Food Horoscope: Pisces

Happy birth-month, Pisceans!



Pisces, the fishes (February 19 to March 20)

Now, I'm merely a cook, and not an astrologer, but here's my advice for your foodcast:

This is probably a good year to let food help you develop your relationships.

I've got something in mind that I think will help you do this in two ways.

The sourdough loaf, leavened by naturally occurring wild yeasts, comes to us through a very ancient tradition that requires patience and consistent care... powerful virtues in an era that tends to pay more attention to haste and impermanence. Some sourdough starters have been carefully tended and passed down from baker to baker for tens or hundreds of years.

The practice of patience and consistency helps ensure that your sourdough starter survives, but these skills also helpful things to remember in tending one's friendships.

And both the starter and the products it makes are ideal for sharing, another powerful relationship builder. When you think back on some of your favorite meals, you're likely to find they were spent with people you love. As long as there have been people, people have shared their food, so this is a pretty old concept.

So my thought is this: a new friend to break bread, or gather together a group of old friends to join you for brunch. Conspire to launch projects and solve problems.

I'd post the sourdough particulars here, but Sharon Vail's supremely cool recipes and story here at NPR sum up just about everything I'd want to say on the topic. She uses her starter in pancakes, biscuits, loaves and even chocolate cake.

On the other hand, the impatient among you might consider purchasing a little sourdough community to get your starter started right.

So with that thought in mind, enjoy your birthday and happy eating!

Resolution #5: It's All In the Timing

What's even more confusing than the research flip-flopping every decade or so on whether it's okay to eat buttered toast or not? Recent findings indicate that you really need to pay attention to the time of day to determine what to eat.

Yup. One more thing to think about. But the good news is, Resolution #5 is pretty easy to incorporate. You just have to remember two little rules about timing:



1. The morning is the best time for protein and carbs. Go low-carb for the rest of the day.
2. ...Unless you work out. You have up to an hour after a hard workout (the "golden hour") to refuel your body with carbohydrates and protein.

The reasoning behind these rules is simple.

While you're sleeping, you're fasting. Carbohydrates at breakfast deliver glucose to your bloodstream, starting up your brain and muscles. If you eat a big breakfast, you're going to give your body what it needs to perform better mentally and physically (and you might even lose weight). Carbs eaten later in the day are more likely to be processed to make fat.

A few good carb + protein breakfast options:

Beans on Toast

Poached Eggs & Toast Points

Yogurt & Granola

La Crepe Complete

Spinach Omelette and Whole-Grain Toast

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Cottage Cheese & Sliced Fruit

After a hard workout, your muscles need to rehydrate, regain their glycogen stores and repair damage. During the "golden hour" after a sweaty workout, you can eat the simple carbohydrates (like bananas) that you should normally avoid, because your body processes them differently. Eating enough carbs (and some protein) immediately after a workout will help you feel stronger the next day. Some research recommends chocolate milk.

Here's a more elaborate version of chocolate milk that J sometimes gets post-workout at a local juice bar. Just the thing to dream of while you're on the last, most difficult stretch of your exertions...

Bulldozer Smoothie
1/2 banana
1-2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 scoop chocolate whey protein
(or 1 scoop regular whey protein + 1 tsp cocoa powder)
1 cup milk or soymilk
2 ice cubes

1. Combine banana, peanut butter, protein powder, milk/soymilk and ice in a blender.
2. Blend until smooth, pour into a glass and serve immediately.

And you'll find more recovery-ready smoothie variations here .

So that's it for wellness resolutions this year:
1. Better Brown Bagging
2. Rearrange the Plate
3. Get Cultured
4. Keep it Low & Slow
...aaand #5: It's All in the Timing

Know a great one you think I've missed? Working on something worth sharing? Spill the beans in the comments.

To our health!

Resolution #2: Rearrange the Plate

In culinary school, we did a lot of plate drawings. The elements were always different, but the formula was invariable: Protein, Veg, Starch. Protein, Veg, Starch.

J recently started trying to drop weight to qualify for a lower weight division at tournaments, and he suggested that we drop the starch sector from our plates.

"Just double the vegetables and put the meat on the side."

At the time, this statement was revolutionary, and I must admit, not terribly welcome. Martin Luther pounding at the kitchen door. Drop the starch? But that was 1/3 of the plate! Utter madness!



It's taken some trial and error (old habits die hard) and some dishes have been dropped entirely (pasta and potato dishes fail under this plan), but I'm endeavoring to change, and behold! J has lost weight and I've felt less dopey after meals.

So my second resolution for the new year is to rearrange the plate that exists in the mind... the one that's been imprinted there by a lifetime of Protein, Veg, Starch combos.

The new plate is steak and sautéed broccoli. Or chili and salad. Or turkey and Brussels sprouts. Or a big Greek salad. Or beans and collard greens. Or a stir-fry, hold the rice.

Potatoes, rice, noodles and bread now become condiments to be used sparingly rather than major players on the plate.

Now, I'm a big bread lover, so this is a resolution — and a revolution — in progress, but I think it's a worthy goal that will pay dividends in weight maintenance, more veggie consumption and just feeling good overall.

Three more resolutions to come!

To our health!