A Healthy Vegan Lunch

I decided that I was going to eat a healthy lunch and ordered a brown rice veggie burger with a chopped salad. Delicious!

Food and Too Much of It

I was really angry at myself last week for enjoying the aromas of the food court at the mall and fascinated by the way I responded to those smells. Is there a physiological or psychological trigger in those smells that ignited my olfactory and gustatory senses? Will I always be affected or influenced by those smells…especially freshly brewed coffee, whose smell I enjoy more than its taste? Or, will years of not eating those foods eventually make me immune to their allure? I began to wonder why we eat, not just why we eat fried or greasy foods, but why we eat and when and how we begin to develop our eating patterns.

Hunger for infants is a strong biological urge. A baby’s cry is a demand to be fed immediately. Infants know when they are hungry and what they need to eat. But as soon as babies are able to eat solid foods, their eating habits and behaviors become conditioned by their caregivers. Our caregivers decide what kinds of foods to feed us, and whether we will receive a healthy portion of broccoli or a hotdog that has been filled with chemicals. Children’s good behavior is rewarded with sugary sweets, ice cream and candy. We become conditioned to eating in certain ways and under a variety of circumstances. As a child I was told to “clean my plate.” After all, there were children starving in Africa who weren’t as fortunate as I was. We learned to eat to please other people. I usually eat three times a day. Is that a result of conditioning? I usually know when I am hungry; I sense a physical cue, whether it’s a growl or a pang in my stomach, and all I need to do is to find something that I find suitable to eat.

However, we eat for many reasons other than hunger. We eat socially, because that is what is expected of us in that situation. We eat when the opportunity presents itself, whether it is because we are passing through a food court or passing by a bakery, watching a movie or sitting at a ball game. We eat because the clock tells us that it is time to eat. We eat because it’s there. We eat to comfort ourselves. Sometimes we eat automatically. We see a trigger food and, before we are aware, we have eaten it. We eat as soon as we come home from work. We eat at the computer or in front of the television. We eat until all the food on our plate is gone. Our bodies know when, what and how much to eat to maintain functioning, but we have been conditioned to eat in response to certain stimuli. We forget to listen to what our body is telling us.

As adults we continue to overeat because we have been taught to clean our plates. Restaurants pile on the food, and the average portion size has quadrupled in the last 20 years. And yet, we live at a time when our society is obsessed with weight, body size and shape. We celebrate the July 4th holiday, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas where food dominates. As a culture we are confused about the role that food should play in our lives. We use food for more than just satisfying our hunger. We eat when we are tired, anxious, sad, happy, or bored. We eat to celebrate and to mourn.

We are fortunate as a nation to have more food than we can eat. It is true that many people all over the world are starving. In the past there were always periods of feast and famine, and as a species we learned to eat when food was plentiful. That no longer serves us, but we continue to eat more food than we need, and in the United States we no longer worry about famines. The body is designed to survive. Eating lots of food today to prepare for scarcity tomorrow made sense as a survival mode for our ancestors, but it it make no sense today.

Eating need not be reflexive or simply the product of learned habits. We can change those habits. In the 1960s, we announced that “we are what we eat.” That is as true today as it was then. The question is what we choose to be and how that is reflected in the food we consume.

Eggplant Caponata

Eggplant caponata could be considered the Italian version of ratatouille. The major difference is that the French version is made with both eggplant and zucchini. The Italian version omits the zucchini. I eat caponata either cold or at room temperature and like to prepare it a day ahead so that the flavors can meld together.

Eggplant has a deep purple glossy color, although you can now find white or striped eggplant at the farmer's market. It is a member of the nightshade family of vegetables, which are usually not consumed on a macrotiotic diet. Other nightshade vegetables include tomatoes, potatoes, and sweet peppers. I like to think that if you are basically a healthy person there is no vegetable that does not provide some nutritional benefit. Individuals who suffer from arthritis usually steer clear of nightshades.

Eggplants have loads of vitamins and minerals including many phytonutrients. One interesting study has been done on laboratory animals who had high cholesterol. When these animals were fed eggplant juice, their cholesterol levels were lowered.

