Wizard Recipes

Farming methods are rapidly evolving. New foods and novel ingredients are continuously being introduced into the marketplace. Pesticides and fertilizers are used to increase yields.

Genetic engineering potentially can produce safer, more nutritious, and cheaper forms of foods. Substitutes (such as sugar, fat, and salt substitutes) enable some people to eat foods that would otherwise endanger their health.

However, not everyone would agree that these changes are an advance because many have been accompanied by uncertainty and, in some instances, controversy. What about additives? Organic foods? Irradiated foods? What does it mean when a food is enriched or fortified? Read on.

What About Pesticides?

Pesticides and modern pest management practices have helped to ensure that we have a reliable, affordable, varied, nutritious, and safe food supply. Pesticides are chemicals that kill or prevent the growth of weeds (herbicides), bacteria (disinfectants and antibiotics), molds and fungi (fungicides), and harmful insects (insecticides).

Some pesticides occur naturally in soil, whereas others are found in compounds isolated from particular plants. Many farmers try to control pests in the most effective, least disruptive manner by practicing what is known as integrated pest management.

This approach includes companion planting with plants that contain natural pesticides, crop rotation, use of sterile strains of insects or insect pheromones (to alter reproduction patterns and thereby reduce the insect population), natural insect predators, pest-resistant plant strains, mathematical forecasting techniques, and, when necessary, chemical pesticides.

Should you worry about pesticide residues? The answer is a qualified “no.” The upper limit of the amount of pesticide residue permitted on both raw and processed foods has been carefully established and is enforced by several government agencies.

These upper limits are far less than the levels of exposure that are considered harmful. However, to reduce your exposure to pesticide residues further, you can take the following steps:

• Carefully select the produce you buy (avoid cuts, holes, or signs of decay).
• Thoroughly wash all produce with water (not soap) to remove surface residues.
• Scrub carrots and potatoes and other root vegetables thoroughly. Wash other fresh fruits and vegetables with a brush. Resist the temptation to peel apples, pears, cucumbers, potatoes, and other produce with edible skin, because peeling removes a valuable source of fiber.
• Remove the outer leaves (and any inner leaves that appear to be damaged) from leafy vegetables such as lettuce and cabbage.
• Eat a variety of foods rather than large amounts of a single food.

Losing body fat and keeping it off are not easy. Losing weight and then maintaining a healthful weight require collaboration with knowledgeable health care professionals.

Obesity is not only a medical issue but also is a lifestyle issue. Your habits can help you maintain a desirable body weight or they can hamper your efforts to lose weight or even cause you to gain further weight.

The types and amounts of food you eat and the exercise you perform will determine whether you gain, lose, or maintain your weight. Therefore, experts recommend that any weight loss program should consist of three main components: nutrition, exercise (or activity), and behavior modification.

Nutrition

Liquid meals, over-the-counter diet pills, and special combinations of foods promising to “burn” fat are not the answers to long-term weight control and better health. Learning to eat differently-to enjoy a well-balanced diet of fewer calories- is the best strategy to achieve health and weight goals.

You should begin by substituting the words “healthful nutrition program” for “diet.” Most people try to lose weight by eating 1,000 to 1,500 calories a day.

In many instances, eating fewer than 1,400 calories makes it difficult to eat a balanced diet containing the recommended levels of nutrients. Therefore, nutrition programs that are too low in calories may be hazardous to your health.

You can lose weight by eating fewer calories or by increasing exercise. A caloric deficit of 3,500 calories is required to lose 1 pound of fat. Over 7 days, this can be achieved by cutting 500 calories each day from your usual food intake or by cutting 250 calories each day (such as one or two fewer cookies) and burning an additional 250 calories with exercise (such as by walking briskly for 30 minutes).

The good news is that a relatively small loss of weight can make a big difference in reducing the risk of health complications from obesity. Even a 10 percent weight loss can lead to improvement in your blood sugar level, lipid values, and blood pressure.

Once this degree of weight loss has been achieved, further weight loss goals can then be set, if needed. Rather than aiming for an “ideal” weight, which may not be achievable or desirable, focus on achieving and maintaining a healthful weight.

It is helpful to review the energy density of the food consumed. Fat contains 9 calories/gram, protein 4 calories/gram, and carbohydrates 4 calories/gram. Alcohol contributes 7 calories/gram.

For most people, the volume of food consumed determines how full you feel. Therefore, eating a small amount of an energy-dense food (such as fat) is usually not filling, whereas eating a large enough amount to fill you up results in a very large calorie intake.

