Masterpiece Meals™ : Creating Abundant Beauty and Health

It is no secret that the French are considered one of the healthiest societies in the world. Given to eating copious amounts of cheese, butter and cream, they nevertheless boast a population of slim, healthy people. According to the Institut National de la Santé et la Recherche Médicale in Paris (France’s institute of national health), not quite ten percent of the country’s citizens are obese. Here in Canada, 58 percent of Canadians are considered overweight to the point of developing health problems compared to more than 65 percent of Americans.

Why a difference in the national waistline and why the vast potential for medical problems inherent in the North American diet? Well, for starters, our farmers have become dependent on growing vegetables, fruits and especially root crops high in carbohydrates, starches and sugars which are valued by a processing industry that supplies us with highly processed, nutrition-deficient ‘food’ products. And our obsession with all things deep fried, super-sized and excessively sweetened also contributes to our expanding girth and declining health.

In essence, it is not only what we eat but how and when we eat that has turned us into counterpoint images for a moderate, active and healthy lifestyle. For instance, the next time you eat at a restaurant (excluding fast food outlets which have been demonized enough in the media), order your favourite meal and see if the following presents itself.

If you like turkey or steak, your protein will invariably be accompanied by potatoes (fried, mashed, boiled, pan-fried or baked), some mixed veggies (peas, carrots and corn), a roll and a house salad made from iceberg lettuce topped with a high fat, high sugar salad dressing. Because most of the foods on your plate are high in carbohydrates, starches and sugars, your glucose level will rise rapidly after eating and you will feel sluggish, bloated and ‘burpy.’ As well, the sugar will stimulate your pancreas to oversecrete insulin which in turn, leads to increased appetite. It is no small wonder then, that the food on our dinner plates make us want to eat more, have more bread, add dessert and reach for more caffeinated beverages and alcoholic drinks. The end result of so much wrong-eating is obesity and its increased physical and mental health risks.

If the meals you eat at home are similarly ill-prepared, then perhaps it is time to rethink your approach to eating. Meals should be thought of as a concert with each food component existing on its own, yet in harmony with one another. Like a symphony, when all the parts of a meal come together properly, the result is a masterpiece meal which leaves you satisfied, not full.

Start your masterpiece meal by choosing quality ingredients. Your main protein should include an animal protein, preferably poultry or fish, but in smaller portions. Include some dairy-based protein as well. Complement this with a dry vegetable protein such as chickpeas, lentils, red or white kidney beans, split peas or black-eyed peas.

It is the fibre content of a meal that creates the feeling of satisfaction after eating. The vegetable proteins on your plate will maximize your fibre intake and increase satiety. Often, eating plant proteins will fill cravings for bread. If you have to eat bread, opt for high fibre breadsticks or crackers.

Leave potatoes off your plate and try wild rice or a dry vegetable medley instead. Substitute veggies such as zucchini, cauliflower, asparagus and mushrooms for sugary peas, carrots and corn. It is important to consume your beverages before meals, not during or after, because they will dilute digestive juices and make it harder for your body to break down food. Finally, eat a salad of mixed green and red lettuce products at the end of the meal and top it with an olive oil dressing. For dessert, try a piece of fine cheese.

If you enjoy fruit for breakfast, just remember that all fruits are not created equal. North America’s favourite fruits are bananas, grapes and oranges, but if you are one of the over one-third of the people who have a blood sugar problem and crave these items, then you may have a potential health problem. The high sugar levels from carbohydrate content in these fruits have a tendency to rapidly raise the blood sugar level in the body and contribute to a host of serious health issues, including obesity, diabetes, arthritis and cardiovascular disease. As alternatives to oranges, bananas and grapes, try berries, less-sweet apples, kiwis, mangoes and papayas.

The masterpiece meal described above is the subject of intellectual property rights and inspired by the eating habits of continental France. Because cultural customs and a national reverence for food from the ground up have contributed to the overall health of France’s population, it would be prudent to follow their lead. We can begin by understanding that French cuisine is about healthy eating made simple. Now, if only our own meals home-cooked or in restaurants would lean toward such healthy eating that brings pleasure in appearance and taste and stay away from mounding our plates with iceberg lettuce and french fries.

Copyright © 2008 Positive Living Inc. and Lorraine Mignault

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