Food & Your Health - Essays & Recipes

Thank you Mamie - Merci Mamie

My food story started a long, long time ago... or at least, it feels like it.

Once upon a time, in a tiny village in Normandy, France there was a small farm run by Mamie, my rough and rustic grandma and her husband. Why did I single out Mamie for this story? Because, she took care of her grand-children for a couple of years and without us (and her) being aware of it, she taught me a lot about the basics of food as I practiced them all along my professional life as a professional chef and even to this day.

At the time, I was about 8 years old and the only thing I knew about food was that it was right there in front of me on her rough farm table where she put it for us to eat. In the beginning, I didn’t know where it came from but I was about to learn very quickly.

Now, there was nothing fancy about her farm. It was tiny by today’s standards. It did not have in-house plumbing and toilets (the trip to the outhouse in the middle of the night was an adventure), no central heating and certainly no air conditioning. And yet, we were happy. Her little farm was (mostly) self-sufficient. She had her own "jardin potager (kitchen garden) which she grew with care without any chemical pesticides. Mind you it was not a pretty flower garden. It was for food only. Mamie was all about being practical. She also raised and killed her own rabbits and chicken for food and eggs. Once in a while, she would trade a chicken for one of those 2 kilos pain de campagne (country-style bread) she would stretch for a whole week. The one memory I have of that bread is that we were never allowed to eat it fresh. We ate it only rassis" (stale). That way, she made sure we were not tempted to eat too much of it. That was not economical.

Although we knew she loved us, she was no sweet old lady like you can find in the storybooks. She was a "paysanne", rough and tough with large hands reddened by the added laundry she did by hand for the rich folks for extra spending money. The last thing you wanted as a kid was to have her pull on your ears or give you a spanking. You would remembered that for a long time, believe me, and learned not to repeat the same mistake twice.

During spring or summer, she would send me to the garden with instructions, Go pick a salad, a couple of tomatoes, a few radishes and some herbs. I was taught how to pick the veggies at the peak of freshness. Sometimes a few leaves were eaten by our miscreant "escargots ou limaces (snails or slugs) that loved her lettuce. Whatever the local fauna needed to live on by stealing a little bit of food here and there from her, birds, bugs, rabbits and other local rascals was what she called nature’s take. She showed me how to clean and drain the salad with a panier a salade" (salad strainer), wash the tomatoes and trim the radishes. That was my job. I had to earn my keep. No lazy bum around that farm.

She grew as much fresh food as possible during the growing month and jarred the excess for the winter. So, even though we were not allowed to get close to the large boiling pots of water used to sterilize the jars, we were expected to pull the strings off haricots verts, clean and pit the few fruits we had: apricots, peaches and a few strawberries to help prepare jams and jellies for the long cold season. There was a lot of work to be done and we were not given breaks very often during canning season. I probably learned my work ethics from her way back then already. No slacking was put up with around her farm. We had to survive on our limited resources. My grandpa did not earn a lot of money. He was a taciturn man whose lungs were damaged during World War I and the only job he could find was to be a night guard at a nearby factory. He worked all night and slept most of the day. We were told to go play far away from the house or stay very quiet in the kitchen if it rained while he was resting.

Although Mamie’s food was no cuisine, it was solid poor folk’s peasant food. All of it was fresh, solid, non-processed and home-made. She never really taught me how to cook but I was expected to help with some of the kitchen duties and chores. Lesson learned. We had fresh food from the garden with some local cheese and "charcuterie during growing season and lots of soups and stews with pain rassis" (stale bread) during the cold winter days. She never baked. We did not have an oven. No dessert, no fruits unless they were in season or canned. She kept the best ones for canning. We ate the not so perfect ones. Once a year only, we received one orange as a Christmas gift. She was using her rustic wood-fired heated stove for cooking and even used it to heat water for our weekly bath taken in a large laundry tub place in the middle of the kitchen, the only room in the house that was heated by our fireplace. No central heating and no running hot water in those days. And you know what? Not only had we survived, all of us turned out to be strong and healthy kids.

