How to Cook (Or at Least Talk) Like a “Top Chef”

Bill and I love to watch the show “Top Chef”.  My mother, however, doesn’t care for the show.  Her complaint is “how do I know if what they’re making is any good if I can’t actually taste it?”  Fair enough.  But we love watching it for the entertainment as much as the cooking.  We love the show so much that when we heard one of our favorite contestants, Fabio from season 5, was going to be appearing at a private event at Cooper’s Hawk, we knew we had to go.   Fabio was always hilarious on the show (for example: http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/videos/fabios-shattered-finger) and we were not disappointed at the event!  Here’s Bill and I with Fabio below:

I think one of the reasons I personally like "Top Chef" is because I work in the restaurant industry and I love to cook.  And let me tell you, working in a restaurant whether in the kitchen or dining room, is no cake-walk, so I appreciate what they are going through when they are under pressure in the competitions!

Ok, so here’s the thing though that I don’t particularly enjoy about the show.  They sometimes use big fancy words or chef lingo that not everyone understands.  It never fails that Bill will pause the show and ask me something like this:  “What does six lobsters all day mean? What’s all day?”  I explained to Bill that “all day” basically means the total amount of what is needed right now.  Satisfied with my answer, we resume watching the show.  Ten minutes later he pauses the show again (no, I’m not annoyed) and asks “what’s aioli mean again?” to which I reply “a mayonnaise-based sauce.”  Resume show.

In all fairness, there are plenty of times when I don’t know what they are talking about either. (Chiffonade?  Isn’t that wedding dress material!)  So to help everyone out (and prevent further pausing during the show), here is just a small sample of some of the most common terms we hear over and over on “Top Chef”:

Chiffonade – French term that literally means “in rags”.  It refers to a method of slicing food into thin strips, usually a leafy green such as lettuce or basil.

Sous Vide – Another French term which means “under vacuum”.  It’s a cooking method where the food is sealed in plastic bags in a water bath for longer than normal cooking times, at a much lower temperature.  The intention is to cook the food evenly and keep it moist.  Sous-vide works for both meats and vegetables.

Chutney – A condiment that contains, in its basic form, fruit, vinegar, sugar and spices.  Chutney originates from India and other South Asian countries.  Flavors range from coriander to mango (a Top Chef favorite) to peanut and can vary in degree of sweetness and spiciness.

Confit – In general terms, confit simply means to preserve.  It applies to both fruits preserved in sugar and meats preserved in their own fat.  Meat confit is more common and popular choices include duck, goose and pork.  The meat is first salted and seasoned and then slowly cooked while submerged in its own rendered fat.  It is preserved by allowing it to cool and be stored in the fat.

Demi-Glace – A rich, flavorful sauce that is made by mixing half basic brown sauce (espagnole) and half brown stock.   The term comes from the French word glace, which used in reference to a sauce means “icing” or “glaze”.  Demi-glace can be used by itself or it is often the base of other sauces, and is almost always paired with red meat.

Now go on and whip together some duck confit with a veal demi-glace, a garnish of mango chutney and chiffonade basil, and a side of sous-vide carrots!  What time should we be over?

Carbonated Waters – Clearing Up a Murky Topic

This past weekend, as I was stretching after a grueling training session with my fiancé’s cousin, he asked me if tonic water was the “healthiest” alcohol mixer.  Apparently, his student athletes (he’s the assistant strength and conditioning coach at a local university) were wondering what the healthiest way to get drunk was! 

My first response naturally was “ Ew. Tonic water is gross!”, but I quickly followed up with “I think tonic water has sodium in it…or is that soda water?”  Point is, I could not remember for the life of me which water was which and it drove me nuts.  So nuts, that I went straight home and looked up the answer.

The fact is, this topic has always confused me.  For instance, when a customer at the restaurant I work at asks for sparkling water, is it ok to bring them soda water?  Can I use mineral water as a drink mixer?  And what exactly is tonic water anyways?

So here it is broken down for you (and for me).  Hopefully this makes it clear as….well, water (not well-water)!

Tonic Water – Artificially carbonated water, in which quinine (a pharmaceutical) is dissolved, giving it its bitter taste.  It’s called tonic water because it was originally used as medicinal drink to ward off malaria.  Today’s tonic water has much less quinine in it, so it is less bitter and it’s often sweetened with corn syrup or sugar.  It is widely used as an alcohol mixer and its bitter taste pairs best with gin.  An 8oz glass of tonic water has about 95 calories, 33 milligrams of sodium and 25 grams of sugar.

Sparkling  Water – An all-encompassing term used to describe any carbonated water (except tonic).  It includes the following:

Club Soda – An artificially carbonated soft drink that has trace amounts of potassium bicarbonate or potassium sulfate (salts) added to it.  It is also widely used as an alcohol mixer.  An 8oz glass of soda water contains 0 calories, 50 milligrams of sodium and 0 grams of sugar.

