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Saturday, November 12, 2005
That Four Letter Word: Diet
In the food and wine world, this word tends to elicit a fair amount of light jokes, chuckles, or even eye-rolling. There seems to be a common consensus among chefs, restaurant and food critics, wine writers, and other gastronomic/wine professions that if you conceive the world via food that somehow it is a virtually impossible feat to eat healthy and stay in shape. There are just too many temptations.
I was recently at a wine event (a book launching) where one of the presenters told an entertaining story about how a recent college graduate could aspire to become a restaurant critic. One of the points that caught my attention during his story was that he advised this aspiring food critic that in addition to wanting to learn and write about food, he must also be prepared to gain many extra kilos in the process. It left me thinking about why there is a seemingly inherent incompatibility with loving food and wine and staying fit. Does being a gourmand automatically mean that you have to be destined to be fat or flabby—with a highly trained palate of course? Why does the pleasure of the palate have to translate to gluttony, unhealthy food, and lack of control? Why doesn’t the balance of eating well and exercise enter into this equation? After all, isn’t balance what creates a magnificent plate or grand wine?
I am a confessed and known health conscious eater and exerciser. Here in Chile, they call me “obsesionada” or “excesiva” with getting up to work out or go to yoga at 6a.m. or passing on the bread (Chileans are carb junkies). However, my personal experience is that balance—eating healthy and exercising—makes everything, and I mean everything, taste better. Ever try a juicy, sweet mandarine orange after a hard workout? The flavors are pure and intense and go straight to your brain. Crunchy arugula salad with roasted chicken and a drizzle of top quality olive oil. Am I suffering with diet food? No way. Eating healthy is simply the opposite end of the spectrum of all those rich, fatty, gourmet treats I love. You know them: foie gras, paté, stinky French cheese (or high test cheese of any kind), dark chocolate, thai curry, Oaxacan black mole, lamb saag, pommes frites, rich gelatos, cashews, eggs Benedict, peanut butter, mashed potatoes and gravy, the list goes on and on. However, I find if I eat them all the time, I tire of them quickly because they are so rich. The secret to these “goodie” or “specialty” food items is to eat them in small quantities or infrequently so that they never loose their mystery or "food appeal". And when you do try them, wow!, the textures and sensations are more intense and "new".This also applies to eating fresh, delicious vegetables, fruits, whole grains, etc. which make your body feel good. It is important for us gastronomic and wine professionals to not loose sight that the palate is only the entrance for food to our body—and that taste is fleeting. The body assimilates everything we put in it—just like a drug.
Diet, that is, what you usually eat and drink, has a profound effect on how you look, feel, think, and act. I went through a couple years of looking for some magic formula that would work perfectly for me: Atkins, Fat Flush (you only flush the toilet with this one), South Beach, Low Fat, High Protein, Vegetarian (yoga-induced), etc. Fad diets come and go and did some produce great results. However, the best “diet” I have found, which is more like a moderation lifestyle or diet in the true sense of the word, is the Abs Diet (www.absdiet.com). It is the best way to stay in shape, keep your taste buds amused and waistline under control. It works because its principals are based on smart eating (the kind that all personal trainers preach) and you can still eat all the goodies in moderation. And of course, I cannot emphasize exercising enough: walking, running, gym, biking, yoga, anything you want, just get off your butt and move it. Calories are like a bank account, but in this case you want a negative balance!! If you try to find the balance, I guarantee you will savor those red, ripe cherries in their maximum sweetness as much as that creamy and pungent chevre with a Sauvignon Blanc. More on the Abs Diet for those interested in the next post.
23:50 Posted in RAMBLINGS | Permalink | Email this
Comments
nice blog, good themes,
greetz Brenda Lee.
Posted by: Brenda Lee | Saturday, April 15, 2006