If Only Our Eyes Were Bigger than Our Stomachs
We All Know Which Bowl Should Be Enough
I remember when I was a child that my parents always warned me against taking more food than I could possibly eat. They would say that my eyes were bigger than my stomach, meaning I’d want more than could possibly fit in my little tummy (in those days!) Unfortunately, as times have changed, and perhaps as our country has become more prosperous (current economic climate aside), we’ve been able to adjust our stomachs to accommodate the portion sizes our eyes have desired.
As reported at Beachbody.com, in the current issue of the “Annals of Internal Medicine” there are the results of a study that shows average portion sizes in cookbook recipes have increased with our stretching stomachs. Whereas portion sizes of recipes in the 1936 edition of the “Joy of Cooking” averaged 268 calories, in the 2006 edition of the same book, average recipe portions come in at 384 calories. You can’t blame the cookbooks for keeping up with current trends. Just look at the double and triple size portions we get at most restaurants. Not only have our stomachs grown larger, so have our eyes. In fact, they’re now running neck and neck.
If we want to lose weight, one of the easiest tricks nutritionists have been telling us for a while is to eat your meals from a smaller plate. The key here is not to shrink our portions so much as to shrink our perception of what a full meal should be. The good news is that if we follow this advice, we can look forward to leftovers when we cook these larger size recipes. Cook once, eat twice, further motivation for shrinking both our eyes and our stomachs.
The Egg is Back – And Just in Time
Lentils with an Egg and Escarole
For years, eggs were the scourge of nutritionists. The general sentiment was, eat an egg and you’re begging for an instant heart attack. There went all of those hearty, satisfying breakfasts, replaced by the nutritional wasteland of the giant bagel.
As with most of this scientific, nutrition advice, we’ve now come full circle. Scientists have realized that in moderation, and not accompanied by pounds of bacon and butter, the humble egg isn’t the dietary land mine as once feared. In fact, from a nutrition standpoint, eggs are pretty healthy for us. I’d say it’s just in time considering how they are one of the more economical protein sources we can eat.
You know you’ve hit the big time, foodie-wise, when you make it to the Best of the Year edition of “Bon Appetit”. In January’s issue, the Dish of the Year was declared to be “anything with an egg on top.” The influence of this declaration could be felt in one of my favorite cooking shows, “Top Chef” which just declared a winner last night. Throughout the competition I noticed many dishes that included eggs as a component or garnish, prominently on the plate.
And this is why an egg saved my dinner last night. I had planned on cooking the above pictured lentil recipe with a bit of grilled sausages on the side. But yesterday morning I realized it was Ash Wednesday and those sausages didn’t fall under the Catholic abstinence rules for the day. Not wishing to change my meal plan, and having no time to run to the store for alternative ingredients, it dawned on me that an egg would be the perfect, trendy substitute for the sausages. Joe and I had our fried eggs on top of the lentils, while the girls ate their eggs on the side. They were an excellent accompaniment to this savory meal, and were as quick and easy to prepare as sausages would have been. Hooray for the egg!
Indian Chicken Wrap – Photo of the Week 2/25/09
There’s nothing like changing up the routine to find a good meal. A friend and I took a little trip into the city for lunch yesterday. We found a lunch counter that served Indian/Pakistani food. We each ordered up the tandoori chicken on naan bread. It was served with a yogurt sauce, and I purchased a lassi (Indian yogurt drink) to go with it. I have no idea what the calorie count was, but I wasn’t hungry the rest of the afternoon. I like to believe it’s because I was filled with the experience and the different flavors. That’s my story, and I’m sticking with it.