To lose weight, decrease your total calories by cutting back on the fat while filling up on low-calorie high-nutrient foods such as vegetables, fruits, and grains. You also can eat lower-fat versions of foods. However, be careful, because low-fat is not always lowcalorie.

Healthful eating habits also avoid the feast or famine phenomenon. Distributing food selections throughout the day provides nourishment to support daily activities and can help to eliminate energy highs and lows. Three meals and occasional snacks also keep one’s appetite in check.

It is also important to avoid the hazards of repeatedly losing and gaining weight. Although repeated dieting is still a matter of debate, some studies suggest that it may lower the rate at which calories are burned.

When a person is off the diet and more food is eaten, the body stores fat faster and more efficiently. This effect causes regain of the lost weight. In this circumstance, the amount of weight regained often is more than that lost in the first place.

Plan menus so that each meal complements what you plan to eat later in the day or what you have eaten earlier in the day. Include plant-based entrées as often as possible.

Examples that can result in satisfying meatless meals include pasta with marinara sauce and lots of vegetables, stir-fried vegetables with tofu over rice, or lentil soup with a side dish containing grains, beans, or vegetables. Plant-based entrées can be tasty, filling, and nutritious.

When you choose to eat meat, fish, or poultry, remember that your goal is to eat 6 ounces or less per day. If you ate meat for lunch, appropriately decrease your dinner portion.

Avoid red meats that contain a large amount of fat. Instead, emphasize poultry or fish. When you eat red meat, choose a “choice” grade and a cut from the loin or round, because these generally are the leanest types of meat.

The skin on poultry holds in moisture and flavor during cooking.However, the skin is high in fat and calories. Contrary to popular belief, the skin does not need to be removed before cooking. There is minimal fat absorption if the skin is left on. Just make sure to remove the skin before the poultry is eaten.

Many fish are low in fat. Those that are not low in fat generally contain omega-3 fatty acids that may help prevent heart disease. However, remember, all fats are high in calories, so the less fat added during cooking, the better.

Condiments and sauces can add nutrition and enhance flavor. Keep in mind, however, that some are high in fat, sodium, and calories. An example of a high-fat sauce is gravy over mashed potatoes.Instead, try sprinkling mashed potatoes with garlic or other herbs.

When choosing a topping, look for a lower-fat alternative. If none are available, then use less of the original topping. Sliced, chopped, or puréed vegetables can make a nourishing low-fat condiment. Fruits are a delicious complement to almost any meal. They can top meats, enrich salads, or be served for dessert.

A dessert can be a pleasant end to a healthful meal. However, a dessert should not be an “extra.” Be sure it is included in your overall meal plan. Make the dessert a bonus by emphasizing fruit, whole grains, and lower-fat items. If you do not have a recipe that emphasizes fruits and whole grains, look for one that can be readily modified.

Sorbets and low-fat frozen yogurts or ice creams are good choices. Even cookies, pies, cakes, and chocolates have their place. However, remember, because these desserts generally are high in fat and sugar, they are at the pinnacle of the Food Guide Pyramid. Therefore, they should be the exception rather than the rule.

If you plan to eat a dessert, take a small portion. If you are preparing a dessert for a special occasion, make just enough to serve you and your guests. Leftover dessert is a powerful temptation.

With a little thought and planning, you know what foods to emphasize and what foods to limit.

Fat. Does the word make you cringe? Fat is bad, bad, bad . . . isn’t it? Eating fat makes us overweight, gives us heart attacks, causes cancer, wrecks our health . . . doesn’t it? If it says “fat free,” it must be healthy . . . isn’t that true?

Yet, if fat is so bad, how is it that in certain Mediterranean regions such as the Greek island of Crete during the 1950s, where heart disease and other chronic disease rates were startlingly low, fat consumption was about equal to fat consumption in America?

Cretans during this time in history were among the longest-lived people in the world. Yet their diet was full of fat.

According to researcher Ancel Keys, Cretans consumed 3 to 4 ounces (or about 1?2 cup) of olive oil per day, per person.That’s a lot of fat! Keys reported that the people of Crete drenched their salads in it, dunked their bread in it, poured it on their potatoes.

Some Cretan farmers even drank a wineglass full of the stuff for breakfast! Why weren’t the people on this tiny island suffering from the same health problems as Americans during the 1950s and 1960s, those health problems we’ve been told had (and still have) everything to do with too much fat in our diets?

