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  INSTEAD OF: “Do your meatballs have bread crumbs? Okay, I’ll have the spaghetti and meatballs without the sauce and without the spaghetti, and with extra meatballs. Oh, and a side of steamed broccoli, please.”

  TRY: “I’ll have the steak and spinach salad with a glass of your best California cab, please. And can I get some blue cheese with that as well?”

  4. Use happy honesty

  It’s hard for people to say bad things about you if you come across as happy and at peace with your decisions, especially if it’s clear you aren’t being motivated by your ego.

  INSTEAD OF: “I’m choosing salad, because I’d really like to lose ten pounds this year, so I don’t end up looking like you.”

  TRY: “I’m just trying to eat a little healthier these days to see how it makes me feel.”

  5. Use harmless lies

  Honesty is always the best policy, except when you’re trying to get your jerk coworkers off your back so you can enjoy your lunch.

  INSTEAD OF: “I’m eating a smaller lunch today, so I can hit the gym later.”

  TRY: “I had a really big breakfast. I’m just not that hungry.”

  6. Share alike

  If you know in advance you’re going to be bringing your own food, you have the advantage of having a meal that looks, smells, and tastes much better than anything your friends will find at the corner sandwich shop. Show off your amazing new flavors by bringing enough of something delicious to share.

  INSTEAD OF: “Yuck, I can’t believe you’re eating that disgusting excuse for a calzone.”

  TRY: “Have you tried the mandarins from the farmers market this season? They’re freaking amazing! Here, I have an extra one.”

  7. Accept and nibble

  Friends can be very crafty and sometimes try and force you into eating unhealthy food by offering it to you point-blank. Cheap office birthday cakes are particularly offensive. Politely turning down the objectionable substance is one strategy, but it can easily backfire. Just gratefully accept the food and pretend to eat it.

  INSTEAD OF: “Just a small piece for me, please.”

  TRY: “Mmm . . . thanks.”

  Take one bite, keep smiling, and continue the conversation while leaving the food nonchalantly on the table. When everyone else is finishing up, subtly drop it in the trash without making a fuss (trust me, nothing is going to waste). By that time, no one will care what you’re doing. If someone does say something, just blame it on how big of a piece you were served.

  8. Don’t offer unsolicited advice

  No matter how tempting it is, don’t be the reverse jerk. Only offer nutrition advice to friends if they explicitly ask you for it; otherwise keep your trap shut. The best thing you can do to help your friends is show them what good healthy food looks and tastes like by setting a good example; then let them watch for themselves as you lose weight and get in shape.

  INSTEAD OF: “You know, that Lean Cuisine isn’t going to help you get rid of those thunder thighs.”

  TRY: “Yes, I have lost weight! Thanks for noticing! Yeah, I’ve been reading this book called Foodist. It’s great. You should check it out.”

  Getting your friends and family excited about healthy food begins long before anyone sits down at the table. Every time someone asks you what’s for dinner, you have the opportunity to make your food taste better and be more satisfying. Think of it as seasoning with words. Be careful, however, to not oversell your wares. If you just talk the talk, but don’t walk the walk, people may lose confidence in what you say and be inclined to stop eating healthy food entirely. For your own sake and the sake of others, always strive to serve food you really enjoy that looks, smells, and tastes amazing.

  Interestingly, Wansink suggests that the reason descriptive language changes our experience of food so dramatically is that it encourages mindful eating. “Part of what descriptive labeling allows consumers to do is to concentrate more on their feelings and on the taste of the foods,” says Wansink.3 People in his cafeteria experiment who ate foods with descriptive labels focused the vast majority, 84 percent, of their comments on describing the sensory elements of food, such as its taste or texture, whereas those who ate the foods with regular labels only mentioned sensory attributes in 42 percent of their comments; the latter group tended to highlight the functional characteristics of the foods, such as the price.

  50 Mouthwatering Words to Describe Real Food

  farm fresh

  fall

  chilled

  savory

  roasted

  organic

  winter

  warm

  smoky

  aromatic

  sweet

  local

  toasted

  poached

  summer

  baby

  imported

  bacon-laced

  grilled

  tasty

  heirloom

  fresh

  seared

  drizzled

  tangy

  young

  dry-aged

  whisked

  rubbed

  rich

  seasonal

  tender

  scented

  slow-cooked

  hand-picked

  late-season

  colorful

  tossed

  slow-roasted

  juicy

  crisp

  braised

  steeped

  handmade

  marinated

  spring

  succulent

  sautéed

  hand-tossed

  crusted

  Once again we see that eating mindfully helps us enjoy food more, and eat less of it. This is especially useful when you’re trying to help people enjoy healthier foods, which are often viewed as being less satisfying and filling than what are perceived as normal or fattening foods. Describing a food as healthy* gives it a “health halo,” which Wansink has demonstrated causes people to underestimate the number of calories in the food and overeat more fattening foods later (since they’ve been so virtuous and earned a treat).4 Amazingly, people tend to eat even more calories when they perceive a food as healthy than they do if they believe a food is fattening. And of course they don’t realize it, causing them to miscalculate their intake by hundreds of calories. Using descriptive language to enhance the appeal of healthy foods actually shifts them in your mind away from “healthy and unsatisfying” to “delicious and filling,” thereby reducing your risk of unintentionally overeating.

