Mike Asks:
I do have a couple questions. How does your new philosophy affect your restaurant? And how does it affect the way you cook? I would assume you are still tasting and testing recipes.
What a great question! A lot of things changed with my diagnosis with diabetes. Some people would look at it as a death sentence, especially as a chef. One thing I can tell you true is that if anything, the diagnosis has strengthened my position on local, sustainable. There is another aspect added to it, and that is the drastic reduction of carbohydrates from grains.
Note that I did not say the “elimination” of grains. This is important to the philosophy, lest people out there think I am some crackpot messaiah or looney hippie nutritionist freak.
One aspect of the lifestyle is the 80/20 balance. You will never be fully able to cut the grains out of your diet, and unless you face celiac or another kind of disease, you should not bust your head open over it. 80 means that 80% of the time you are on track, eating the primal way. 20% of the time, you don’t eat like it.
Now, you are supposed to aim for 100%, but 80% is a great space to be in.
How has this affected my cooking and restaurant? In leaps and bounds. I am now even more cautious as to what I put in my mouth. (Consequently into my belly!) I don’t need 2 large bowls of pasta and garlic bread for dinner anymore! I now eat more fruits, vegetables, and fats than before. I select things that are local as much as possible, (again, 80/20 principle)
I was recently asked to come up with a “healthy” menu for the Room Service menu of our hotel. Here is what I came up with, modelling from my new eating philosophy:
The Sante Menu – The Healthy Touch
Breakfast Items
Scrambled egg whites with steamed broccoli, seasonal local berries
Poached eggs on oven roasted tomatoes, sliced avocado, roasted asparagus spears
Gluten-free almond “power bar”
Protein smoothie with organic yogurt, a touch of local honey, seasonal fruit and berries
Lunch Items
Salad of organic spring greens with chopped seasonal vegetables, seasonal berries, crushed walnuts with your choice of dressings:
- Raspberry poppy seed dressing
- Creamy balsamic dressing
- Cranberry maple dressing
- Extra-virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar
Make your salad a lunchtime entree:
- Add a broiled salmon to the salad
- Add a grilled chicken breast
- Add hard boiled eggs
Salmon tartar with lime, ginger, chilies, coriander, watercress and cherry tomato salad
Grilled pink peppercorn chicken served over ginger and garlic sautéed seasonal vegetables
Dinner Items
Peppercorn crusted tenderloin of Angus beef served with grilled peppers, roasted broccoli crowns, cipolini onions, red wine reduction
Moroccan style chicken tagine over cauliflower “rice”
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I haven’t cut the grains out of my son’s diet – he still gets bread, rice and pasta in reasonable amounts (the kid has the metabolism of a rabid squirrel and, at 15, is growing so fast you can practically hear it) – but my husband and I have pretty much eliminated them in ours. I don’t miss them at all, but I never was much of a bread or pasta eater (although, admittedly, it took awhile to get used to not having rice), and I feel SO much better these days!
I love your menu, but am wondering why you have scrambled egg whites as an option instead of just simply scrambled eggs?
@Jan – Well, the answer to the question about egg whites comes from perception. We know that whole eggs are not the problem, but people still insist on ordering the insipid whites. Part of my job is to supply the demand, so I do not argue.