Wine just got healthier (for real)

It may come as a shock but I’m not a major wine drinker. My desert island cocktail would involve spirits (specifically Mezcal in case you care). I am, however, obsessed with the whole healthier happy hour concept. If we’re going to drink (you can make your own decision but I am going to), what’s the best way to improve the quality, decrease the side effects and just feel better about it?

Enter üllo, üllo is basically a Brita for your wine. It’s an easy-to-use filter that sits on top of your wine glass. As you pour the wine, the sulfites are removed. Sulfites are preservatives used in most wine production. They can cause allergic reactions and also headaches. It’s estimated 1 in 10 people have a sulfite sensitivity. Even if you’re not the one, sulfites decrease nutrient availability in food. Specifically, sulfites gobble up B vitamins- how rude!

I tested out my Üllo recently for a holiday dinner. Whether it’s bad parenting or not, I had my 12-year-old set it up for me. It was Rosh Hashanah so the wine was sweet which usually leaves me  miserable. While I only had one, small glass (Jam Jar, yum), I didn’t have my usual “red” headache. Cheers and TGIF!
Do you react to sulfites? Seek out wines that are sulfite free? Have you heard of üllo?

Kate Hudson Says This is Your Cake

I was reading Shape Magazine’s March issue (double Foodtrainers in there, Carolyn discusses “souping” and I explain the pros of pistachios). Kate Hudson is on the cover looking pretty damn good. In her interview she tells a story about an experience in France.

I don’t have the article it in front of me but she describes a meal she was having in Paris when she was a little younger. There was lots of food and wine and she was partaking in it all (if you have Goldie’s genes I guess there’s some leeway). Cake arrives for dessert and an older French woman approaches the table. I’m not sure if she spoke in French or English but as Kate was about to taste the cake said, “no, no, no dear this is your cake” and gestures to the wine.

You simply cannot eat it all and look like Kate Hudson on that cover. We may not be able to look like Kate Hudson regardless but that’s another story. However, feeling good doesn’t mean you’re trapped at destination deprivation you just have to pick your pleasure. In my book I discuss my favorite restaurant rule The Rule of 1 of 4.

When you’re out (or home for that matter) the main “weighty” variables are booze, bread, a dinner carb and dessert. Even if you’re reasonable with portions if some wine, a bread crust, rice and dessert bites is your norm, you may need to be a little more choosy. On a typical night pick one “cake” max as French lady said. On a special occasion when dessert is expected, perhaps you’re at 2 of 4. Strategy is soothing; try to preplan your picks. I’m not out often in a week, so when I am I bet you can guess my choice…

What’s your strategy when you eat out? What’s your downfall? Of these 4 choices what would you most often pick?

Drink your way to success?

Yesterday, a link to this story was sent my way.  The premise of the article is that in order for women to succeed in business they need to drink up. The piece was sent my way with the commentary “so sad that women feel they need to do this.” It is. It’s not as sad as people sleeping their way to the top but I’ve written before about bossy bosses. And so whether it’s “pizza for the team”, a golf outing (maybe drinks trump this option) or whisky this frat-style hazing is alive and “unwell” in corporate America. 

I first heard about this mandatory serious drinking from a client based in Asia. When I’d ask how many drinks we could plan on when she was out for work she’d say “a lot”.  When I’d clarify, “so four, five?” “She’d say “much more.” In many situations it’s not just that you must participate but that you have to participate with gusto. As the article said, “a couple Chardonnays over a three hour period isn’t going to cut it” or so it seems. I don't know what's worse the expectation that you have to overindulge or employees taking apparent pride in their ability to do so.

Peer pressure aside, I find it interesting that what you choose to drink makes a statement. “Drink things typically associated with having a penis. Goodbye Skinny Girl margarita, hello Don Julio.  As long as we’re being crass, I am a fan of these so-called “penis” drinks. I love a scotch or mezcal on the rocks but it does elicit comments. As long as we’re being crass, since when does having a vagina obligate you to order a Cosmo? If you've read LBT you know that these "dude drinks" are the way to go, of course I suggest one a night. It's a good thing I own my own business.

Maybe I’m biased but I don’t think you need to down a pizza, a dozen shots or sink a hole in 1 in order to succeed. But you may need to take a piece of pizza, order a stiff drink and go to the golf outing. I’m all for doing the best job you can but that has its limits.

What do you think of the expectation that you have to go “shot for shot” in order to succeed? Have you felt pressured, as an adult, to eat or drink something at work or socially? How do you handle it?

Food Preferences: Why I Love Beets and Hate Broccoli Rabe

On our Foodtrainers Questionnaire we ask new clients “what are your favorite foods (healthy or unhealthy)?” and “what foods do you dislike or prefer not to eat?” Blue cheese, beets, Brussels sprouts, spicy food, cilantro and tomatoes are often listed.  The funny thing is that they are listed as both favorite and least favorite foods.  So, did you ever think about what determines whether we adore or despise a particular food? There are a few theories.

Some feel our food preferences are an evolutionary survival skill. “The senses of smell and taste evolved to evoke strong emotions because they were critical to finding food and mates and avoiding poisons and predators.” A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition gave an example that the preference for spicy foods in certain cultures was based on the protective effect of spices against microbes and food borne illness. What’s sad is that our food instincts or preferences do not seem to be keeping us safe anymore. Instead of detecting artificial or extreme tastes we are now conditioned to enjoy them. I mean, do you get more “poisonous” than diet soda?

There is also interesting research focusing on the diets of pregnant women. The theory is that we are conditioned to like what our mothers ate while pregnant or breastfeeding (brandy anyone?). One study found that the infants of mothers drinking carrot juice during their pregnancies were more accepting of rice cereal with carrot juice in it than those in a control group. We know nutrients pass through the placenta so it makes sense that tastes would too. Yet how do we explain twins or siblings with very different food likes and dislikes?

A Washington Post piece entitled “Our Taste Buds are Just One Reason We Love Some Foods and Hate Others” explained the nature versus nurture side of taste. “Culture often overrides our genes and takes over the mouth’s role as the body’s gatekeeper. Few people immediately like bitter beverages or extreme spices, but many learn to love them through repeated exposure. We often learn to like what people around us like.”  You see this often with children. They initially may reject a food only to eat it the eighth or tenth time around.  And you see tastes changing with time. I grew up disliking salty foods or certainly not seeking them out. Now? I can’t get enough. Does it have something to do with being married to a saltaholic? It might although he doesn’t like mushrooms just because I do, hmn.  

So much of nutrition has to do with what foods are good for us or praiseworthy for their vitamin content. Taste can get lost in the shuffle. At a seminar entitled “Field to Plate” on Tuesday, I learned about an interesting way to think about taste and flavor. Our host, Amanda Archibald presented vegetables in flavor profiles and flights, much like wine. Romaine, green beans, asparagus and celery were in the “Grassy” group. Mustard greens, arugula and watercress were all in the “Spicy” family.  You may be able to guess some of the "Sweet" vegetables that include snap peas, parsnips and my beloved beets. Do you tend to like one of these groups more than the others? Or perhaps you eat some of these vegetables and can branch out to another member of that group. If that’s not up your alley you can return to the prenatal argument and blame your mother for the foods you dislike.

How do you think our tastes are formed? What vegetable family do you like best? And where do you stand on blue cheese, beets and Brussels sprouts?