  The power of language to impact your food experience can work in the opposite direction as well. For average individuals who are not particularly health-conscious, any mention of an ingredient that is considered healthy (and therefore bad tasting) is likely to negatively impact their enjoyment of the food. In another set of experiments, Wansink examined this effect by offering people nutrition bars with different labels. For one group the labels claimed that the bar contained “10 grams of soy protein,” and for another the label said “10 grams of protein.” Inside the package the bars were identical, and neither batch contained soy. The people who were given the bars without the term “soy” on the labeling generally liked them and had positive comments about the taste and texture, but those who had been given the bars they believed contained soy rated them far less favorably.5 In the experiment people had preconceived notions about the taste of soy, and this bias shaded their experience of the food. “People will taste what they expect to taste, and it’s important to not negatively bias expectations,” says Wansink.6

  There is a small percentage of the population, those who call themselves “health-conscious,” who do not exhibit a negative bias when a food is described as healthy. But it is important to remember that for most people healthy food isn’t very appealing, so it’s best not to mention it. Instead, focus on the tasty attributes of your food, and maybe your eaters will forget that your roasted cauliflower is actually good for them.

 
“BROCCOLI HELPS ME GROW”

  To the dismay of many, child psychology is not the same as adult psychology, and getting kids to eat vegetables requires a slightly different approach. Though I don’t have children myself, I have spoken with countless people about their kids’ eating habits, and those who have successfully integrated whole, unprocessed foods into their families’ healthstyle share many similarities.

  I was never a picky eater as a child. Sure, I would occasionally hide an asparagus spear under my excess mashed potatoes, but for the most part I ate my broccoli, peas, and carrots without complaint. I also ate spicy salsa, sushi, mustard, onions, and chicken liver paté. When I asked my dad why he believed this was the case, he echoed what I’ve heard from parents all over the world. I ate what was offered, because he and my mother never expected me do to anything else; I was never given the option of special meals, so it never occurred to me to ask for them. Accommodating picky eaters with special foods or meals reinforces the message that rejecting foods is acceptable behavior and discourages adventurous eating.

  One of the biggest factors impacting children’s acceptance of food is the behavior and eating preferences of their parents.7 I was five years old the first time my parents took me and my younger brother, Dana, to a sushi restaurant. They didn’t tell us we were going to eat raw fish and seaweed, just that we were going to try a Japanese restaurant they loved. When we got there, the waitstaff were all wearing beautiful kimonos, and we were escorted to a low table where there were mats to sit on the floor. Dana and I didn’t think this was scary; we thought it was the coolest thing ever. Our waiter explained to us that it was traditional to eat Japanese food with chopsticks and rigged us each up with a pair that were banded together with some paper and a rubber band at the end so they worked like tweezers. I was willing to eat anything, so long as I was allowed to use these awesome new chopsticks.

  My parents ordered everything they normally would, including sushi rolls, tempura shrimp and vegetables, and also some beef teriyaki and fried chicken, which they knew we would like. Still, they offered us everything and suggested we try it if we were interested. We did focus most of our attention on the chicken and beef that first day, but loved the crispy tempura vegetables and even a few bites of sushi roll. We didn’t even think it was weird. I found out later that sushi was made from raw fish and seaweed, but by then it was already one of my favorite foods and I didn’t really care.

  Making food fun is one of the most effective ways to convince kids to try new things. Recent research from Wansink and others shows that children actually prefer more diverse and colorful plates than adults.8 They also prefer it when the foods are arranged more sparsely rather than clumped together in the center of the plate. If the food is made into shapes or patterns on the plate, even better. Some parents have reported success with making a game of eating, such as telling children that they are dinosaurs and that broccoli florets are tiny trees that need to be eaten. Children also respond better to the idea of eating foods that “help them grow” than to commandments followed by “Because I said so.”

  Research consistently shows that kids who initially reject a food must be exposed to it repeatedly (at least eight to ten attempts) for it to be accepted. Many parents have had success with the “one bite rule”: a child must try at least one solid bite of each food every time it is presented. Some research has shown that rewarding this behavior with things like stickers helps children be more adventurous and eventually leads to better long-term acceptance of the food.9 In contrast, putting negative pressure on a child to eat foods can backfire by turning mealtime into an all-around unpleasant experience, which can actually increase picky-eating tendencies.10

  When reintroducing foods, try different preparations and cooking methods to make the food more appealing. Surrounding a rejected food with flavors the child normally likes, like cheese or bacon, can be especially effective. This was a favorite trick in my own household when I was growing up. “If I’d melted cheese on it, you guys would have eaten shoe leather,” my dad told me when I asked him why he thought we always ate our vegetables. I’ve spoken to other parents who swear that garlic, salt, and pepper is a combination enticing enough to get their kids to eat almost anything. The important thing is to get children accustomed to eating a diverse assortment of fresh vegetables and fruits. As long as the garnishes are made from real ingredients, a few extra calories that help them enjoy the experience is perfectly fine.

