- Healthful,
Slimming SPA Foods
- BY THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE
FOR CANCER RESEARCH
Although "spa resorts"
have a reputation for offering special meals for dieters, the
American Institute for Cancer Research says healthful, slimming,
"spa-type" meals can be easily prepared at home, using
the techniques and strategies employed by health-oriented chefs.
"You can create ‘spa
cuisine' in your own kitchen," according to Melanie Polk,
R.D., AICR's Director of Nutrition Education. "Creating
a healthful, low-fat, low-calorie meal that is beautiful, full-flavored
and satisfying is a matter of following a few key principles."
Slimming Meals Can Please
the Palate, Help Weight Loss and Protect Health
"A meal should look as
wonderful as it tastes," advises Polk. "Use a combination
of several vegetables, for example, that offer a variety of appealing
colors, textures and flavors. That way, you also maximize the
health-protective substances only plant-based foods offer, while
getting that full feeling with the minimum calories."
Polk also recommends relying
on small amounts of mono-unsaturated oils – like canola,
olive, sesame and walnut oils – that are flavorful but far
more healthful than animal fats. "There's also a huge range
of herbs, spices and seasonings that can add extra punch to the
taste of any dish," she says.
For greater health protection
as well as better control of weight, AICR recommends the "One-Third/Two-Thirds"
principle when filling a plate: modest but adequate portions
(one-third or less) of animal meats on the plate and generous
portions (two-thirds or more) of a variety of plant-based foods
like vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans.
"The bottom-line, however,"
Polk stresses, "is that size matters – portion size,
that is. The most healthful, low-calorie dishes won't help you
get slimmer and healthier if you eat huge, super-sized portions."
Cooking Techniques Make
a Difference for Taste and Health
"Carcinogens are produced
when animal meats are cooked at high temperatures, whether fried,
roasted, broiled, or grilled," Polk warns. Although plant-based
foods like vegetables are essentially unaffected, researchers
have found that grilling and broiling cause muscle meats like
beef, poultry and fish to produce cancer-causing compounds –
HCAs (heterocyclic amines) and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons),
for example.
"Vegetables, on the other
hand," she points out, "benefit from high-temperature
cooking." Foods like vegetables and fruits, which are comparatively
high in natural sugars, develop a sweeter, richer flavor when
they are oven-roasted, broiled, or grilled. Compared to other
cooking methods like boiling, which can leach out nutrients as
well as flavor, high oven and grill temperatures intensify the
natural sweetness and create more complex flavors.
"For those who mistakenly
think vegetables can't be rich and sweet tasting, oven-roasting
and grilling will quickly change their minds," says Polk.
"A plate filled mostly with grilled vegetables, for example,
will help anyone stick to a New Year's resolution to eat healthier
and slim down."
Polk recommends beginning lunch
or dinner with a low-calorie yet fiber-rich soup to help dampen
the appetite before the entrée arrives. The following,
quickly-made soup offers the bulk and health-protective fiber
of oatmeal as well as a colorful variety of vegetables.
Toasty Oatmeal Vegetable
Soup
In large, heavy skillet over
medium heat, toast raw oatmeal, stirring constantly, until oatmeal
is lightly browned about 3-5 minutes. (Oatmeal can burn easily,
so watch carefully.) Transfer oatmeal to small bowl and set aside.
In large, non-stick 4-quart
pot, heat oil until hot. Add onion, reduce heat to medium and,
stirring frequently, sauté onion until softened and pale
gold. Add garlic and continue sautéing a few minutes more.
Do not allow onion or garlic to burn.
Add vegetables and broth. Raise
heat to high and bring soup to boil. Immediately reduce heat
to gentle simmer and cook about 10 minutes. Add oatmeal and simmer
about 2 minutes more, or until oatmeal is tender. Add parsley
and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings.
Per serving: 101 calories,
3 g. fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat), 14 g. carbohydrate,
5 g. protein, 3 g. dietary fiber, 590 mg. sodium.
The mono-unsaturated fat and
omega-3 fatty acids of the salmon and sesame seed oil in the
following dish offer rich flavor as well as health-protective
substances. The non-fat cream in the pureéd squash served
with the salmon provides the desired creaminess without adding
extra fat. Pureéing vegetables like squash – or peas,
beans, or carrots – gives a "comfort food" texture
that provides an interesting contrast to that of the fish.