So, what did I learn from Mamie? I realized much later that good, healthy food did not have to be fancy. It was certainly not processed. There was no chemicals sprayed on her garden so her food was untainted by poisons in pesticides and we had learned that nature taking its share was the natural way of things. Our fruits and veggies may not have been perfect and shiny but they sure tasted great. Once in a while, when I knew she was not watching (remember those large hands?), I would steal a strawberry still warm from the sun and savor its warm juices while pretending to do my job and it was great! A little guilty pleasure was added to the yummy strawberry flavor and it made it taste even better.

All of that rambling on to say, Thank you Mamie for teaching me to appreciate real food.

What is Food to You?

Food as Food

Most people would agree that food is offered to keep us alive and feed our body. But is that the only function food has for us as human beings? Is that the only function of food to you? Not to me. Let me tell you how I see my food.

Food as Tasty Pleasure

As a French chef, food is pleasure, fun, enjoyable and exciting. Unlike what a few people think, you do not have to spend untold amounts of dollars to experience the pleasure of good food. Go the closest farmers’ market and pick that freshly picked sweet and juicy Texas or Georgia peach and bite into it. Let that juice run down your chin and lick your fingers. Pick a ripe, still warmed by the sun strawberry from your garden and savor it right there on the spot. Climb a cherry, apple, fig or any other fruit tree and eat their fruits right of the branch and tell me if it has to cost a lot of money to enjoy it. No, it does not. It’s one of the simple pleasures of life. To me, what is more important is the freshness and the flavor of that steamed baby carrot drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar or of that baby kale sautéed in bacon fat. What is food for you? Can you tell me about your food pleasures?

Food as Happy Memories

For me, food is also happy memories. Slowly crushing a blackberry in my mouth reminds me when my brother and I, when we were kids, used to pick them off the wild bushes in the countryside. Letting a dark square of chocolate melt in my mouth reminds me of that first kiss from that special girl on a Nice’ plaza. Eating that crunchy fresh salad reminds me of my grandma telling to go to her garden and pick a young lettuce, rinse it and shake all the water off – that was my job then. The taste of freshly made rum crepes covered with home-made apricot jam reminds me of my mom making them only for Mardi Gras – a special treat in our family. These are only a very few of the memories I have connected to food.

Will you share with me your food memories?

Food as a Healing Medium

I personally see healthy food as the simplest and cheapest way to stay healthy – as in, not being sick. To stay in shape without having to spend a lot of my precious time in running or exercising; instead, I spend it on dancing. To not spend my hard-earned money on gym memberships. To not spend my money on doctors’ appointments, pharmaceutical drugs, hospital stays and unnecessary heart surgery. In other words, I use food as my daily tasty medicine. Shouldn’t you?

The question I keep on asking myself as a nutritionist is, Why are most of us swallowing mysterious foods that are unhealthy, greasy, fattening and loaded with sugar and mysterious ingredients no one can pronounce (don’t get me started on GMOs), and then complain because we have heartburns, gain weight, give ourselves diabetes (type 2) and heart attacks. Wouldn’t it be simpler to pay attention to the quality of the food we ingest and live a happier and healthier life without feeling miserable? Can you explain me why most people in this country do that to themselves?

Food as a Social Medium

For me, food is also a way to get together with my friends, hang out, joke, argue, drink and play music. It does not have to be in a restaurant. It does not even have to be fancy food. A pot of pasta, a nice side salad and a fruit tart will do the trick for me. All that counts is the company I’m with. Having a good, simple time with my family or friends around food sure beats a soiree at a fancy restaurant any time... plus I don’t have to dress up. Keep it simple. Make it a pot luck if money is an issue. Who cares? You are amongst friends. Sharing food and a good time together is more important than trying to impress your friends with a fancy spread. If they are your friends, they will show up at your house no matter what is on the dinner table. They come for you, not to be impressed. Can you remember a great food-sharing gathering at your house or at a friend’s home? Wasn’t that fun and a source of great memories?

