Deadly Harvest: The Intimate Relationship Between Our Heath and Our Food (34 page)

Strategy B: Eat Conforming Vegetables (Food Group 3, “Green”)
—An alternative that is practiced in many parts of the world is to start the day with a vegetable stir-fry. This is what many societies in Asia do. Just take a bag of frozen, mixed vegetables and cook it in a saucepan using the “oil and water” method. Don’t forget, you are using large quantities—at least 12 ounces per person. If you like, you can add a few shrimp, for example.

“
Oil and Water” Cooking Method

Try this quick (5 minute) method of cooking vegetables. Many vegetables soak up oil and this method greatly reduces the quantity of oil absorbed. Put 1/4 inch of water into a saucepan with a clove of sliced garlic and a bay leaf (or a pinch of oregano). Add a tablespoon of canola oil. The boiling water forms an emulsion with the oil. Add vegetables (fresh or frozen). Heat moderately with the cover on, but stir frequently too. The vegetables cook fast, partly by boiling and partly by steaming. At the end, when the vegetables are close to done, heat vigorously and stir continuously until all the water has gone. They will be a beautiful golden brown when the water has evaporated. Always use plenty of herbs.

Strategy C: Eggs Any Style
—Omega-3-rich, free-range eggs any style are fine to start the day. Make a hearty vegetable-filled omelet or grill some tomatoes and mushrooms with eggs any style. Don’t forget that plant food should form the major part of the meal, and no backsliding—definitely no bread.

Strategy D: Salad
—The idea of eating salad for breakfast does indeed run counter to our Western cultural programming, but it is something that many societies do, notably in Africa. A copious mixed salad with some avocado, tuna flakes, or shrimp makes a great start to the day. Again, make it a large portion—at least 1 pound per person. It is not really so much: one large tomato, one cucumber, some onion, and some lettuce leaves make 9 ounces of plant food. Round it off with 3 ounces of canned tuna and you have a hearty breakfast.

Strategy E: Old-Fashioned Haddock Breakfast
—This used to be a good stand-by in many parts of the English-speaking world. Many people are old enough to remember, perhaps, when their grandparents used to eat like this. They would lightly poach a piece of haddock (or kipper or any other appropriate fish) in simmering water for about 5 minutes. They would accompany it with lashings of sautéed onion, grilled tomatoes, and mushrooms.

Strategy F: The Savanna Model Continental Breakfast
—In the companion food preparation book,
Cooking the Savanna Model Way
, we present a number of recipes to make conforming dishes. They are all free of flour, dairy, butter, and sugar and are fully safe, even for diabetics. Some of these, such as chocolate brownies, orange cake, and Nicole’s apricot tart make excellent and tasty substitutes for croissants or Danish pastry.

Mid-Morning

Depending on how you started the day, you can snack on an avocado, a handful of raw unsalted nuts, or a big bowl of homemade vegetable soup. Select vegetables from Food Group 3 (Vegetables, Non-Starchy). Get used to making extra large quantities of everything and make sure that the fridge/freezer has a ready supply of easily accessed foods.

Lunch Time and Afternoon Tea

A suitable choice for lunch is a mixed salad, and an appropriate quantity might be 12 ounces. Weigh foods until you are used to estimating the quantities by eye—it’s larger than you are used to. Get in the habit of thinking that a salad is often in two parts: the salad vegetables, comprised uniquely of foods from Food Group 3 (Vegetables, Non-Starchy) and some additions of protein-rich foods from Food Group 6 (Meat, Poultry, Eggs, and Fish). You can add tuna or chicken breast, for example, to the salad or eat as a side dish. Use a homemade vinaigrette.

Preferably, eat the salad before the side dish, because your appetite will be more readily satisfied by the bulkiest part of the meal. Eating the low-density plant food takes time. This gives time for the complex signaling from stomach to brain to catch up and tell you to feel satisfied.

