Wednesday, 3/24/10 – Nutrition Day 1

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

-Michael Pollan, The New York Times (January 2007)

Welcome to the newest, simplest and most innovative weight loss system! SPECIAL INTERNET OFFER: Everything you need to know is contained in the above sentence, free to you for the next 48 hours*. Just follow those three simple guidelines and you’ll be happy, healthy and burning carbs like nobody’s business!

*Subject to availability.

Seriously though, with all of the fads, diets and new products, it’s hard to wrap your mind around how to nourish your body to the healthiest and happiest form possible. Depending on who you ask, you should cut out carbs, sugars, white starch, fats, vegetables, water, red fruits, anything liquid, anything cooked, everything manufactured, all chemicals, no chemicals…the list goes on. What is the true answer?? We have so many things thrown our way, usually just marketing schemes designed to make money. We had a great lecture by Chef Tim (the food safety instructor from Level 1) about nutrition, the components of food and how they affect our bodies, and I learned a great deal about American eating habits. Back to Pollan’s mandate:

1. “Eat food.” By food, he meant real, naturally occurring food. For example, I happen to have a soft spot for boxed macaroni and cheese. This is not food.

2. “Not too much.” Duh.

3. “Mostly plants.” With all the crap I talk about the French and their cuisine, it really is very well-balanced and hits all of the food groups (meat, butter, cheese, cream, etc…). Chef Tim last night tore my world apart when he claimed that meat should be a side dish. When you think about it, though, he’s right; they really shouldn’t be the focus. I’ve since pledged to stop cooking a full pound of ground beef for the two of us.

The French have it right, according to “The French Diet” by Michel Montignac (*recommended reading). When you think about it, Americans have such a toxic relationship with food. We eat whatever we can find on the go, as quickly as possible. We punish ourselves after eating something that we view as “bad.” We count our calories, work out the most yet are still the fattest country by far and have a much higher rate of heart disease than the French, even with all of their red meat, cream and butter. The difference is that they prioritize their meals, using them as a happy celebration and a chance to gather with family and friends. They eat much smaller portions filled with fruit and vegetables, and drink a few glasses of red wine here and there. The point is that calorie counting doesn’t work. In fact, if you want the quickest and easiest rule to losing weight, which works 100% of the time, just remember that if you consume more energy than you burn it will be stored as fat. Alternatively, to lose weight you need to burn more energy than you consume.

One issue for which I do have a huge concern is the prevalence of childhood obesity. I see it in the city – mothers pouring Pepsi into their baby’s bottles, giving kids a bag of Cheetos when they throw a tantrum and stopping at McDonald’s for breakfast every morning. It’s terribly sad, and has caused Adult Onset Diabetes to be an elementary school epidemic. Perhaps the tides are changing, but I think kids have already formed unhealthy relationships with food, which will hopefully not follow them for decades. Let’s all raise our kids in France!

Anyways, nutrition lecture was over in a quick hour, and we moved on to our first savory meal in weeks, a striped bass filet on French lentils. We finished it with a few dollops of horseradish/Dijon vinaigrette and a handful of apple, mint and dill salad. It wasn’t my cup of tea, just a little too spicy and tart for my liking, but apparently it wasn’t Chef’s either: his reaction after tasting our plate was, “Hmm…it’s ok, you’ll get back into the groove soon.” Awesome.

Wrapping up tonight’s nutrition lecture by Jackie, originally taught by Chef Tim, I encourage everyone to complete a simple task that will open your eyes to your own personal nutritional health. As we were asked to do last night, write down everything you’ve consumed in the last 24 hours - drinks, food and all. Be honest with yourself, it can only help. I would like to share my list with you, as of 9:28pm on Thursday evening so as to prove to you that I prefer to write about nutrition than to implement it in my own life:

(In order of appearance)

-Pistachio milk shake

-Lamb burger and feta cream dressing on a sesame roll

-Steamed carrots and zucchini in butter

-Few spoonfuls of French lentils with carrots, onions and bacon

-Four tablespoons of chocolate mousse

-Croissant with ½ teaspoon of butter

-Banana

-Cup of coffee

-Small cup of lobster bisque

-Bag of salted soup crackers

-1/2 Cobb Salad wrap

-2 cups of sweetened ice tea

-Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Easter Egg

-5 large beef taquitos dipped in sour cream and guacamole

-1 serving each of steamed green beans and sweet corn

-2 Easter sugar cookies with buttercream frosting

Hey, at least I had fun.