  I’m less a fan of hiding healthy ingredients in foods, like grinding up spinach and putting it into brownies. The goal should be to get children to enjoy real food, and hiding vegetables only sends the message that they aren’t important enough to eat for their own sake. I would only suggest this as a last resort for extremely picky children.

  Children are more invested in a meal if they help with its preparation. Take your kids with you to the farmers market and introduce them to the farmers who grow their food. Better yet, start a garden and teach them how to plant and harvest their own. Invite them into the kitchen and let them help clean carrots, snap beans, mix the salad dressing, and set the table. Letting your children participate in the process gives them a sense of pride, and they feel a deeper connection with their food, making them much more excited about eating it.

  All children are different, and clearly some will be more difficult to cajole than others. As a parent, you can just do your best with the tools you have. Create as many positive food experiences as you can and never complain about food-related chores such as shopping, cooking, or cleaning the kitchen. Set a good example and keep trying. Picky eating is a state of mind, but it doesn’t need to be a way of life.

  FOODIST AND FAMILY

  One of the toughest situations a foodist can encounter is seeing loved ones suffer as a result of their eating habits. Traditional whole foods have been out of fashion for so long that many of our parents and sometimes even our grandparents are completely unaware of the negative health effects caused by the foods they grew up loving. As they age, however, these habits start to take their toll, and we must watch as their health deteriorates. A medical emergency that brings them face-to-face with reality is sometimes what it takes for them to make changes. Other times even that isn’t enough.

  Unfortunately, changing the habits of another person is even more difficult than changing your own. Stubbornness, pride, and ignorance can prevent people from even listening to advice that could save their lives, and for whatever reason age tends to compound these particular traits. Pushing a message that people don’t want to hear can cause them to dig in and fight even harder to preserve their way of life, straining and potentially destroying your relationship with them. When dealing with someone like this, it’s first essential to accept the fact that there may be nothing you can do for him or her. No matter how badly you may desire to help, a person has to want to change and cannot be forced.

  But still, change can happen. Despite my close relationship with my father and his enthusiasm about my career path, I didn’t expect him to ever alter the way he ate. My dad had suffered from depression since I was in high school, and his outlook got even worse after my mother passed away in a car accident in 2003. Like most people he had developed the habit of eating processed and fast foods starting in the early 1990s, and as his depression grew deeper, the effort he put into feeding and taking care of himself waned.

  “In general, I did not want to continue living and didn’t think I would. With all the health problems I was having, and especially after your mom died—that was a really hard thing for me to deal with—and I thought it would be better if I was gone too,” he told me.

  After a series of serious medical emergencies that nearly took his life on three occasions, I had nearly given up hoping for a turnaround, even though he was only in his fifties. But I continued to love him and share my passion for seasonal food whenever possible.

  “You were so understanding, you never put any pressure on me or tried to convince me to chang
e, but you always gave me hope that things would get better, things would be better,” he recalled.

  From my perspective he had gone through enough and didn’t need me or anyone else telling him how to live out his life. If he didn’t want to live, I didn’t want to bug him about his blood pressure or eating habits. I just wanted to have as many happy and positive times with him as possible until whatever happened happened, and the last thing I wanted was to strain our relationship unnecessarily. I know my dad, and he is not one to do anything just because someone else, even me, thinks he should. Still my excitement about food and health was genuine, and I knew he had always been a fan of a good meal, so I continued to share what I was learning.

  My cooking was the first thing that caught his attention. I made a point whenever visiting home in southern California to stop by the San Francisco farmers market before getting on the plane and bringing back something delicious. On one summer trip I brought home a small bag of padrón peppers, some good olive oil, and a crusty baguette. Padróns are small green peppers that are a common tapas dish in Spain and a seasonal delicacy for foodists in San Francisco. They are incredibly simple to prepare. All you have to do is heat some olive oil in a cast-iron pan and cook the peppers over medium heat until they blister and just start to brown. When they’re done, sprinkle them with some coarse sea salt and eat them with your fingers. Padróns have a deep pepper flavor, but are not usually spicy—except when they are. One out of every ten peppers is incredibly hot, so eating a bowl is a bit like playing Russian roulette with your tongue.

  My dad has always been a fan of spicy foods, and I knew that padróns would be right up his alley. At his house I cooked them with a little more olive oil than usual, because it becomes infused with the oil from the peppers and tastes delicious. We used the bread to sop up the extra pepper oil and cool our mouths when we got burned on the spicy ones. My dad loved every bit of it and quietly started paying more attention whenever I mentioned food.