Perhaps Crete is an anomaly? Yet studies from other countries reveal similarly striking results. Heart disease rates in the southern, or rather the Mediterranean, regions of Italy, Spain, and France were also remarkably low, even though percentage of fat calories varied greatly around the region.

Yet not every country could get away with fat consumption to the degree enjoyed in the Mediterranean. Keys’s studies of fat consumption and diet also included Finland, the country with the most coronary heart disease and the shortest life spans in Europe.

Keys examined middle-aged men in Finland to determine why coronary heart disease was so common in this country, even among men who were thinner and more physically fit than many of the overweight, less fit American men in Keys’s studies. Blood cholesterol levels of the Finnish men proved to exceed average levels in American men.

Subsequent dietary surveys revealed that the typical diet in Finland was extremely high in saturated fat. According to Keys, meals included “great mounds of butter,” and it was not unusual to see “grown men down a couple of glasses of rich milk.” Keys also relates watching Finnish loggers take “slabs of cheese the size of slices of sandwich bread, smear them a quarter of an inch deep with butter and eat them with a beer as an after-sauna snack.”

Other studies conducted by Keys revealed that among patients with very high blood cholesterol levels, diets very low in fat produced dramatic drops in cholesterol levels within one week, and studies examining the effects of different types of fatty acids-saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated-on blood cholesterol levels revealed that saturated fatty acids tended to raise blood cholesterol levels the most.

It would seem, then, that the type of dietary fat, not just fat in general, is specifically related to the risk of developing coronary heart disease and other chronic diseases. Does this mean some fat is “good” and some fat is “bad”? That we should eat all of one and none of the other?

Actually, the fat issue is a complex one, and not simply a matter of “bad” and “good,” as the media often imply. For instance, just because the Cretans drowned their food in olive oil doesn’t mean we can do the same and remain slim with unclogged arteries. The residents of rural Crete had far more active lifestyles than most Americans today.

Also, scientists now know that fat per se isn’t bad. On the contrary, fat is beneficial and even necessary to a healthy, fully functioning body. However, certain types of fat in differing proportions do apparently tend to be more or less beneficial to health.

Americans eat a lot of saturated fat, mostly from animal sources. The residents of Crete during the days of Ancel Keys’s research were eating almost all their fat from plant sources, namely olive oil.

What’s the difference? While oil of any type is 100 percent fat and has the same number of calories as any other oil, each oil or fat type has a different composition-its own ratio of saturated to monounsaturated to polyunsaturated fatty acids.

And the fatty acid makeup of an oil appears to make all the difference. The fatty acid composition in, say, a cheeseburger, is far different from the fatty acid composition of a calorie-equivalent portion of olive oil.

Let’s look back at Greece. According to Keys, at the time of his research, the general Greek population received approximately 20 percent of their calories from olive oil alone, with total fat intake ranging around 35 percent. (People living on the island of Crete had total fat intakes exceeding 40 percent of daily calories, again, mostly in the form of olive oil, as reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.)

Keys describes the rural Greeks, who were accustomed to traditional eating habits and who couldn’t afford richer foods, as “remarkably healthy.” The wealthier population of Athens, on the other hand, tended to eat food more inspired by the French school of cooking (more prevalent in non-Mediterranean, northern France), which is relatively heavy on butter and cream compared to olive oil.

Although no study has proven a direct correlation between these varied diets in Greece and heart disease, Keys could not “help but mention” that Athens had no shortage of wealthy coronary heart disease patients.

Keys’s observations significantly complicate the simplified message Americans have been accustomed to hearing over the past fifteen years or so: that fat is bad and we should eat less of it.

Fat is not “bad.” We need fat to function. The trick is how to consume it in a way that maximizes our health and gives us the best possible protection against chronic diseases like coronary heart disease and cancer

In order to stay healthy, we must consume a varied diet that contains all the essential nutrients. In addition, we must limit our intake of foods that can be harmful in large quantities. Although researchers still have much to learn about nutrition and our knowledge is constantly changing,there is strong evidence about what good eating patterns are.

According to government health agencies, the following guidelines are suggested for maintaining a healthful diet. It should be noted that these are only general recommendations for people who are already healthy and want to stay that way. They are not necessarily for those who need special diets because of disease or other abnormal conditions.

1. Getting Adequate Nutrients Within Calorie Needs

The greater the variety of nutrient-dense foods and beverages within and among the basic food groups we consume, the more likely we are to get all the nutrients we need. Choosing nutrient-dense foods and avoiding empty calories is necessary in order for us to get adequate nutrition without consuming too many calories in the process. Choose foods that limit the intake of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, salt,and alcohol.