Food as a Political Statement

Right about now, you must be thinking, What is he talking about? Yep! I am talking about food as a way to express your political belief. No matter whether you are Republican, Democrat, French or Chinese, food is one thing we all have in common. What we eat is what connects us as humans. So, when corporations and governments conspire to create and support Frankenfoods – otherwise known as GMOs (genetically engineered organisms) against the will of the people, I say it is a political issue. About 90% of the American population wants to know what’s in their food. Don’t you? Don’t you want to know what’s hiding in the food you feed your own children? I sure do. So why are corporations and even our own government resisting labeling GMO foods? Profit, pure and simple. Don’t tell me it’s more complicated for them to label GMOs here than it is in Europe where they already are forced to do it. It’s not. More than 60 countries all over the world already label their GMOs. Other countries ban it all together. Why not America?

So, regarding the political issue, we should all vote to support GMO labeling in the whole country. Yes, we barely lost in CA in 2012, in WA in 2013 and in Oregon in 2014, but that does not mean we lost the war against GMOs.

Vote, support them, email your friends. Do whatever it takes to stop these corporations from poisoning us and our children. If that does not work, let’s put pressure on food manufacturers to label their own products. If you’re a mom, join the Moms Across America group here: https://www.facebook.com/MomsAcrossAmerica or join the Institute for Responsible Technology here: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/ and many more.

Another easy political way for you to take care of this issue is to vote with your dollars. That’s right! When you go grocery shopping, choose to buy only non-GMO Verified products, USDA Certified Organic food or buy your fresh food form the farmers you trust at your local farmer’s market. It’s that easy! Every dollar you choose NOT to spend on GMO-loaded food is a signal to the food corporations that you’re mad and you’re not going to take it anymore. Now, go vote at your nearest grocery store and tell me how it feels to be politically engaged with your food. Frankly, I’d rather vote for good food than a bad politician. Regain control over your food and show them who’s really in charge.

Doesn’t that feel great? I knew you would.

Food as an Emotional Support

We all have problems and personal issues to deal with. One of our favorite ways to help us feel better is through food. I understand. I do that myself once in a while too. But why pick food that will make you, 1. Feel guilty afterwards and 2. Possibly damage your health? Why not eat healthy food instead? For example, one of the most legally addictive product out there – besides booze and cigarettes – is sugar. Yes, sugar. As a matter of fact, food manufacturers know that very well and make sure to introduce us to that addictive substance very early on: baby formula loaded with sugar, sugar added baby food, etc., to train our palate. We love the sweet flavor.

If you pay attention to your food labels, you will notice there is some form of sweetener, natural of artificial, in almost all of our processed food, even in salad dressings and soups of all places. Why? Because sugar is addictive and you’ll want more and more. What’s the solution? Getting off sugar or high fructose corn syrup would be nice but almost impossible to do.

Instead of refined sugar and HFCS, we can choose to eat less refined forms of sugar such as raw organic cane sugar, coconut sugar, date sugar, honey and even raw agave nectar. Instead of artificial sweeteners, use plant based Stevia only. So, although I understand that you might feel down once in a while but may I suggest you switch to a healthier form of sweetener. Or eat more fruits. You’ll feel better about it.

Are you Afraid of Food?

As a Frenchman, it still puzzles me how typical Americans are scared of their food. They have been bombarded with so many negative (and false) messages regarding food over the years that I can understand why. Not everyone is a nutritionist. But I have an easy answer for you: if you eat crap, you will feel like crap. There is no lying about it. Food can be your medicine but it can also be your demise. If you eat a constant diet of fast and processed food, if I were you, I would worry too. But really, is it so difficult to pay attention to the quality of your food? You should NOT be scared of food, you should LOVE it, enjoy it, savor it, embrace it as what it is, a source of nourishment, health, pleasure, memories and yes, as a political statement as well.

So now, go out there and start enjoying your food with my blessings.

The Cost of Not Eating in Season

The Real Cost of Food

Being able to buy any food at any time of the year does not mean it does not cost us. For example, there is the cost of shipping that food to your grocery store. Do you really believe that all that supposedly cheap food is really cheap in the long run? Granted, labor and production costs might be lower in other countries, but what about the shipping cost and the added energy cost and the damage caused to our environment? Wouldn’t you rather eat a fresh apple picked nearby than an apple picked in New Zealand weeks before it reached you?

Eat Local Food

Eating seasonally allows us to eat a wider variety of foods at their peak of freshness, flavor and goodness. Wherever we live, our bodies are