Through the afternoon, you may begin to feel hungry. Keep ready prepared in your fridge some raw broccoli, cauliflower, and baby carrots, and also have some containers of preservative-free dips such as guacamole. That’s all you’ll need—a raw vegetable dip. Get used to taking your fuel with you when you are away from home for several hours. Above all, overcome any inhibitions you may have about pulling it out and eating it when the occasion calls.

Homemade Tuscany Vinaigrette

This is a very simple dressing that you can mix in 5 minutes. It has a robust taste and you can use it directly on all salads. The quantities here are to make up about a pint. Store it in the refrigerator and use as needed.

1 cup (225 ml) Canola oil, cold pressed, organic if possible

1/4 cup (55 ml) Walnut oil, cold pressed, organic if possible

1/4 cup (55 ml) Balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup (55 ml) Lemon juice

4 tsp. Garlic paste

2 tsp. Mustard paste

1 tsp. Ground black pepper

Vigorously mix all the ingredients together and store in a suitable glass, stoppered bottle.

Dinner Time

Dinner involves the same decision-making process as at lunchtime. This time you decide to do some cooking. Maybe 12 ounces per person of stir-fried vegetables accompanied by two eggs, any style. Or a grilled trout with a head of steamed broccoli. It’s as easy as that. The stir-fry can be ready frozen; season with garlic, lemon juice, and herbs. Note that we are escaping the tyranny of the starter, main course, and dessert regimen. Instead, it’s just the one course. As ever, try to eat the vegetables before anything else. A glass of dry, red wine is okay too.

Trout Marrakech

Trout is classed as an “oily” fish, rich in omega-3 oils. We recommend its consumption on a regular basis. The following recipe combines the simplicity of baked fish with the mysterious flavors and spices of the East. This is a good, conforming fish dish in the Moroccan style.

Fish:

Stuffing:

Season the trout on the inside with salt and pepper (moderately). Set aside. Lay out the onion in a baking dish lubricated with olive oil. Mix the white wine with the saffron and pour equally over the onion. For the stuffing, in a bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Put half of the stuffing inside the trout and place the trout on top of the onion in the baking dish. Spread the remaining stuffing over the top of the fish. Cover with aluminium foil and bake in a hot oven at 380F (190C) for 10 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for a further 20 minutes, approximately. Serves two.

Bedtime (Supper)

For a snack before bedtime, if there has been a sufficient gap after the last meal, eat a low-glycemic fruit (as much as you like). If not, try 2 ounces of nuts. Avoid bad carbohydrates this late in the day—they provoke a hormonal reaction that disturbs sleep and interferes with the body’s nighttime repair processes. If you fancy it, have a mug of cocoa or 1 ounce of dark chocolate (at least 75% cocoa solids).

EATING AWAY FROM HOME

It is one thing to be organized at home for eating in accordance with the Savanna Model, but it is quite another matter when away from home. However, by planning ahead, being assertive, and being prepared, it is quite possible to stay close to the ideal regimen.

Restaurants

In reasonable quality restaurants, it is relatively simple to find items on the menu that can form the basis of a meal. “Form the basis” because there will still be clarifications and negotiations to be conducted with the waiter. You have to ask questions and request changes: “What exactly does the salad have in it? I don’t want any croutons, pasta, rice, or fruit.” So it goes, until you have selected the starter, main course, and dessert.

Pay close attention to the vegetables that accompany the main course and refuse potatoes, French fries, and rice, which the restaurant often offers as “vegetables.” If green beans, broccoli, spinach, or any other green vegetable is available, ask for double portions. You will firmly wave away the bread basket and leave on the plate any sweet corn that may have intruded in spite of the negotiations. Most of the desserts will be off limits. When you have finished such a meal, you can congratulate yourself—you have eaten healthily and within the margins of tolerance.

Eating in fast-food restaurants is just the same, only harder. Resign yourself to ordering the burger and throwing away the bun. Find a salad, if you can, but discard the packet of salad dressing (consider carrying a bottle of your own vinaigrette). Or eat the all-day breakfast: eggs with tomatoes and mushrooms are acceptable, but avoid the sausage, steak, hash-browns, toast, waffles, syrup, and muffins.

