Eat Yourself Thin
Making healthy, low-fat food more appealing is easy when you use herbs.
February/March 2000
By Debbie Whittaker
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Chicken Medallions with Herb Vinegar and Dilled Dijon Green Beans make a tasty low-fat meal.
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Recipes
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• Scantily Dressed Spring Salad
• Grilled Halibut with Mango Salsa
• Chicken Medallions with Herb Vinegar
• Dilled Dijon Green Beans
• Lotsa Grilled Primavera
• Grilled Pineapple with Passion Fruit
I love to eat. I won my first cooking contest in fifth grade. In college, I wondered if my boyfriends were attracted to me or to my cooking, and today I spend most of my vacations cruising local markets and ferreting out the best restaurants.
In my midthirties, then, it came as no surprise to discover that I’d stockpiled a warehouse of clothes in successively larger sizes. Most middle-aged Americans gain one to three pounds every year, but I was tired of being one of them. I knew that a crash diet might take off excess pounds but was unlikely to be a system I could live with to maintain a healthy weight. My solution was to adopt several commonsense changes in my food habits, replacing junk, refined, and processed foods with nutritious, unprocessed, whole-grain foods, cutting way back on fats and sugars. What makes this diet not only tolerable but sensational is my generous use of fresh herbs to add their myriad flavors and textures to my meals. Let me explain how I do it.
Give your body a break
If you normally reach for white flour, white rice, or other processed foods, start replacing them with whole foods: whole-grain flours and pasta, brown rice, unprocessed fresh fruits and vegetables, and fresh herbs. They’re rich in the natural fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients that commonly are stripped away in processing. If you love bagels and cream cheese, choose a whole-grain bagel; instead of cream cheese, substitute a little drained nonfat yogurt stirred with lots of snipped chives and save about 90 calories or 10 grams of fat for every 2 tablespoons of spread. Spread your favorite sandwich with Dijon mustard flavored with French tarragon or minced fennel tops instead of mayonnaise. Herbs add nutrients as well as their diverse flavors to just about any food. Be creative. Write down your winning combinations so that you can re-create them whenever you want.
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