Buy eggplants that are firm and colorful. Do not cut them before you are ready to cook.

Caponata

Ingredients

1 large eggplant
2 TBS olive oil
1 red onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 large tomato, diced
3 TBS caper, drained
1/2 cup green olives, pitted and cut in half
2 TBS agave syrup or other sweetener of your choice
3 TBS red wine vinegar


1. Roast the eggplant in a 400 degree oven for approximately 1 hour or until soft. Let cool. Then peel and remove the meat of the eggplant and chop.

2. Heat the oil in the pan and saute the onion and celery. If you wish, you can add 1 clove of minced garlic after the onion softens.

3. Add pepper and eggplant and cook for another five minutes. If the pan gets dry, add another tablespoon of oil or some water.

4. Season the mixture with some salt and add the tomato. Cook for another 10 minutes.

5. Add the capers, olives, sweetener and vinegar. Cook an additional 10 minutes and taste for seasoning. If needed, add salt.

6. Cook for 30 more minutes on a very low flame. Keep an eye on the mixture so that it doesn't stick to the pan and stir it as necessary.

7. Cool and eat the next day at room temperature. Eat as a side dish or on toasted Italian bread slices as an appetizer.

Happy, healthy eating!

Memories of my Grandmother

I have many happy childhood memories around food. There’s my father’s spaghetti sauce and chop suey and my mother’s cold pickled salmon and meatball soup. But I will always have the fondest memories of the food my Jewish grandmother made. My bubbie (Yiddish for “grandmother”) emigrated from Eastern Europe at the end of the 19th century. She brought with her recipes of the foods of her culture and heritage. Every Friday evening, climbing the stairs to her apartment, I would be welcomed with the aromas of noodle kugel, chicken soup and apple babka. Upon entering her kitchen I was immediately embraced with the smells of brisket and potato knishes. And, of course, every good Jewish cook would have a pot of rendered chicken fat sitting on the stove.

Although I have not eaten those traditional ethnic foods for many decades, those first impressions of my bubbie cooking in the kitchen have been imprinted on my soul. I learned that cooking for one’s family is a loving and pleasurable experience and that the kitchen is the heart of the family home. I learned that cooking can be a magical experience where ingredients are transformed into something completely different and delectable. I learned that meals can be a joyful time when we not only feed our stomach but also our spirit. I learned that cooking is so much more than following a recipe—although following a recipe is a good way to get started. I learned that our personality comes through in the food that we cook and that when we apply all of our senses to cooking the results can be amazing. I learned that cooking is an enjoyable and creative experience that does not have to be difficult.

Even though I do not cook like my bubbie, I try to draw upon my Jewish roots. The traditional foods that she made represent my heritage and culture—something I do not want to lose. All cultures are, in one way or another, connected to nature. So, even though my grandmother cooked foods that I no longer find beneficial to my health, she cooked them in harmony with what was available to her at a particular season. And, that is what I try to do as I am creating new traditions for my children and future grandchildren. At the core of my cooking are fresh seasonal ingredients and I love to explore what each season’s harvest has in store for me. I eagerly anticipate the arrival of apples and pomegranates in the fall and love to recreate a healthier version of my grandmother’s apple cake.

We all have unique nutritional needs. The foods that our grandmothers cooked are not always the best choices for our health or lifestyle. When preparing a meal, I try to decide what flavors and textures of food I would like to eat. I can take a cultural preference, like a bowl of chicken soup with matzo balls, and figure out how to recreate the feelings that that food gave me. A desire for a bowl of hot chicken soup, which is very comforting and soothing, can be replaced by a bowl of millet sweet vegetable soup, which has the same effect on me. I choose to cook with a variety of foods that energize me, stimulate my mind, and are enriching to my soul--All the components that my grandmother used when cooking her food.

Cooking can become a very natural thing where every day is an opportunity to explore new ideas in the kitchen. I keep with me the memories of my grandmother and her cooking even as I try new things to make mealtime interesting and experiment with different foods, herbs and spices. Cooking was then and is now still an act of love.