Day 7: Let It Be Easy

"Emily honey, what do you want for lunch?" the camper bumped from side to side, trotting along the sandy desert road. "Ummm, I'll have, a butter sandwich!" "A butter sandwich?" my grandfather asked, confused. "She loves butter" my mom said, shrugging her shoulders.

I feel so fortunate to have grown up in an era where food was simply...food. Fast food was still a novelty, we were blissfully unaware of the potential consequences of eating it. We used to go to McDonalds for a treat, which now seems as ridiculous to me as smoking cigarettes to relieve stress, or having a shot of whiskey to loosen up before giving a speech.

A few weeks ago, I met for lunch with Dr. Katja Rowell. After finishing med school, Dr. Rowell worked as a family physician. She soon recognized a common theme in many of the families that were coming in: disordered eating and obsessive dieting. She started up a practice, called "Family Feeding Dynamics". She helps families learn how to help guide their children at the dinner table, without teaching them restrictive food rules or to place significance on what they are eating. She advocates instead, for showing your child how to listen to their own hunger cues. Check out her website, it is a really cool thing that she does!

http://www.familyfeedingdynamics.com/FFD/home.html

Childhood obesity is a hot topic these days, and many people in the medical profession believe that being overweight is synonymous with increased health risks. "Your child needs to lose weight" the doctor points to a health chart. "We want to get their numbers down so that they fit inside this curve". The parent feels waves of shame and panic. They decide to put their child on a diet, restricting certain foods that they believe to be "unhealthy". The child begins to covet the forbidden foods, and experiences shame when they find occasion to indulge. The disordered eating pattern establishes, restrict, indulge, regret, remorse, restrict, indulge, regret, remorse.

While it is true that many of the lifestyle patterns that lead to being overweight also are associated with chronic diseases, it is possible to be overweight and still be healthy. We can't control the shape that our bodies will grow, but we can control how we treat them, talk to them, and listen to them.

Messages of the thin ideal, and how to achieve it, are everywhere. The magazines at the grocery store promise us that we can lose 10 pounds of fat in 3 weeks, which would require that a person accumulate a deficit of about 35,000 calories. Given that an average dietary recommendation is about 2000 calories a day, over 21 days, most people would need to consume about 21,000 calories total. So even if you starved yourself for the entire three weeks, you would still need to burn about 15,000 calories to lose the 10 lbs of fat. This you could achieve by simply running 150 miles over the course of the 3 weeks (average of 7 miles a day). So...don't eat and run 7 miles a day..does this sound healthy to you?

Earlier this evening, I walked across the park and yanked on the smooth metal handle of the YMCA entrance door. It was locked. Damn. My health insurance covers 75 % of my gym membership provided I go to the gym 17 times a month. I have been slacking off a bit this month, requiring that I need to go every day for the rest of the month to reach the 17 day mark. I didn't realize that they closed early on Saturdays.

As I turned to walk back to the apartment, the irony hit me. Every time I have been to the doctor over the past year, it has been to treat some sports related injury. Rather than reducing my risk for insurance costs, my exercising is increasing it! My insurance company is rewarding me for costing them money. In black and white thinking, things are either "good" or "bad", with no regard for the dose that makes the poison. But black and white are limited shades in our vibrant multicolored world. I returned home calmed by the thought, and slipped into my chair where Christina brought me a steaming cup of orange tea.

Eggplant and Zucchini Parmesan

Slice 1 medium eggplant into 1/4 inch thick rounds. They the slices flat and sprinkle with salt (allowing the brown liquid to sweat out). Damp the liquid with a paper towel and turn them over, repeating on the other side.

Slice 1 large zucchini on a slant, so that the rounds are about 1/4 inch thick.

Set out 2 bowls in front of you, one with flour, one with egg, and one with coarse cornmeal. Dip the zucchini and eggplant in flour, then into beaten egg (use 2 eggs), then coat with coarse ground cornmeal. Season with salt and pepper and place in a hot frying pan with olive oil coating the bottom. Brown on both sides, using a fork to turn, then remove and place on a paper towel to soak up excess oil.

Layer the eggplant on the bottom. On top of each eggplant, place about 1 Tbsp of tomato sauce (from yesterdays pizza recipe), and some fresh mozzarella cheese. Add some shredded fresh basil and top with zucchini. Repeat to desired height. Place in a 375 degree oven for about 10 min, or until cheese melts.

Serve with

1 large head butter lettuce, lightly dressed with 1/2 Tbsp Sherry vinegar and 1 Tbsp olive oil and fresh ground pepper.

Christina's vote: "This meal aroused my palate, multiple times"