2. Managing Weight

To maintain a healthy body weight, balance the calories you consume with the calories you burn. People who are greatly overweight are more likely to develop certain chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. People who consume more calories than they burn off will gain weight.

To prevent gradual weight gain, make small decreases in the calories you consume and increase your physical activity. Rather than depending on crash diets, it is usually better to lose weight slowly and gradually, to develop better habits of eating, and to increase physical activity.

To get all the nutrients you need while cutting down on calories, cut down on foods that are high in calories but low in nutrients, especially fat and fatty foods, sugar and sweets and alcohol.

3. Engaging in Physical Activity

Engaging in regular physical activity promotes health, psychological well-being, and a healthy body weight. For general health and reducing the risk of chronic diseases, getting at least 30 minutes of moderately vigorous exercise every day is desirable, and more and longer vigorous exercise can be even more beneficial.

In order to avoid gaining weight, adults should try to get 60 minutes of exercise most days, while at the same time not consuming too many calories. For those who wish to lose weight gradually,try to get 60 to 90 minutes of exercise most days, again while limiting calorie intake.

4. Selecting from the Right Food Groups

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat-free milk and milk products are the foods with the highest nutrient density. These foods should be strongly emphasized in a healthy diet. In particular, someone who consumes 2,000 calories a day should try to eat the following daily:

• 2 cups (4 servings) of fruit, selecting from a variety of fruits.
• 21?2 cups (5 servings) of vegetables, selected from as many of the basic vegetable groups as possible: dark green vegetables, orange vegetables, legumes, starchy vegetables and others.
• 3 servings of whole grains.
• 3 cups of fat-free or low-fat milk or its equivalent in other dairy products, such as yogurt and cheese.

In the United States, these food groups, along with others including meats, poultry, and fish, form what is known as the food guide pyramid.

5. Manage Consumption of Fats

Keep total fat intake between 20 and 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils. This means that for a diet of 2,000 calories daily, calories from fat should be between 400 and 700.

Why not lower than 20 percent? Remember that some fatty acids are essential nutrients, and fats also carry fat-soluble vitamins. Consuming less fat than 20 percent of daily calories could be unhealthy.

Keep consumption of saturated fats, especially trans fats, as low as possible.Consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids.Consume less than 300 mg of cholesterol per day.

When selecting and preparing meat, poultry,dry  beans and milk or milk products, make choices that are lean, low-fat, or fat-free.

Remember: High fat intake, especially of saturated fats and cholesterol, is associated with such conditions as heart disease and high blood pressure. Although  other factors contribute to these diseases, such as heredity and smoking, following this dietary recommendation should increase the chances of staying healthy.

6. Manage Consumption of Carbohydrates

Choose fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These foods are the sources of the most healthful carbohydrates. Avoid prepared foods high in added sugars.

Reducing refined sugars and starches in the diet has the added benefit of helping reduce tooth decay.

7. Manage Consumption of Sodium and Potassium

Consume less than 2,300 mg (approximately 1 tsp or 5 mL of salt) of sodium per day. Sodium appears to contribute to high blood pressure. For people who already have high blood pressure, it is especially important to cut down on sodium in the diet. The best ways to do this are to decrease the use of salt in the kitchen and at the table and to limit the intake of prepared foods that are high in salt, such as potato chips, salted nuts, pretzels, pickled foods ,cured meats ,and salty condiments like soy sauce.

Reduce the harmful effects of sodium by eating potassium-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables.

8. Manage Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages

People who choose to drink alcoholic beverages should do so sensibly and in moderation- defined as the consumption of up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men.

Alcoholic beverages are high in calories while providing few other nutrients.

Heavy drinking may cause a variety of serious diseases. Moderate drinking-one or two drinks a day-appears to do little harm and may, in fact, be of some benefit.

Many people, including children and adolescents, pregnant and lactating women, people taking medications that interact with alcohol, and people with certain medical conditions, should avoid alcohol completely.

In addition, alcoholic beverages should be avoided by people engaging in activities that require attention, skill, or coordination, such as driving or operating machinery.

Nutrients are certain chemical compounds that are present in foods and that fulfill one or more of the following functions:

• Supply energy for body functions.
• Build and replace cells that make up body tissues.
• Regulate body processes.

There are six categories of nutrients:

• Carbohydrates
• Fats
• Proteins
• Vitamins
• Minerals

• Water

Proteins

Proteins are known as the building blocks of the body. They are essential for growth, for building body tissues, and for basic body functions. They can also be used for energy if the diet does not contain enough carbohydrates and fats.