Seltzer Water – Not widely consumed, seltzer water is simply artificially carbonated water that does not contain any added minerals or salts.  It is named after the German town Selters, which was famous for its springs.  It can be used interchangeably with club soda.  An 8 oz glass of seltzer water contains 0 calories, 0 grams of sodium and 0 grams of sugar.

Mineral Water – Water that contains naturally-occurring carbonation and minerals such as salts and sulfur compounds.  Perrier, San Pelligrino and La Croix are popular examples.  It is bottled directly from a natural source, which makes it less fizzy than the artificially carbonated waters.  Also, because it is natural it tends to be more expensive and its mineral taste makes it unsuitable for mixing with alcohol. An 8 oz glass of plain mineral water contains 0 calories, 5 milligrams of sodium and 0 grams of sugar.

I hope this clears up any confusion and answers the question of those athletes and anyone else who is looking for a healthy alcohol mixer.  Club soda is the sparkling winner!  Cheers!

Does Your Community Promote Your Health?

For the past week and a half, in my public health course (which I love by the way), we have been discussing social determinants of health.  In other words, how things such as income and education can be an indicator of our health.  Back in the 1960’s and 70’s a study known as the Whitehall Study was conducted in the United Kingdom.  It compared the mortality of people in the highly stratified environment of the British Civil Service.  It found that the lower grades, or lower status, were clearly associated with higher prevalence of significant risk factors. 

We have been watching a documentary in class called Unnatural Causes that focuses on these same issues in the United States.  The wealthier you are, the higher-powered your job is and the more education you have, the healthier you will be and the longer you will live.  This concept is known as the wealth-health gradient.  As part of an assignment correlating to the movie, we had to answer the following question: “Do the conditions in your community promote or hinder healthy choices?” 

I know that I am fortunate to live in a neighborhood that promotes healthy living, and that the majority of people do not have the opportunities that I have.  My neighborhood is safe and well kept.  I can go for a run outside.  Kids can play at the playground at the park.  There are grocery stores with fresh produce that are accessible.  There are local businesses like restaurants, chiropractic offices and yoga studios.  What there isn’t a lot of is fast-food restaurants, and abandoned buildings, broken street lights and crime.

 I live in a blue-collar neighborhood, mainly cops, firemen and teachers, who all make a decent living.  The elementary school is the center of the neighborhood and is one of the best in the city.  Which brings me to my point (yes, I do have one).  Tonight at the elementary school was Family Fit Night, which was hosted by the Parent Teacher Association’s Wellness Committee.  Staley the Bear, the Chicago Bear’s mascot, was there to talk about healthy living to the kids.  He took pictures with them and signed autographs.  There were breakout sessions set up for both the kids and the parents.  Kids could choose between yoga, karate, tobacco and drug prevention and a fruits and vegetable class.  Parents had options of weight loss or chiropractic and massage therapy.  Purple Asparagus, a non-profit organization, was there as well offering parents healthy snack options for their kids.  It was an incredible event and both the parents and the kids seemed to really enjoy it. 

As I looked around though there was one thing I kept noticing.  Everyone there seemed to already be healthy!  I saw maybe two kids that looked a little overweight, and the majority of the adults were of average weight with several looking like they were in great shape!  I started to think back to my assignment.  This was exactly the point:  a community that supports and promotes healthy living and in turn, the residents all appear to be healthy!  

Of course my mind goes back to the social determinants and I wonder if these types of events are happening in other schools in other neighborhoods, neighborhoods that may need this service more than mine.  I asked the Chicago Bears representative and she said yes, they do their program all over the city.  I spoke with the owner of Purple Asparagus and she also said they hold their classes in many neighborhood schools. 

Still, I wonder if these types of classes or events are enough to make much of a change in the health of a less-fortunate community.  How many of those schools have an active PTA, let alone a Wellness Committee that indicates the value they place on health?  What happens outside of school?  What about the bigger picture?  How is our society impeding or improving the conditions of these communities?  Should our government be doing something to eliminate the wealth-health gradient? 

But more importantly, what am I doing about it?

   

Too Fat to Graduate?

Can you imagine being told that you were too fat to graduate from college?  That could never happen right? Well that is exactly what is happening at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.  In 2006 the school board decided to measure the Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference of all incoming freshmen, to determine if they are overweight or not.  Any student that is determined overweight is required to complete a one-semester course called "Fitness for Life" that meets for three hours a week. 

James DeBoy, chairman of the school's Department of Health and Physical Education, stated in a 2009 article on http://www.cnn.com/  that the requirement is "just like courses to help students' communications or math proficiency."  And that "as educators, we must tell students when we believe, in our heart of hearts, that certain factors, certain behaviors, attitudes, whatever, are going to hinder that student from achieving and maximizing their life goals."

