Going retro… Logo lingerie completely optional
My American mom and sister will instantaneously recognise this cookbook cover. We all have a copy. I cooked through it during my third year of grad school - my first foray into using kitchen for what it was meant to be rather than storage. I was in great shape that year almost entirely due to this book. My then-boyfriend was in the best shape of his life. He says. To this day.
Great shape you ask? While eating from a book of “120 easy low-fat recipes”? Low fat? Are we not blaming majority of our eating and weight problems on the low-fat era? What about the current sugar hysteria?
All I can say I cooked through this book and it made me healthy and happy. Yes, the recipes included flour, pasta, grains, and a little bit of sugar. The book asked that you use egg whites instead of whole eggs. Or pour your olive oil in a spray bottle. Remember those days? But nowhere in the book you see fake fats, artificial sugars or denatured ingredients. No gimmicks or strange substitutions. Its about wholesome chicken soup with dumplings. Blackened catfish (my ex-boyfriend’s favourite). Or “twice-baked biscotti” which I made.. oh.. no more than 100 times that year (twice-baked biscotti is somewhat of a tautology since biscotti already means twice-baked.. never mind.. they taste great).
90’s get a really bad press in the nutrition world these days for attacking the fat. Yes, we know so much more about how important fats are for our hormones, skin, gut, and brain. Most of my clients will readily explain to me the difference between all those omegas. Or the importance of cholesterol. But the book made me think - maybe we shouldn’t blame the 90’s for watching the fat per se - if you are trying to lose weight you should probably keep an eye on both quantity and quality of fats you eat. It was rather crossing the line into the “no fatland” with its myriad of artificial foods. Quickly followed by our obsession with reading labels (nothing but a surface statistic)?
For all I know, twenty years from now we will be rolling our eyes at grain-free eating and stuffing our faces with ground nuts and seeds, and industrial quantities of dates? Who knows, we might even be rolling our eyes when it comes to avoiding sugar completely? Sounds almost impossible, right? Sugar is pure evil. Well, our brains need sugar. So does our nervous system. The good bacteria in our gut need sugar, too. There are nutritional theories that suggest keeping natural sugars such as honey and fruit even when fighting gut dysbiosis and candida - ask me if you want details.
My point here is not about fat or sugar or any other food but what we tend to do with nutritional advice. If they suggest limiting fat is good for you eliminating it completely must be even better? And if they suggest eating some superfood gorging on it makes me a better person.
Wait a minute. Is being critical at such absolutist but oh-so-human approach to food, health and diets going to help anyone? Probably not. Isn’t it the most natural thing in the world to classify things as good and bad? Why should food be any different? So I will stop shouting from my little soapbox pretending like I know what’s right or wrong. I don’t. Not in absolute terms. Only when it comes to a specific person with specific health concerns and eating habits. And even then it is all about common sense.
All I can say is that stumbling on my old cookbook turned out to be a mini eye-opener and a reminder of how dangerous formulaic thinking can be.
To finish, I will share one of my favourite recipes from the book: Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes. And to confuse you even more, I will tell you that when I am actually watching sugar, wheat, and dairy (sometimes I do!!!) I substitute chestnut flour for the regular flour, skip sugar altogether (because chestnut flour is pretty sweet) and add plain water with apple cider vinegar instead of yogurt.
Here, I have just done a full 180 on you guys! But it’s all about common sense, remember...
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Lemon-Poppy Seed Pancakes
Recipe By : Jane Fonda, Cooking for Healthy Living
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:25
Categories : Breads Breakfast
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1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup nonfat milk
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center.
In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, yogurt, egg whites, lemon juice and lemon zest.
Pour the milk mixture into the well in the flour mixture and stir to mix well.
Coat a griddle or a large nonstick frying pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Place over medium-high heat until hot. The griddle is the right temperature when water dropped on the surface bounces and dances. If the water evaporates immediately the griddle is too hot; if the water sits still, the griddle is not hot enough.
Spoon the batter in scant 1/3 cup portions onto the hot griddle to make 12 pancakes. Flip each pancakes when the surface is covered with tiny bubbles, about 3 minutes. Cook until the bottom is golden brown, about 2 minutes more.
To serve, divide among 4 individual plates. One serving is 3 pancakes.
Nutritional Analysis per Serving: Calories 298; Total fat 2g; Saturated fat 0g; Protein 10g; Cholesterol 1mg; Carb 59g; Sodium 478mg; Dietary fiber 1g;
Calories from fat 6%
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