Proteins consist of substances called amino acids. The body is able to manufacture many of them, but there are nine amino acids it cannot manufacture and must get from foods. A food protein that contains all nine essential amino acids is called a complete protein. Meats, poultry, fish, egg and dairy products contain complete proteins.

Proteins that lack one or more of these essential amino acids are called incomplete proteins. Foods high in incomplete proteins include nuts, grains, and dried beans and other legumes. Foods that, if eaten together, supply all the amino acids are called complementary proteins.

For example, cornmeal tortillas topped with chili beans supply complete protein because the corn supplies the amino acids lacking in the beans. Beans and rice is another example of a food combination supplying complementary proteins.

The average adult needs about 50 to 60 grams of protein a day. For most North Americans, getting enough protein daily is not a problem; most get about twice as much as they need. Greatly excessive protein in the diet can lead to a variety of health problems, including kidney and liver damage.

Vitamins

Vitamins are present in foods in extremely small quantities, but they are essential for regulating body functions. Unlike proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, they supply no energy, but some of them must be present in order for energy to be utilized in the body.

Also, lack of certain vitamins causes deficiency diseases.

Vitamins are classified as water soluble and fat soluble. The water-soluble vitamins (the B vitamins and vitamin C) are not stored in the body and must be eaten every day.

Foods containing these vitamins should be handled so the vitamins are not dissolved into the cooking water and lost.

Fat-soluble vitamins (A,D, E and K) can be stored in the body, so they do not need to be eaten every day as long as the total amount eaten over time is sufficient.

Consuming too much of a fat-soluble vitamin daily, as sometimes happens when people take too many vitamin supplements, can result in toxic levels of the vitamin stored in the tissues.

Minerals

Minerals, like vitamins, are consumed in very small quantities and are essential for regulating certain body processes. Minerals that must be consumed in relatively large amounts-more than 100 milligrams daily-are called major minerals. These include calcium ,chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, sodium and potassium. Minerals that must be present in smaller amounts are called trace minerals. These include chromium copper, fluoride, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium and zinc.

Less is known about the functions of some of the trace minerals. It is important to understand, however, that although small quantities are needed by the body, too much of any of them can be harmful.

Sodium, a component of table salt, is well known as a health problem. Too much sodium is thought to contribute to high blood pressure. Health authorities try to convince people to reduce the sodium in their diets, primarily by salting foods less.

Water

The adult human body is 50 to 60 percent water by weight. Water plays a role in all the body’s functions, including metabolism and other cell functions, digestion, delivery of nutrients, removal of waste, temperature regulation, and lubrication and cushioning of joints and tissues.

Water forms a large part of most of the food we eat and all the beverages we drink.

The body is good at regulating its own water content and tells us when we need more by making us feel thirsty. This signal should not be ignored. Even better is to drink enough fluids to prevent feeling thirsty. Required daily water intake varies greatly from person to person, depending on age, level of activity, and environmental factors such as heat.

The common recommendation of 8 glasses of water a day is not enough for some people, such as athletes and others who exercise strenuously, and is too much for others, such as older, sedentary adults.

As I was looking for an interesting story to write, I found this wonderful article that I think everyone will want to read , at least the ones who have 9 to 5 jobs:

As much as I believe in the power of a midday pause, I’m often as guilty as anyone else of dashing out, grabbing takeout and returning to eat in front of the computer. When I’m not brown-bagging it, that is.

It’s not the most healthful approach, perhaps mentally even more than physically. I’ve read about Take Back Your Lunch, a movement started by the Energy Project that encourages workers to reclaim the lunch hour, and of course it makes sense to fuel creativity by stepping away and relaxing, even to see friends or to network. One colleague of mine is the king of the indulgent lunch, giving no thought to cabbing off to Alexandria for the prix-fixe special at Restaurant Eve or taking the Metro to Arlington for a hit of Ray’s Hell-Burger. And he’s plenty productive at work.

Even if I made the time, though, here’s a news flash: My office is nicely air-conditioned, and in the recent triple-digit heat downtown, I would rather do anything than step outdoors, especially around noon. When I head down to The Post’s cafeteria, trying to find something appealing at the so-called Around the World Bar, let’s just say that it doesn’t bode well for the rest of the day.

