Food Health Weathercast

Anyone who finds it hard to believe that science is still light years away from knowing everything, you only need to take one look at nutritional science of the not-so-recent past. Especially lately, the nutritional recommendations have been changing at such a breathtaking, ever-accelerating speed that it’s simply impossible to ever know whether the latest bit of research finally holds any truth on whatever it focuses on, if it applies to a person with similar genetic background as yours, and whether the foodstuffs used in the research are similar to the ones you’re used to.

One recent example: it has been common knowledge for a long time that charring your steaks and vegetables produces a lot of carcinogenic substances which cause cancer when eaten regularly.

Until now.

 

The ever-changing nutritional science would leave anybody baffled with what we should or shouldn't eat

A Swedish study recently found that while carcinogenic substances indeed get created when steaks get their saliva-inducing streaks on the grill, the amounts are so low that they’re absolutely insignificant as to be dangerous. (Whether eating a leg of chicken with its marinade burned to a nice solid black is a marvellous culinary experience is a different matter.) Likewise, it has been known for some time now that the crust of the bread contains multiple times as many antioxidants as the fluffy inside.

Finds such as these are not uncommon. Some time ago a research showed that black rye bread, long having been touted as a much healthier option to bread made out of wheat flour of any kind, is actually not at all healthier than any bread made out of whole grains (like rye bread most often is).

All this, of course, affects the way people think about nutrition. Some years ago fats of any kind seemed to be considered unhealthy because they fatten you, so consuming so called “light” products was obviously healthier. It is, of course, now a little more commonly known that fats are essential. Just not saturated fats.

Except some saturated fats might not be as unhealthy. The reasearch is still out for whether the fat in the meat of grass-fed cows is healthier than that of corn-or soy-fed cows.

And, on a related note, some unsaturated fats might be unhealthy. Some time ago I overheard a couple of supermarket staffers discuss how they’d been thinking of switching from regular dairy products to soy milk products, because they’re so much healthier. But it is now known that the balance between different kinds of essential fatty acids (Omega-3 and Omega-6) has changed enormously in the last hundred years due to eating soy, corn and sunflower oil, among other things, or feeding livestock with soy and corn. This might be a cause for cardiovascular diseases. Maybe.

If there’s a conclusion to be drawn from all the nutrition research, it is this:

• It’s best to eat as many different types of food as possible, raw and cooked.
• Eat everything in moderation, including food supplements and the total amount of calories obtained from your diet.
• The less processed the food the better.
• Vegetables should dominate.
• A serving, two at most, of alcohol should be consumed every day.
• Make absolutely sure that you enjoy the food you eat.

And if, while following that advise, something in your diet doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. What’s good for someone might as good as lethal to someone else. If you feel better leaving out wheat, meat or beet, why keep on eating them?

Eat the Ostrich

The first time I ever had ostrich was right where these round, flightless, tiny-brained and hugely sympathetic birds come from: in Africa. Ever since then, the culinary world has seen an ostrich boom, and by now it has become a common alternative to the other well-known types of red meat.

Rich in proteins and iron and low in fat (1–2g per 100g of meat), the fat that it has mostly consists of polyunsaturated fatty acids (as compared with saturated fats, in case you’re hysterical with the types of fat you’re stuffing down). This means it’s healthy. Not only is the nutritional content ideal, but its short muscle fibers also allow for much easier digestion. The high glycogen content also makes the flavour of ostrich quite sweet, and thus creates a perfect contrast with vegetables or rocket.

Add to this the fact that with its tiny head dangling at the end of its thin neck, and its huge body (about 90–130 kg) held in the air by its straw-strength legs, it looks like it’s the walking meat factory of the bird species, whose looks just scream “eat me!” (Although the meat yield is actually quite low, which has kept the price relatively high.) For me, ostrich was the first bit of red meat I’d had in eight years.

Fast forward to a couple of years later, to Montreal, Canada. I had ostrich in two different restaurants, both BYOB – bring your own bottle, as is customary there. Two very different approaches, the other one very rustic and old-fashioned, the other one modern and stylish. Both delicious. I was sold.

Ostrich with Endives (serves 2)

300g Ostrich Fillet
3 Endives
1dl Cream
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
1 tbsp Corn Starch for thickening

Boil the endives in salted water, outer green leaves removed, until just done. Cut in half. Dry. Cut the ostrich in 1cm slices. Heat the olive oil on pan. Quickly fry the slices with the endives. Add the cream and the thickening. Boil until thickened. Serve with some South African red wine to make the birdy feel at home.

The Healthiest Diet: Food.

Unhappy Meals

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

[...] A little meat won’t kill you, though it’s better approached as a side dish than as a main. And you’re much better off eating whole fresh foods than processed food products. That’s what I mean by the recommendation to eat ‘food.’ Once, food was all you could eat, but today there are lots of other edible foodlike substances in the supermarket. These novel products of food science often come in packages festooned with health claims, which brings me to a related rule of thumb: if you’re concerned about your health, you should probably avoid food products that make health claims. Why? Because a health claim on a food product is a good indication that it’s not really food, and food is what you want to eat.

– Michael Pollan, NY Times, January 28th, 2007