Steamed Oriental Salmon
with Pureéd Squash
- To prepare pureéd
squash:
-
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place squash halves cut-side
down in baking pan. Fill pan with water about 1/2-inch deep.
Bake squash 30 minutes. Turn squash over and bake additional
30 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven and transfer squash
to plate and allow to cool until easily handled.
Use small metal spoon to scoop
flesh from skin of squash. Transfer to food processor or blender.
While pureéing squash, add lime juice and slowly drizzle
in cream or olive oil, a little at a time and only enough to
make a smooth pureé. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer pureé to container
with lid and store in refrigerator until ready to use, up to
three days. Heat in microwave before serving with salmon.
- To prepare salmon:
Place ginger, vinegar and sesame oil in small bowl and whisk
until well blended. Transfer to non-stick baking pan large enough
to hold salmon pieces. (Pan should have a depth of at least 1/2
inch so any liquid produced during steaming will be retained.)
Add salmon and turn to coat
on all sides. Marinate up to 2 hours in refrigerator. Before
steaming, bring to room temperature and season with salt and
pepper, to taste.
When ready to steam salmon,
select a large pot in which the pan of fish will comfortably
sit. Inside the pot place a heat-proof stand or rack* on which
the pan can sit high enough to prevent 3 to 5 inches of simmering
water from splashing onto food – about an inch above water
level. Add enough hot water to pot so it comes 3-5 inches up
side of pot. Carefully place pan with fish on stand or rack.
Bring water to boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cover pot and
steam salmon until almost tender. Add snow peas to top of fish.
Cover and continue steaming until fish is completely tender and
snow peas are tender-crisp.
Meanwhile, reheat squash pureé
and divide among 4 plates in the shape of a wide letter "c."
Using spatula, carefully remove
fish from steamer and place in the inside curve of pureéd
squash. With pastry brush, glaze top of salmon pieces with any
juice left in baking pan. Arrange snow peas as garnish, between
salmon and squash. Serve immediately.
*A stand can be improvised
by removing both ends of an empty food can, such as a large juice
can.
Makes 4 servings.
Per serving: 328 calories,
16 g. fat (3 g. saturated fat), 29 g. carbohydrate, 19 g. protein,
8 g. dietary fiber, 61 mg. sodium.
An entrée does not have
to include animal meats. In the following medley of grilled vegetables,
portobello mushrooms offer the "meaty" texture and
rich taste of a high-fat, high-calorie cut of red meat.
Grilled Vegetable Medley
with Herbed Basting Sauce
Vegetables
Basting Sauce
Combine all basting sauce ingredients
in medium saucepan until well blended. Heat over medium-low heat
until warm. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sauce can be
made a half-day ahead and stored in refrigerator. Before using,
heat over low heat until warm.
Heat grill or oven broiler.
Arrange vegetables in single layer on large, non-stick baking
sheet or pan. With pastry brush, lightly coat vegetables with
basting sauce, tossing vegetables with slotted spoon so all sides
are lightly coated.
Grill vegetables until tender
and lightly charred, brushing occasionally with basting sauce
if vegetables seem to be drying out. Begin with those vegetables
that take the longest and end with those needed the least cooking
time: sweet potato, carrot, parsnip; then, zucchini, onion, bell
pepper; end with eggplant, mushroom. Turn vegetables with large,
slotted spoon so they are evenly grilled on all sides. As each
batch of vegetables is done, transfer to serving platter and
keep warm.
Season grilled vegetables with
salt and pepper, to taste, before serving.
Makes 4 servings.
Per serving: 292 calories,
10 g. fat (1 g. saturated fat), 49 g. carbohydrate, 6 g. protein,
11 g. dietary fiber, 138 mg. sodium.
© 2001, American Institute for Cancer Research
_______________________________________
Author:
The American Institute for
Cancer Research (AICR) is the nation's third largest cancer charity,
focusing exclusively on the link between diet and cancer. The
Institute provides a wide range of consumer education programs
that help millions of Americans learn to make dietary changes
for lower cancer risk. AICR also supports innovative research
in cancer prevention and treatment at universities, hospitals
and research centers across the U.S. The Institute has provided
over $60 million in funding for research in diet, nutrition and
cancer. AICR's Web address is www.aicr.org. |
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