January 13, 2011
Squash the Post-Holiday Blues with Healthy Eating
Robert Doyle READ TIME: 6 MIN.
After the holidays we can experience a "food hangover," too much sugar, too much alcohol and generally, too much food. We all try to start the New Year off right with light and healthy meals - and maybe loose a bit of weight. But trying to eat healthy can be confusing. There is so much information out there and so many promises, how do we know which way to go?
Dr. Michael Fenster, MD, F.A.C.C., FSCA&I, PEMBA applies "Grassroots Gourmet" principles of healthy eating to turn everyday meals into healthy fare.
Fenster, an interventional cardiologist and chef, has an easy method of developing and sticking to a healthy eating program that will have you celebrating all year long.
Grassroots Gourmet is a healthy eating concept derived from Dr. Fenster's beliefs and studies as a physician and as a chef. "As a physician, the words Hippocrates wrote long ago still echo with import today," he explains. "'Let thy Medicine be thy Food, and thy Food be thy Medicine.'"
But this is only half the story. As a chef, Dr. Fenster knows that if the food does not taste good, then it is only medicine.
Using the Grassroots Gourmet concept, Dr. Fenster provides these guidelines for navigating between deprivation and gastronomic gluttony that follows three basic principles, what he calls the Threefold Path of Be's:
What is commonly referred to as "junk food" is so named for a reason. These foods often are manipulated, resulting in significantly less nutritious offerings.
Taste, flavor and nutritional components are replaced by layers of sugar, salt and fat. These prey upon our hardwired biological instincts to create addictive behaviors and a vicious, repeating cycle.
Many of the items we use to prepare meals at home are not as fresh as we think. They have been altered in the growing, raising, and processing points prior to their delivery to us. They have been altered to be able to remain on the shelves indefinitely.
The Law of Unintended consequences applies here. We have only to look at the most recent debacle over our handling of trans-fatty acids (TFAs) to remind us of this reality and its inherent potential dangers.
Far too often, we focus only on caloric content as our mechanism in controlling our diets. But the simple biological mechanisms of timing when we eat things - it takes about 20 minutes for the stomach to start signaling satiety to the brain - is often overlooked.
We eat a serving for three people in less than 15 minutes, then wonder why don't feel good and gain weight. We can enjoy delicious treats from time to time, but enjoy them in proper proportions. Not everything is better supersized.
"It's so simple, but that doesn't mean it's easy," Fenster explains. "In fact it can be quite difficult at times. However, by following these principles, I believe you can create a truly sustainable diet that allows you to eat delicious food that is also healthy; it is a diet that will last you a lifetime, because you create it."
To start your year off right on the Grassroots Gourmet path, try this light and low-fat Vegetarian Chili recipe from Dr. Michael Fenster. It provides warm nutrition for a cold winter's night.
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VEGETARIAN CHILI
Serving Size 6 oz; Servings per container: 40
470 Calories; 36 g Total Fat; 34 g Total Carbohydrate
Chili is a great American food. A winter favorite; it is as varied in composition as America itself. The quality of the chili can run the spectrum as well, from a greasy, bland bowl of some stewed-like substance to a sublimely satisfying and filling chili.
This version kicks off the New Year with a properly spiced vegetarian version. Need meat? No worries: add a pound or so of your favorite protein and lose 8 oz of the beans, but I recommend trying the vegetarian version first.
The extra beans add richness and are an additional source of lean protein, as well as fiber, tryptophan and molybdenum - a trace element essential for the proper functioning of the detoxifying enzyme, sulfite oxidase.
The wheat berries add a satisfying texture and filling flavor. They absorb the flavor of the chili liquid; and if you construct your own homemade (or find some freshly ground) chili powder, you truly elevate this humble creation to new heights.
The wheat berries also reduce the fat content (you can get all the fat derived flavor and texture you need by using beef or dark chicken stock; you do not need pounds of meat). They are also fantastic sources of folic acid, protein, B-complex vitamins and anti-oxidants like vitamin E.
Diets rich in foodstuffs like the beans and wheat berries in this veggie version of chili have been associated with less obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and periodontal disease.
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp Mexican oregano
4 tbsp chili powder
1 chopped hot pepper like cayenne or jalape�o
1 chopped dried California pepper (or similar type)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
6 oz tomato paste
16 oz bag dried beans (rehydrated) or 2 cans of beans
3 cups vegetable nage (see recipe below)
1 cup white or red wine
2 cups assorted vegetables
16 oz chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp masa (corn flour)
� cup cilantro
Cheese and sour cream for garnish
If rehydrating the beans, soak the night before. Place in a pot covered by 1-2 inches of water then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until tender, about 2 hours over medium heat then remove and reserve to add back later.
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until onions translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the oregano, chili powder, peppers, cumin, coriander, and cocoa and tomato paste. Cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the beans, nage, wine, vegetables and tomatoes. If needed add additional water to assure the vegetables are covered. Bring to a simmer and cook for another 1 � to 2 hours until all the vegetables are tender and the liquid has reduced slightly.
Remove � cup of liquid and whisk together in a separate bowl with the flour. Add the slurry back to the chili and continue to cook an additional 30 minutes.
Add the cilantro and serve by garnishing with cheese and sour cream.
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VEGETABLE NAGE
6 onions, quartered
12 carrots roughly chopped
2 lemons, quartered
4 celery stalk, roughly chopped
1 tsp white peppercorns
1 tsp pink peppercorns
2 bay leaves
8 star anise
4 quarts of water
2 cups white wine
2 sprigs each:
Tarragon
Basil
Cilantro
Thyme
Parsley
Bring the first 8 ingredients to a boil in the water. If your tap as any off flavors, use bottled water as the nage has very subtle flavor characteristics.
Reduce to a simmer and continue for about 15 minutes more. Remove from heat and allow to cool at room temperature.
Add the wine then strain the entire mixture. The resulting liquid should be clear. Add the herbs and refrigerate for 24 hours, then strain again.
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Long-term New Yorkers, Mark and Robert have also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center, Mark is a PhD in American history and literature, as well as the author of the novels Wolfchild and My Hawaiian Penthouse. Robert is the producer of the documentary We Are All Children of God. Their work has appeared in numerous publications, as well as at : www.mrny.com.