The compromise? I take the time to cook lunch myself. I should probably put quote marks around that operative verb, because compared with what I usually do at home, this might not exactly be considered cooking. Nonetheless, for someone like me who finds the kitchen the most meditative room in the house, it’s still almost as soothing to cobble together something in our office’s kitchenette as it is to chop, heat, slice and stir at home.

I’ve made a game of it. What ingredients can I bring to work and store in my dorm-size fridge or desk drawers that will last without quickly spoiling (or annoying my office mates); can pack enough flavor to allow me to forgo spices and seasonings; and can be made with the simplest of equipment?

Smoked, cured and/or otherwise fully cooked sausages, herb-brined olives and canned sardines go to the front of the line. Right behind is tomato paste in a tube, which, unlike its canned counterpart, is more convenient for single-serving recipes. Canned beans (I prefer the low-sodium or no-salt-added variety) are ready whenever you are. Instant couscous and angel-hair pasta nests are shelf-stable and cook in minutes.

Best of all, these ingredients can be prepared using the typical appliances in office kitchens.

Truth be told, I do sometimes employ a toaster oven at work, but in acknowledgment of the fact that many offices aren’t as well equipped, I resisted developing recipes for this column that way. Instead, my instruments have been the microwave and teakettle. At home, I use the former for two things: reheating and cooking a potato or sweet potato. At work, its job has been limited to “cooking” — really just heating — toppings for that pasta and couscous.

The teakettle does what teakettles do: boil water, a key step in making instant couscous. I’ve also taken advantage of the fact that angel-hair pasta is delicate enough that once boiling water has been added, its residual heat can get the noodles to al dente in a few minutes flat. I also have been known to “blanch” vegetables such as snow peas, sugar snaps and broccoli using the same technique.

At first, I was a little hamstrung by the kitchen tools, or lack thereof. What passes for a sharp knife in our office would prompt any culinary instructor to launch into a lecture about the importance of cutlery maintenance. And forget measuring cups or a big cutting board.

No matter. A dull paring knife can still handle olives, spinach leaves and sausage. Sardines barely need breaking up with a fork. The container of instant couscous comes with its own measuring scoop, and I found a plastic leftover-food container that has cup markings on the side for the water that will hydrate the couscous. Mostly, measurements aren’t needed; I boil as much water as possible to keep the pasta from getting gummy, and I eyeball everything else.

Preparing food at work comes with etiquette issues, the types of behaviors that prompt those “Your Mother Doesn’t Work Here” signs. I keep things clean enough, but I’ve been worried about those sardines. After all, I’ve been in some offices that specifically forbid fish in the microwave, because the device has a way of carrying the odor across time and space. But with a paper towel over the fish and just enough time to heat the small amount I use, I’ve avoided the wrath of others.

After several weeks of experiments, my pasta with sardines was pungently satisfying, but the couscous-and-sausage concoction was so simple it verged on boring. That’s when another crucial ingredient became mandatory. Now, one thing I always keep in my desk drawer is a little bottle of Tabasco.

I don’t think I’ll be completely satisfied with my workplace cooking, though, until I cross one remaining hurdle. Once the weather cools, I am going to try my darnedest, after I whip up something in our kitchenette, to carry the plate or bowl not back to my desk, but up to a roof-deck patio. And maybe even to invite a colleague to do the same

Remake your plate. The core of Mediterranean-style eating is creating a balanced diet of healthy fats, healthy carbohydrates, and plenty of vegetables and fruits. The “emphasis on plant proteins is what makes this diet so healthy,” says Dr. Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health and author of Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy. Here’s how to eat as if you lived on the shores of the glittering Mediterranean

Eat more whole grains. Try to eat at least one serving of whole grains at each meal. Whole grains can help keep your blood sugar stable and lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Try these ideas to get started:

– Choose bread with 100 percent whole wheat listed as the first ingredient.

– Use millet as you would rice.

– Toss a handful of barley into soups and let simmer 30 minutes until tender.

– Check labels of crackers and other grain-based foods to see if they have more than 2 grams of fiber per serving.

– For cold cereals, look for 4 grams of fiber per serving.

Use plant oils. Research shows that two tablespoons of olive oil a day can help prevent the inflammation that contributes to heart disease and other chronic health problems. Other healthy oils include canola, soy, and peanut. When cooking, don’t let the oil smoke, which damages its nutritional properties and flavor. Strive to eliminate products containing hydrogenated oils and trans fats (check the labels). Also, start substituting olive oil for butter whenever possible. For interesting variations, experiment with one of the many flavored olive oils.

