The New Rules of Healthy Eating
4 simple steps to cook better, look better, and save the planet
By: Mark Bittman, Photographs by: Romulo Yanes
A few years ago, I found myself in a bit of a personal crisis. After spending nearly three decades as a food writer who eagerly devoured anything and everything, I had developed a burgeoning belly and a case of high cholesterol, and I was prediabetic. So with this gloomy prognosis hanging over my head, I did what any sane person would do: I started eating better. Just a few months later I’d lost 35 pounds, seen my cholesterollevels shrink by 60 points, and reduced my sugar levels to normal. I felt better, slept better, and lived better.
What was the secret? I started eating more plants and whole grains, and scaled back my intake of refined carbohydrates and other junk. I still ate meat, but I ate it less frequently and made sure that what I did enjoy was of the highest quality. In terms of environmental impact, this new approach turned me from a Hummer into a Prius. The best part: It tasted better than the way I ate before. Talk about a great way to cut your carbon footprint.
So I wrote a book, Food Matters, about what I’d discovered, and laid out the simple guidelines that can help you become a better eater in every sense of the word. The changes may not feel drastic — and that’s the point — but the results will be dramatic. Think about it: four simple adjustments that can help you lose weight, reduce your chances of many long-term diseases, feel healthier all around, and help stop global warming. Now that’s a change you can believe in.
Lesson 1: Eat Plants with Abandon
For breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, make plants the center of your diet. Only 20 percent of men eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. So if your regular meat-to-produce ratio is 70:30, flip it. Salads, slow-braised or flash-saut?ed vegetables, raw vegetables dipped in olive oil, whole fruits, smoothies — diversity is the key to upping your intake, and you really can’t go overboard. Here’s a perfect way to knock out a few servings, inspired by the classic mozzarella-and-tomato Caprese salad.
Layered Salad
3 large ripe tomatoes, cored; or 3 oranges (blood oranges are nice), peeled
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced; or 8 thick slices of watermelon (no bigger than the tomatoes), rinds and seeds removed
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 medium avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced; or 8 thin slices of fresh mozzarella or feta cheese
1/4 pound jicama, or daikon or other radishes, or Asian pear, or Granny Smith apple, peeled (if necessary) and grated or finely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice, or rice or sherry vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or cilantro (garnish)
1. Slice each tomato or orange crosswise into 4 thick slabs. Place a layer of them on plates and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top them with the cucumber or watermelon, and the onion. Put the avocado or cheese slices over everything, fanning them out to cover. Top with the jicama, radish, pear, or apple, and sprinkle again with salt and lots of pepper.
2. In a small bowl, use a fork to mix the olive oil and lemon juice or vinegar, and drizzle the dressing over the salad. Garnish with the chopped basil or cilantro, and serve. Makes 4 servings.
Layered Peach Salad This is a must when peaches are in season. Cut two peaches into thin slices and layer them into the salad after the avocado or cheese, and before the jicama/radish/pear/apple layer. Dress and garnish as above.
Lesson 2: Treat Meat Like a Garnish
No one — least of all me — is suggesting that you become a vegetarian, but meat doesn’t always need to be the star of your plate, either. Some of the finest culinary traditions — Chinese, Japanese, and Italian, for instance — treat meat as a garnish rather than a staple, using it to accent dishes instead of defining them. Adding a few ounces of bacon, chicken, or (as in this recipe) grilled steak to salads, pastas, or stir-fried vegetables makes for an amazing — and virtuous — weeknight meal.
Thai Beef Salad
8 oz skirt or flank steak, leftover or raw
6 cups torn salad greens or mixed greens
1 cup torn fresh herb leaves (mint, cilantro, Thai basil, or a combination)
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 medium cucumber, peeled if necessary, cut in half lengthwise, seeded, and diced
1 small fresh hot red chili pepper, minced
Juice of two limes
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp fish sauce (nam pla, available at Asian markets) or soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1. If you’re starting with raw meat, light a gas or charcoal grill, or heat a broiler; the rack should be about 4 inches from the heat source. Grill or broil the beef until medium rare, 5 to 10 minutes total, turning once or twice, depending on the thickness.
2. Toss the lettuce with the herbs, onion, and cucumber. Combine the remaining ingredients with 1 tablespoon of water (the dressing will be thin) and use half of this mixture to toss the greens. Remove the greens to a platter, reserving the remaining dressing.
3. Slice the beef thinly, reserving its juice; combine the juice with the remaining dressing. Lay the slices of beef over the salad, drizzle the dressing over all, and serve. Makes 4 servings.
How would Harold and Kumar ever find White Castle if it was always on the move?
