit and veggies first.
• Watch your portions.
• If you must have dessert, keep it small and try to add fruit to it. Dark chocolate, chocolate soymilk, and frozen yogurt are good choices in moderation.

That's it. By the end of the day, I promise that you will be full and satisfied. You'll get sick less often. You'll lose weight slowly and steadily if you have it to lose. Overall, you'll feel better. Remember, this isn't a diet - this is the way we are supposed to live. Think of this as a lifestyle commitment. And when you have a bad day, forgive yourself and start over the next day. Bottom line: love your body in this way, and it will love you back.

Like this rambling? Check out:

• Thoughts on "dieting"
• Brown bag popcorn – a healthy, inexpensive snack
• "Christmas tea" and the choices we make everyday
• I'm back! (with a vengeance...)

tale of a tomato plant

I am continually amazed at the simplicity of food. It doesn't have to be complicated or come in a fancy wrapper. As I get older, I'm finding that the best things truly are often are the simplest. This tomato plant was grown in healthy, rich soil and only required daily watering and ample sun.

To repay me, the little seedling provided me with a bounty of crimson fruit. No additives. No artificial colors. No preservatives. Just food.

Beautiful.

the tacos

Thanks, Roasted Tomato and Corn Salsa with Charred Poblano Peppers.  A little grilled pork tenderloin, some sliced avocado (it's under there, I promise), Mexican cheese and sour cream on a whole-wheat tortilla = crazy good and easy dinner, especially when the salsa is made in advance.

isn't food one of the ingredients?

thoughts on "dieting"

I used to watch "The Biggest Loser" fairly regularly, but with less time for television, I only catch a few shows of anything here and there. It has probably been a season or two since I have really committed to an episode of it, but this past season I have partially watched two episodes. Both times I was horrified.

Not only is the show one giant promo for food products, the show has lost its core value of doing what's best for the participants. After a work out, a trainer approached a still-chubby man and advised him to eat a chocolate-flavored Fiber One bar because it "has the fiber and nutrients he needs" to recover. Panning in on the logo on the label, the man ate it as eagerly as he would a chocolate bar, desperate for the processed junk that got him in his dire situation in the first place. The second episode, clearly sponsored by the Dairy Association, showed yet another still-chubby man at the table eating a bowl of cereal with a large, attractive glass pitcher of milk sitting next to him. Before the trainer walked in casually, he poured another dollop of milk into his bowl. While, I totally agree that milk is a healthy, natural food, the trainer really irked me when she said that she was so excited to "see him eat a bowl of cereal with healthy, fat-free milk, which is filled with calcium, Vitamin D, and potassium, to fuel his upcoming workout," making sure to emphasize that it should be part of everyone's diet on a daily basis. Not only that, but the show feeds these folks protein waters, artificial sweeteners, and other junk when in reality the show should be teaching them how to eat real food.

The same thing bothers me about "healthy" vitamin waters (why do you need added nutrients, artificial flavorings and colors in your water?), protein supplements (Americans get plenty of protein in their diets – the excess is secreted through urine, so you're literally urinating away your money), artificial sweeteners (skip the carcinogens and eat dessert in moderation), and other products that make "health" claims. And all the diets endorsed by Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Special K and the like are a bunch of garbage as well. Guess what? If you eat only 1200 to 1500 calories of real food, and exercise, you'll lose weight, too, with the added health benefits. Madness.

My point is, I am an advocate for food. Whole, fresh foods that are minimally processed and prepared as close as possible to eating time. Food manufacturers are out to make money, not to keep you healthy. You have to be your own advocate. The less health claims on the label and the more whole the food, the better off you will be.

And as you fill your plate with them, you'll find that there's less room for the junk anyways.

new york city eats: worth a thousand words