Last weekend, my good friend Jenny and I stopped at the awesome Swim Cafe in Chicago. After scanning the in-your-face selection of iced cinnamon buns, decadent muffins, and brown-sugar coated coffee-cake, we sighed…we did the right thing….we skipped the tantalizing baked goods in favor of the “Fruit and Yogurt Parfait”. We had already enjoyed a glorious day of indulging in the fantastic cuisine that permeates Chicago (check out The Bristol if you are in the neighborhood). As we sat down, enjoyed the sun, and dipped in to our parfaits, the yummy, creamy (“YoBaby”-like, in Jenny’s words) consistency of the yogurt was a good indication the yogurt was made with whole milk. And so we scoffed at those deceptive yogurt parfaits. Why? One cup of while milk provides about 150 calories and 8 grams of fat (5 of which are “saturated”). Compare that to a cup of skim milk which provides about 80 calories and zero grams of fat. I remarked to Jenny on a belief of mine about “healthy” eating….the belief that a food rich in fat and calories which also provides us with a good dose of nutrients may still be a healthy food. While I am not likely to start guzzling glasses of whole milk, the following blurb from Bon Appetite has encouraged me to enjoy the occasional benefits of whole-milk derived foods (such as my beloved cheese).

“Wait, you’re still drinking skim milk? It’s time you got the good news: Whole milk can be good for you. It turns out that saturated milk fats may help us absorb calcium better, and also contains big helpings of vitamins A and D. That’s why our government requires milk producers to fortify skim and low-fat milk with synthetic vitamins.

Also in support of whole milk are several studies that have found low-fat diets can be counterproductive to weight loss, along with a Swedish study of 19,000 women that focused on the consumption of full-fat milk and cheese. Researchers monitored these women for nine years and discovered that women who ate one serving of whole milk or cheese a day put on less weight than women who ate those foods less often.

Another study suggested that one or more servings of whole-milk products a day may enhance a women’ s fertility.”

source: Bon Appetite June 2009, by Daniel Duane

…by Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food and The Omnivore’s Dilemma.

7 Words & 7 Rules for Eating

Pollan says everything he’s learned about food and health can be summed up in seven words: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”

Probably the first two words are most important. “Eat food” means to eat real food — vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and, yes, fish and meat — and to avoid what Pollan calls “edible food-like substances.”

Here’s how:

1. Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food. “When you pick up that box of portable yogurt tubes, or eat something with 15 ingredients you can’t pronounce, ask yourself, “What are those things doing there?” Pollan says.
2. Don’t eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients you can’t pronounce.
3. Stay out of the middle of the supermarket; shop on the perimeter of the store. Real food tends to be on the outer edge of the store near the loading docks, where it can be replaced with fresh foods when it goes bad.
4. Don’t eat anything that won’t eventually rot. “There are exceptions — honey — but as a rule, things like Twinkies that never go bad aren’t food,” Pollan says.
5. It is not just what you eat but how you eat. “Always leave the table a little hungry,” Pollan says. “Many cultures have rules that you stop eating before you are full. In Japan, they say eat until you are four-fifths full. Islamic culture has a similar rule, and in German culture they say, ‘Tie off the sack before it’s full.’”
6. Families traditionally ate together, around a table and not a TV, at regular meal times. It’s a good tradition. Enjoy meals with the people you love. “Remember when eating between meals felt wrong?” Pollan asks.
7. Don’t buy food where you buy your gasoline. In the U.S., 20% of food is eaten in the car.

Source

Warmth and sunshine called for a little outdoor grilling today.  My boyfriend and I were feeling a burger craving, however I typically try to avoid the standard ground beef version.  We gladly settled for lean turkey burgers and threw together some scrumptious Asian-inspired veggies into the mix, thanks to Irv and Shelly’s Fresh Picks in Chicago.  This meal was super quick to prepare and much kinder to your arteries than the traditional burger with French fries.

Turkey Burger: I used prepared “Mediterranean” turkey burgers from Whole Foods. However, you can easily make your own by combining ground white turkey meat with some crumbled feta cheese, chopped sun dried tomato, chopped Kalamata olive, salt and pepper.  Throw on the grill for about 10-15 minutes (depending on the size of your burgers) and serve on a whole wheat bun with your preferred burger toppings. My burger requirement is sliced onion. Tomato optional.

Bok Choy: Slice and steam until the leaves are wilted and the stalks are nice and tender.  Mix together a little soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, agave nectar (or a little sugar), chopped garlic and grated ginger root.  Pour the sauce over the boy choy. This mild-flavored green is an excellent source of vitamin C, calcium and vitamin A.

Grilled Japanese Eggplant: Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise, brush with olive oil salt and pepper.  No need to peel it!  Thrown on the grill (skin up) for about 5-8 minutes, or until tender.  At this point you can eat them as is, or top with a creamy mixture of fresh goat cheese, basil, and garlic (as I did here).  Japanese eggplant is a member of the “nightshade” family, which includes tomatoes and potatoes. It has a complex, lightly sweet taste and is an great source of dietary fiber, potassium and B vitamins.

***If you desire some “fries” with your burger, I urge you to try some parsnip fries!  They are truly delicious and create the illusion of eating French fries.

I was recently posed the question,  if I had to pick one “best” food, what would it be?  Several ideas immediately came to mind…Almonds?  Swiss Chard?  Blueberries?  Clearly there is no “best”. We are blessed with an abundance of nutritious, healing foods that come straight from the earth.  We should all make an effort to choose foods as close to their natural state as possible…and let nature keep us healthy and happy. Check this out:  A Recipe for Longevity: 33 of the Healthiest Foods on Earth