I've been reading "The End of Overeating" by David A. Kessler, MD this week. It features the subtle and shocking facts about how Americans have lost control over our eating habits. Kessler shows how sugar, fat and salt have changed our brains and our bodies, resulting in a cycle of desire and consumption that ends with a nation of overeaters.
As I read, I notice that my inclinations are very different from the people he describes - or, I've conditioned my brain to resist compulsively poor food choices. I simply do not have cravings, comfort foods, or excessive appetite - I just want to cook good food.
As a child I was unaccustomed to taste thrills - Mother did not like cooking for her family. Comfort was found in books, drawing, and exploring the outdoors. We spent summer afternoons at a cabin in the mountains, swimming, riding horses, and hiking in the mountains. I associate wholesome bowls of chili with the cabin, and memories of roasting marshmallows over a neighbor's campfire. Other than chili, there was no memorable food of any kind.
Over the years I've built a nutritional program that works for me, featuring nutritious food, the exquisite pleasures of ethnic cuisine, and the joy of experimentation. For me it isn't just one particular substance that could be the problem, like sugar, salt, or fat. One's food intake must be consciously considered, not a reaction to an outside stimulus like a commercial on TV. In other words, a meals (eating) is planned.
For a gardener, a meal is what you've been able to pull that morning from the garden.
Yesterday's breakfast was brussel sprouts, peas, onions, and zucchini, stir-fried with a little za'attar - the fragrance of thyme, oregano, and marjoram, tossed in the pan with a few dashes of olive oil. That was my meal...served with a small side-dish of oatmeal with pecans, currants, cinnamon and brown sugar.I don't restrict taste-thrills - I just limit the portion size if it contains sugar. Sugar is getting a bad reputation, but a little of it will always be part of my life because one cannot harvest huckleberries without thinking of pancakes; one cannot pick apples without smelling the cinnamon of a freshly baked pie. As Kessler states in his book, there are emotional relationships to the 'Food Equation', memories cherished over decades which endear us to a particular food. I love memories of huckleberries and apples -- I'm not keen on brussel sprouts, but will eat a plate-full partnered with a little oatmeal on the side. It is a balancing act, not one or the other, but both, carefully considered.
