February 2012 - The Senior Times

Don’t let weighty issues stand in food’s way
If you want to be fit in the kitchen, forget about
food.
When it comes to food and fitness, I have an
ideal world in which each bite helps to magically
transform my body into a citadel of strength and
energy. In this realm, I know the nutritional value
of every dish and have memorized the latest pictogram
from the Canada Food Guide.
Each morsel I consume brings me closer to the
grail of the perfect body mass index, or BMI, although
I really might be happier with a BMW.
Then there is my daily life, where food and fitness
battle as I try to sort “right” from “wrong” at
the kitchen table.
Is chocolate good for me, or bad? Should I eat
bread because it is high in fiber or will it cause
gluten allergies? Are eggs good for cholesterol this
week or is it only the yolks that I should worry
about and then maybe not? And the most vexing
question: Can I buy blueberries in January if they
come from Chile?
In fact, it won’t be long before supermarkets
have WiFi and shopping carts are equipped with
iPads so that every decision we make can be justified
to a 13-year-old: “Hey Dad, are you sure that
the cereal you are buying is high-fiber, low-fat,
free-trade, hand-picked and packaged in a sweatfree
labour zone in a country without nuclear
weapons?”
My mantra used to be: “I’m hungry. That looks
good. I’ll eat it.” Now I require an armload of data
before I think of shopping. Sure, I can argue that
we should only stock our refrigerators with foods
high in vitamins and fiber, low in calories and locally
grown; but I know that tomorrow I’ll fry my
egg in some savoury olive oil to which I’ve added
a pinch of dried chili pepper and I’ll soak it up
with leftover baguette.
Citius, Altius, Fortius
No, if you want to be fit in the kitchen, forget
about food. That’s what I figure. Instead, I am
adopting the Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius—Swifter,
Higher, Stronger. After all, if it is
good for Olympians, why not me?
We’ll start with fortius. Push away the electric
stuff. Focus on the manual. Why use a breadmaker
when I can knead? Sure a breadmaker is
quicker, but I burn more calories in 10 minutes of
kneading, which is about how much time it takes
for me to haul out the mixer or breadmaker, add
ingredients and clean up later.
Flavour Guy
Barry Lazar
Kneading is also a mini-cardio workout. I knead
until I break into a bit of a sweat. For more serious
strength-builders, I keep a couple of mortars
and pestles. A small one is great for making salad
dressing: mash a clove of garlic with a bit of salt
and freshly ground black pepper, add olive oil and
continue mashing.
Then add vinegar—wine or apple cider vinegars
work best. The ratio of oil to vinegar is about 3:1,
then some Dijon-style mustard to blend it all
together. Moving up a level, I use a heavier and
larger stone mortar and pestle for grinding spices
and making pesto.
Now let’s focus on citius. Speed comes into play,
here. While the bread is rising, I work on the rest
of the meal and plan for something that is labourintensive,
such as a stir-fry, curry or stew.
I want to have lots of ingredients ready. I chop
these by hand and add them to a pot quickly.
The order is simple: onions and garlic (and
spices) first to brown or at least soften, then
denser foods (carrots, peppers, etc.), then less
dense, such as celery or fennel. If it is a soup, stew
or curry I add liquid and finally herbs.
If I use potatoes (diced by hand), I add them
in the last half hour. Since chopping by hand requires
a sharp knife, I have to make sure that it is
honed—another quick workout, great for dexterity
in the wrist.
Finally, altius. The higher the kitchen tools, the
more I have to reach. Admittedly, a 5’10 husband
and a 5’2 wife may differ over this. Stuff I tend to
use, such as the mortars and pestles, goes onto the
top shelf.
Then, it’s knee bends to get the turkey roaster
out or find the frying pan.
Having everything on the kitchen counter is
overrated and who has enough counter space
anyway? If you think I am exaggerating, have you
noticed how those cooks move on Iron Chef or
Chopped?
For the Flavourguy, fitness begins in the kitchen
but it may have nothing to do with food.
TheFlavourguy@gmail.com
www.theseniortimes.com February 2012 The Senior TimeS 19