Lawrence Toppman:
I realized over the weekend that my love of things bad for me comes partly from childhood, which I spent at the intersection of two of the most food-centric ethnic groups on Earth.
My father's family was Jewish, and my best friend's family was Italian. (My mother's family was mostly of English descent. The English are to fine cuisine what Paraguay is to Major League Baseball. Only in my 30s did I learn that my mother's dad was French, but he split too early to leave any culinary impression.)
Both of those cultures fight depression and settle problems by eating. Can't get a date? Ess, ess mein kind! Having difficulties in school? Eh, paisan, some fettucini carbonara! My house and my friend Nick's always smell of food in my memory, which translated to the smell of happiness.
I thought about that while the gloomy weekend dragged on. The gray skies seemed to say, "Wouldn't a pumpkin cookie cheer you up? Hey, those bananas are getting old: Find some vanilla wafers and make a pudding!" I covered my ears, psychologically speaking, and had navy bean soup instead. Result: Half a pound lost last week. Back down to 190.
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1 comments:
Channel that into the healthy part of ethnic foods. Smaller portions, avoid sweets except for special occasions, eat lots of veggies, whole grains, olive oil as your fat. Drink lots of water, decaf coffee, even unsweet tea. Healthy Italian and Eastern European recipes abound, as well as similar ingedients or cooking methods in Mediterranean food. Make substitutions in recipes. Watch out for the white carbs - no pasta/noodles and bread and potatoes together. Substitute fat free yogurt for sour cream. Fresh fruit as dessert if you want something sweet. Base a meal around crunchy veggies, not overcooked, and satisfying grains, not around a hunk of meat. Don't put gravies and sauces on everything. Southern food can be fattening and unhealthy too. And eat regularly, snack if needed, so you don't come to the dinner or lumch table ravenous.
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