Eat more fruits and veggies. Fill up half of your plate each meal with vegetables or fruit. Instead of boiling veggies, which robs them of flavor and nutrients, try them sauteed with extra virgin olive oil, chopped garlic, and a dash of hot pepper sauce. Or steam veggies with several whole peeled garlic cloves; the flavor will permeate them beautifully.

Eat more fish. People who eat fish have healthier hearts than non-fish eaters. Try stocking your freezer and cupboards with salmon, tilapia, haddock, sablefish (also called black cod), herring, and sardines. Note: Most people tend to overcook fish. Measure the thickest part and cook 10 minutes per inch (for baking). If you’re grilling or pan-frying, cook it until it just loses its glassy look.

Eat more nuts and legumes. These underutilized foods may help regulate body weight by suppressing appetite and increasing fiber intake, says Alison Coates, a researcher at the University of South Australia. Nuts also counteract high cholesterol. And Harvard researchers discovered in 2002 that women who ate more nuts and peanut butter had a lower risk of type 2 diabetes than those who didn’t. Legumes also provide healthful protein and are rich in fiber and minerals such as folate magnesium, and iron. At least one day a week, cook with beans, lentils, or other legumes instead of meat. Or try serving rice and beans. You can also create healthy lunches of hummus smeared on whole wheat pita.

Drink alcohol in moderation. Study after study suggests that a glass of wine or a cocktail with your meal can lower the risk of heart disease. Mediterraneans rarely drink to get drunk; rather, alcohol is a way to cleanse the palate and help digestion. Moderation is the key to benefits. Men can enjoy two drinks a day, women one. But more than that increases your risk for other diseases, such as breast cancer.

Eat more pizza. Italians who eat pizza twice a week can cut their heart attack risk by 56 percent, says Silvano Gallus, a researcher at Instituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri in Milan. Wait a second…pizza? Yes, but not the greasy dish most Americans know. Italian pies contain fewer calories and less fat. A healthy home option: try making Pizza Margherita recipe with a 100 percent whole wheat crust.

Shop the Mediterranean way. Stock your kitchen with well-chosen canned, frozen, and fresh products for a tasty, nutritious breakfast or lunch on the table in less than 15 minutes, says Elizabeth Somer, a registered dietician and author of Age-Proof Your Body. Try using this shopping list:

– Extra virgin olive oil

– A variety of canned beans

– Canned tomatoes

– 100 percent whole wheat pasta

– Instant brown rice

– Various frozen vegetables

– Orange juice

– Low or nonfat milk

– Plain yogurt

– Ready-to-eat fresh veggies like baby carrots and bagged spinach

– Poultry, fish, eggs

Fat around the midsection can have adverse health consequences. But you need to lose weight all over if you want to lose it from your waist.

Our bodies are designed to store fat for release during times when there is not enough food. Because we have such an abundance of food available to us, when we ’store fat’ (i.e. put on weight), it tends to stay stored and after a while our fat cells increase in size and multiply in response. This increase in body fat, particularly if it occurs around the waist, can alter glucose (sugar) and fat metabolism, and the way your body uses the hormone insulin. These metabolic changes can increase your risk of certain health problems, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, some cancers and type 2 diabetes. Research shows males with a waistline measuring more than 94cm and females whose waists measure more than 80cm are at increased risk of developing these health complications.

The visceral stuff

There are two kinds of fat surrounding your midsection: subcutaneous and visceral. Subcutaneous (which means ‘under the skin’) fat is the stuff you can pinch, while visceral fat surrounds the vital organs in the stomach area. Excess visceral fat pushes the stomach outwards and is what leads to a pot or beer belly. Surprisingly, it’s the visceral fat that has been linked to health risks. And for many people, especially those who are ‘apple-shaped’ (they store fat around their waist) as opposed to ‘pear-shaped’ (they store fat around their bottom and thighs), the extra fat around the waist is caused by visceral fat.

Middle management

So why is it some of us tend to gain weight around our midsections? There is no single answer. Instead, the appearance of a pot belly involves many factors, such as hormones, genes, eating habits, physical activity patterns and stress.

Hormones: Testosterone predisposes men to accumulate fat around their abdomen, while the female hormone oestrogen causes fat to be stored around the hips, butt and thighs. And, as oestrogen levels reduce during and after menopause, women also begin to store fat around their abdomen.

Stress: When exposed to chronic stress, the body is literally bathed in a flood of the stress hormone called cortisol. Excess amounts of cortisol increase the likelihood of storing fat around the middle.

Genetics: Each person is genetically programmed to store fat in differing proportions around the body.