There has been a great deal of criticism from students and outsiders alike, claiming that this is discrimination, and I agree.  First of all, why is it that just those who are deemed overweight have to take this course?  All of the university's students could benefit from the knowledge gained in this course and they should have the opportunity to take it if they so choose.  However, the university claims "a lack of resources" is the reason they are allowing (or should I say forcing) only the overweight students to enroll. 

Also, I know that obesity is a hot topic right now, but why is the school board only concerned with weight?  Why not make all the students who smoke, take a class on the dangers of smoking before they can graduate?  Shouldn't they find those students who abuse alcohol and demand that they attend AA sessions? Aren't these also hindering factors and behaviors that Mr. Deboy is so concerned about?  Yes, the dangers and risks of obesity are real, but weight is not the only aspect of health.  I'd be willing to bet that plenty of Lincoln University's "skinny" students are leading unhealthy lives.

If Lincoln University really wants to their students to be healthy they should focus on the community, as a whole.  I question what they are serving in their cafeterias and what kind of snacks and drinks are available in their vending machines?  Is the campus surrounded by fast food chains or is there a decent grocery store nearby?  And what about the faculty and staff? Are they being held to the same standards as the students?  I dare them to implement a rule that mandates health education in order to ensure an overweight professor's tenure!

Now, don't get me wrong.  I do believe that there is a place for health education in schools.  In fact, I think they have a social responsibility to create, encourage and support a healthy environment for their students through some of the strategies I mentioned above.  However, the policy that Lincoln University has implemented takes it too far and frankly is a little frightening.  If they can do this, just imagine what is next! Hopefully my next blog won't be titled: Too Fat for a Promotion?

Triggers

Hi Everyone!

Well after stuffing myself at dinner the other night for Bill's birthday, I got myself back on track with eating right and working out the last few days.  My average stats for the last three days were:

Calories burned: 1986
Calories consumed: 1233
Calorie balance: -753

Now, I know some people may think that 1233 calories per day is not a lot but I promise you, I am not going to bed hungry!  Keep in mind, I am not in a maintenance mode, but in a weight-loss mode.  If anyone is curious about how many calories they should be consuming each day, let me know and I'll be happy to help you calculate it.  Also, there are some good websites out there that will do it for you including http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/calorie-calculator/NU00598.  There is also one for women only from Self magazine at http://www.self.com/calculatorsprograms/calculators/calorieneeds that is great as well!

As hinted to earlier, restaurants can be sabotaging to healthy eating habits, but what else causes you to stray from (or ditch altogether) eating healthy?  Personally, I tend to eat a lot when I am bored and my hormones turn me into a human garbage disposal!    If it is stress that triggers your eating, try doing something to calm you, like yoga or taking a hot bath.  If you are bored and find yourself snacking in front of the television or on Facebook, or mindlessly grazing in the kitchen, ask yourself: Am I really hungry?  Chances are you're not.  Instead of snacking, find something to occupy your time that will help your efforts in being healthy, like going for a walk or making a trip to the gym.  Whatever it is, it is important to be able to recognize what your triggers are so that you can be aware of when they are kicking in, and know how to handle them.

What are your triggers and what do you do to fight them off? 

Best,

Meghan

Welcome!

Hey Everyone!

So the reason I'm writing this blog is two-fold.  1). I am trying to lose weight and thought this would help me stay accountable.  2).  Nutrition and food are two of my interests (I'm currently working on my Masters Degree in Nutrition) and I wanted an outlet to share facts, current events and tidbits of information with everyone as well as to generate discussions on the topic.

Ok so yesterday was not a good day for me as far as eating because I went out to dinner....major calories!  I did work out though so that helped.  Here are my stats for yesterday:

Calories consumed: 2425    
Calories burned: 2129
Calorie balance: + 296

Obviously a positive balance is not what you want if you are trying to lose weight, and going out to eat will almost always jack up your calories consumed.  In fact, of those 2425 I consumed yesterday, 1800 were from my dinner out!  Today I need to make up for that surplus by either working out longer or lowering my intake...we'll see how it goes!

The one piece of advice I could give to those of you who are trying to lose weight is to keep a food journal!  You can work your butt off in the gym but if you do not control what you are eating you will not see the results you want!  Most people greatly underestimate the amount of calories they intake everyday so I strongly recommend measuring and weighing your food, and writing it down everyday.  An online food journal that I used to use is www.sparkpeople.com.  It is an awesome resource and best of all it is free!  It may seem like a hassle to do this but it really does not take that much time or effort and it will be worth it when you see the scale start to change!

Feel free to comment or share ideas....I want this to be a collaborative effort!

Best,

Meghan