Eating Healthfully Doesn’t Have to Mean Eating Boring Food

Sure, you’d like to cut out some of the fat and cholesterol from your diet and maybe add a few years to your life. But if that means everything you eat is going to taste like recycled cardboard, is the extra longevity really worth the sacrifice?

Fortunately, you don’t have to choose between a healthy heart and happy taste buds. It’s easy to have both, says James Cassidy, chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach. He proved his point last week at the first class of the 1991 educational series for the Associates of Hoag Heart Institute.

Without benefit of butter, salt or other no-nos, Cassidy whipped up dishes that had the Hoag associates ooh-ing and aah-ing and returning for more. And you don’t have to be a gourmet cook to do the same, he told them.

Cardiac-conscious cooking is surprisingly simple, Cassidy said. Every cooking technique except frying can be used without fat, and it’s easy to take a moment here or there to remove fat while cooking. Skinning a chicken before you cook it, for example, is an easy way to reduce the fat in any chicken dish--even for those who can’t peel it off as deftly as Cassidy does. “It’s just like taking the little chicken’s clothes off,” he said, performing what looked more like sleight-of-hand magic than food preparation.

Hoag dietitian Carole Tanner discussed the principles behind heart-healthy cooking, and Dr. Joel Manchester, medical director of cardiology at institute, explained the difference diet can make.

The death rate from heart disease in the United States has dropped 20% in the last 20 years, Manchester said. Although improved medical techniques account for some of the lives saved, more than half of the reduction is simply from lifestyle changes, as aware Americans stopped smoking, started exercising and modified eating habits, he said.

“Doctors like to claim all the credit, but it just isn’t so,” he said.

Still, heart disease remains the leading cause of death in this country, Tanner said. Although some of the 10 major risk factors, such as family history and age, can’t be modified, most can be changed to some degree.

“For every 1% drop in your cholesterol level, there’s a 2% decrease in your risk of having a heart attack,” Manchester said.

A high-fat diet, Tanner said, can contribute to cholesterol problems, weight problems and high blood pressure. Besides, every gram of fat contains 9 calories, more than double the 4 calories found in carbohydrates and proteins. Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram.

When buying fats, choose unsaturated over saturated. Saturated fats, which are solid at room temperature and usually of animal origin, can raise blood cholesterol levels, even if they are labeled cholesterol free. Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and are usually of vegetable origin, and they can lower blood cholesterol.

Also avoid margarine or any other product with the word “hydrogenated” on the list of ingredients, Tanner said.

Chicken, turkey and fish have the same amount of dietary cholesterol as red meat but less total saturated fat, she said.

Sodium is another ingredient to avoid. Tanner said high levels of sodium are often hidden in processed food and convenience food, even foods that don’t necessarily taste salty, such as cookies.

It’s all right to have a high-fat meal now and then, Tanner said, but if you do, plan around it and try to strike a balance. “If you’re going to have a high-fat dinner, have a low-fat lunch,” she said.

Eat no more than 6 ounces of meat, fish or poultry a day, less than 5 to 8 teaspoons of added fat and 4 grams of sodium a day, and no more than 4 egg yolks a week, she said.

At the grocery, try to shop more in the outside aisles and less in the inside ones, Tanner suggested, because the inside aisles tends to have more processed food.

But what about when you’re eating out? The Four Seasons may have nutritionally impeccable dishes on the menu, but many other places don’t. There are ways to find healthful foods at most restaurants, however, even fast-food outlets, Tanner said.

Choose foods that are simply prepared and avoid dishes described on the menu as “buttery,” “creamy,” or “deep fried.” Ask that sauces, margarine and salad dressings be served on the side so you can control how much is added.

At fast-food outlets, choose broiled over deep fried, turkey over beef and skip the cheese on your burger. Or try a salad, Tanner suggested.

Many “pass the salt” types mistakenly assume that unsalted food is bland. But Cassidy demonstrated that such other seasonings as herbs, lemon and meat stocks can do much more to give food a distinctive flavor.

He recommended growing herbs such as basil, rosemary and thyme at home, so that they can be used fresh. And he uses chicken- and fish-based stocks to add flavor to his dishes.

Cassidy even makes nonfat salad dressing with chicken stock, herbs and vinegar.

“Stocks are the key to flavor,” he said. Stocks can be made in large containers from leftover bones and meat, then frozen for use later. He recommended freezing stocks in ice cube trays for dishes that need only small amounts.

And it’s easy to remove the fat from a meat stock. Just chill it and let the fat solidify on top, then spoon it off and discard it.

For added flavor, use sundried tomatoes (actually oven-roasted) or mushrooms. Cassidy even uses black coffee to flavor his barbecue sauce.

“Just use your imagination,” he said. “And don’t be afraid to experiment.”