Eating habits: Diets high in energy-dense foods and fat  (particularly saturated fat) are more likely to promote visceral fat. In addition, drinking too much of any kind of alcohol (not just beer) has the same effect. Alcohol is high in kilojoules and increases appetite, leading to unnecessary eating and weight gain.

Physical activity: Being physically active helps to reduce the amount of total body fat we carry (which includes visceral fat in the belly area). And the more exercise we do, the more overall fat we’ll lose.

Your exercise plan

Many people spend hours doing sit-ups, crunches and other abdominal exercises in the hope of reducing that spare tire. Sit-ups are great for strengthening your abdominal muscles and lower back, but they have no impact on the body fat stored in those areas. Aerobic or cardiovascular exercise is the only way your body breaks down fat, which includes the fat around your internal organs. If you want to lose weight from your waist, you need to lose it all over.

• For fat loss, you need to do 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling and tennis on most days of the week. If you struggle to find the time, schedule in shorter sessions, but keep your heart beating fast during the activities. (If you’re above the age of 35, consult your health care professional before starting any form of exercise.)
• Using a pedometer (a simple device that measures how many steps you take) can help you make sure you’re getting enough activity in your day. For many, walking 10,000 steps a day is enough to maintain your weight, but if you want to drop kilos, you’ll need to do more.
• After 10 to 12 weeks of exercise, you should notice a big change in your waist size. After this time, stay with the fitness plan but increase the frequency, intensity or time of your workout to suit your new fitness levels.

As you whittle away your belly, not only will your general health improve, but you will be on your way to a whole new wardrobe!

The Mediterranean diet is touted as among the world’s healthiest-and it’s perfect for an easy meal. Try these simple and delicious ways to serve up the best from Italy, France, Spain, Greece and the Middle East

The Mediterranean way of eating-lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, herbs, grains and fish, with a little wine on the side-is a diet I’d choose through sheer love of the options alone, but it’s also very good for you. Research published in the British Medical Journal in September 2008 concluded it really is one of the world’s healthiest diets. The study found eating this way helps make the body less susceptible to major chronic diseases, including cancer. That has a lot to do with the powerhouse omega-3s found in this diet. And it doesn’t feel like a hardship to cut back on rich sauces and butter when you have beautiful relishes and delicious olive oil to enjoy.

The Mediterranean diet is not just about what you eat, but how you eat: It’s a way of living that encourages people to take more time to relax over meals. Studies say that’s good for us, too. Scientists suggest that gathering around the table to eat and giving yourself time to digest a meal before rushing off to the next thing are as important as the actual ingredients. And eating a platter of varied, delicious, fresh and healthy foods with family or friends lends itself perfectly to lingering over your meal.

Try these easy Mediterranean-inspired platters the next time you’re planning an alfresco gathering. Some of the ingredients you may have on hand, and others will offer a chance to add new life to your spice rack or pantry. The result is platters full of colours, contrasting textures and tastes that work together beautifully.

Cooking the Mediterranean way

• Use herbs, garlic and nuts generously, not just as a garnish.
• Use yogurt instead of cream in soups and on meats.

• Try grains such as couscous, polenta and bulghur instead of potatoes or white rice.

• Crush avocados, not butter, onto sourdough bread.
• Choose local, seasonal foods over processed.
• Get protein in the form of eggs and cheese.

• If you had a heavy lunch, stick to soup in the evening: a minestrone, pumpkin soup or gazpacho.

• Eat fish and seafood at least twice a week.

• Garnish meals with roasted cherry tomatoes, and relishes such as olive tapenade.
• Finish the meal with fresh fruit or a little cheese.

5 healthy Mediterranean platters

• Italian Riviera Platter
  Oven-warm frittata, a few slices of prosciutto and a mozzarella and tomato salad turn antipasto into a feast.
• Middle East Platter
  Make your own pita crisps to scoop up still-warm, creamy baba ghanouj (eggplant dip). Sumac is a wonderfully sour Middle Eastern spice that adds a lemony tang.
• Niçoise Platter
  When in doubt, opt for a niçoise salad, or a version thereof, for lunch or dinner. It appeals to almost everyone because it brilliantly combines a little bit of everything.
• Spanish Platter
  Garlicky shrimp, fruity roasted peppers and fat green olives turn your dinner table into a tapas bar.

• Greek Island Platter
Greek food is utterly delicious, but whenever I eat it at a restaurant I end up finishing everything on the table and waddling home clutching my stomach. This way I get to taste everything and stay within the limits of human consumption