Many fast-food restaurants have salad bars. This is good news and, with care, one can eat reasonably correctly. They do tend to drench the salads in sweetened dressings. Often they mix in fruit or combine starches and proteins. Be selective: pick out and put aside the offending ingredients. Be suspicious of all salad dressings—the manufacturers invariably make them with low-quality ingredients, fillers, and sugars. Do the best you can.

Dinner Parties

In some ways, this is the hardest situation to manage. You don’t want to put your hosts under pressure and you want to be invited another day. If you know your hosts well, it is alright to call in advance and mention that you have special dietary requirements. Say that you prefer fish over red meat or that you don’t like to eat fruit after a meal. Mention that you like green salads and lots of green vegetables. Then, dig into your meal and enjoy it for what it is. You will certainly have to compromise, but then your basic eating habits are natural and healthy and the occasional lapse is not going to be the end of the world.

If you don’t know your hosts well, or the dinner party has a set menu, then it is best to act defensively. You don’t want to go hungry and you don’t want to be churlish. So, before setting off, eat a light meal of conforming plant food (salad, vegetables, nuts, and so on). Then, when you get to your dinner, eat lightly—enough to preserve appearances and to flatter the cook. The “allergy excuse” is always accepted when you want to leave a significant portion on your plate. People also understand if you are watching your waistline and don’t want to eat much of the dessert. You can escape from this challenge in pretty good order.

COOKING AND FOOD PREPARATION

In our African Pleistocene past, our ancestors did indeed have fire, but they had no way to boil water. They generally ate plant food raw, although they sometimes roasted nuts and other materials. Animal matter, according to convenience, type, and body part, was eaten raw or roasted. Eggs were also eaten raw. These are generalities, but we can combine this with what we know about how cooking affects nutrition.

In the Savanna Model, the emphasis is on keeping meals simple and cooking as little as possible. Vegetables should be used as fresh as possible. Store them in a cool, airy place like the vegetable rack of the refrigerator. Most vegetables can (and should) be eaten raw. Frozen vegetables are acceptable. Canned vegetables are acceptable in controlled situations where the convenience outweighs the nutritional drawbacks. Canned tomatoes, for example, are still quite wholesome and are useful in “quick-fix” dishes. Think big for your utensils. The food quantities are at least double what you are used to. Get a really large salad bowl, frying pan, and saucepan.

With regard to plant food, it is always best to eat it as soon as possible after harvesting and to eat it raw. That is why we put the emphasis on the consumption of salads and for them to be as fresh as possible. Be imaginative—many vegetables can form part of a mixed salad, including chopped broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, zucchini, and leeks. With that big salad in place in your diet, it is acceptable to consume cooked vegetables too. However, the process should be quick to avoid leaching of nutrients. Always use the minimum cooking possible so that the vegetable is still “al dente,” that is, cooked to keep its crunchy texture.

The best method is steaming or blanching. For example, you can cook broccoli florets in boiling water for 3 minutes and that will minimize nutrient loss. Microwave steaming is acceptable, although it is more aggressive on nutrient loss. Light stir-frying is also an acceptable cooking method. Stir-frying in the traditional Chinese method uses no oil, just a couple of teaspoons of water. Steaming, steam microwaving, and blanching are all good ways to cook vegetables. Avoid lengthy boiling, deep frying, and roasting.

Frozen, chopped vegetables are a good standby. They can be stir-fried, just as they come, in their own juices. No need to use a wok—just heat rapidly and stir constantly for 5–6 minutes in a large saucepan. Always use plenty of herbs. The basic stir-fry herb mixture contains oregano, crushed bay leaves, basil, and thyme. You can make up your own mix using equal parts of these herbs, or find a product that conforms closely to this recipe. Use the “oil and water” cooking method.