Fine Tuning

“Fine Tuning”

By Pam Everhardt Bloom

May 5, 2013

Seems like we all want to be healthy these days. Luckily I got a dose of good genes, however it’s still apparent that some fine tuning is in order. While some might start their search at the Y or with a personal trainer, my first stop was the on-line catalog at the library, specifically the Dewey Decimal 613 and 641 selections. I was not looking for a quick fix. None of the “miracle diets” interested me. Instead, my search was for some healthy changes that fit easily into the life I live each day.

I love good food and like to cook. There’s nothing better than sitting down to a leisurely meal with good friends and I know I don’t want to feel deprived at the dinner table while trying to be healthier. One book immediately caught my eye, “A Year in the Village of Eternity: The Lifestyle of Longevity in Campodimele, Italy” by Tracey Lawson.  How could I go wrong when the synopsis described:  “people here lead extraordinary long lives, enjoy low blood pressure and low cholesterol, and stay active and healthy to their last years.” With a format that reads like a memoir and a list of seasonal recipes, I’m quickly envisioning delightful meals, simply prepared and designed around local produce.  

Add a second book, an updated version of an old favorite of mine, “The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: A Delicious Alternative for Lifelong Health” and my shopping list to good health begins. The author, Nancy Harmon Jenkins, promises to nourish body and soul and this new version warrants a careful read. Recipes such as slow-cooked chickpeas with orange zest and lemon juice and braised pears in red wine seem both healthy and interesting to the palate.

A third choice, “Chef MD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine: A Food Lover’s Road Map to Losing Weight, Preventing Disease, and Getting Really Healthy,” appears  to cover all my wants and needs. Dr. John La Puma “decided to research the science of nutrition while also going to culinary school to learn to cook.” The end result was a concept he terms “culinary medicine.” This book includes an eight-week program for optimal health, however Chapter 5, “Recipes and Meals: What to Eat and How to Make It, for Every Meal (Including Dessert)” piqued my interest.  I found a list of pantry essentials and recipes for foods I know I enjoy and these definitely have a healthier twist. The recipes also include substitutions for items you might not normally have on hand, a convenient feature. “Warm and Nutty Cinnamon Quinoa” may become my box cereal replacement and “Toasted Walnut and Creamy White Bean Pitas” a satisfying lunch. Chapter 7, “What Do You Eat for That” includes good food sources for 12 different vitamins and minerals. There are also medicinal and tasty food choices for many different health conditions, each section containing explanations of the condition, a list of foods to increase in your diet, a list of foods to decrease, and suggested recipes. 

Of course, if I’m really serious about a healthier life, exercise can’t be ignored. Walking is my activity of choice, yet it’s quite apparent that a quick pace doesn’t tone everything.  Could a book titled, “Full-body Flexibility” by Jay Blahnik change my daily habits? Are there really exercises that will blend seamlessly into my everyday life? Perhaps I could watch “The Abs Diet Workout: the Six-week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life,” a Rodale Production. The selections at the library seem endless.  And if I find that I don’t exercise while those healthy pears are baking, there’s always the gardening section, yet another option for healthy living!