Just Cook It: Chefs don’t always eat what they practice
I hear it all the time — “It must be great to be a chef. You’re able to cook exceptional meals for others and yourself anytime.
“You have the luxury of being able to eat like a king for every meal of every day. Not to mention the fact that you can take common ingredients, no matter what they are, and make them look and taste amazing. I wish I could do things like that.”
The above is one of the most common thoughts that people have about chefs. While I must admit that the ability to make most anything taste delicious is definitely a perk, it’s really not the entire story or truth.
Ask any chef how they themselves eat, and you’re most likely doomed for disappointment. The cold hard truth is that we chefs very rarely eat how we cook.
Cooking as we do requires an extraordinarily high level of effort, plus it is not in one’s best interest to eat a lot of the foods we cook on a regular basis.
When you go to a restaurant to indulge for a meal, that’s exactly what it is — one meal. If you were to indulge that way for every meal of every day, you probably wouldn’t be around too long to continue your indulgence.
This was a lesson I learned the hard way through experience. When I first started cooking professionally, I loved eating and tasting my food as much as I loved cooking it. My sampling habit lead to me gaining about 70 pounds of extra body weight over roughly a three-year time period along with feeling down right awful most of the time. I was constantly tired, irritable, and let’s call a spade a spade — I was fat.
I knew something needed to change or more bad things were going to happen. I thought to myself – I’m a successful chef and I know more about food than pretty much everyone I know, why am I in this situation?
It was then that I realized that the types of foods I was eating coupled with my generally high level of stress is what led me down this disastrous path. Maybe some of you can relate to my situation.
The good news is that by simply making the choice to change, coupled with a little research, open mindedness, and dedication, I was able to quickly do just that. I dropped all 70 pounds in about six months and haven’t looked back. I lost the weight about five years ago and have easily been able to keep it off by choosing to make a complete lifestyle change.
I am writing about this in this week’s column because I want my readers, listeners, and viewers to understand that most of the fun recipes that I share with you aren’t items that I eat on a consistent and regular basis. They are fun recipes and I do indeed use them in my real life situations, but I only use them when appropriate.
On a regular day in my life you will most likely find me drinking protein shakes, eating smaller balanced meals, taking handfuls of vitamins and supplements, and optimally eating around every three hours (schedule permitting) throughout the day. It sounds like a lot of work and a lot to keep track of but truth be told it’s a lot easier than doing what I used to do in the past. It also keeps my energy up and keeps me feeling great throughout the day.
All of the supplements I use are completely natural and as organic as they can possibly be. I also don’t eat foods containing artificial colors, flavors, or that are highly processed. I’m not saying that I NEVER eat them, but I certainly don’t eat them on a regular or consistent basis.
I also exercise five to six days per week, but this column is about how I eat not my daily activities.
I don’t look at my meals as a calorie thing and I don’t count calories. Instead I look at overall nutrition. I look at the ratio of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates that make up my meals and I consider the vitamin and mineral make up of what I consume.
Our bodies run on nutrition, therefore if you are not getting adequate nutrition for your body to function properly it makes no sense to “diet” or cut calories. By cutting the amount of calories you are consuming you are also reducing your intake of the already lacking vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in your diet.
It’s the same as saying my car doesn’t go fast enough so I’m going to stop using gas so that it will be lighter. I think you would agree that it doesn’t matter how light your car is, if there’s no gas in the tank it’s not going to function very well.
At the same time you can alternatively fill your cars gas tank with water and the gauge will still read full. Again, good luck getting anywhere. When you eat foods that are nutritionally empty (such as fast food) you may feel full but you aren’t providing your body with the necessary materials for it to function properly.
The sad fact is that food is not enough anymore. I know, it’s a terrible thing for a chef to say but it’s true. In 1936 a study was read before the United States Senate that revealed that 99% of Americans are deficient in minerals. It also revealed that a major reason for this fact is that our soil is deficient in minerals from over farming and more so today because of the use of herbicides and pesticides.
We were in serious trouble in 1936 and things are even worse today. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tell us that more than one-third (35.7%) of U.S. adults are obese. This is a staggering number that continues to grow larger and larger every year.
The truth is that obesity in many cases is the result of one’s lifestyle. Obesity, however, is not the only problem. The way we live day-to-day needs to change, and today’s food in and of itself simply is not enough.
We need to supplement the food we eat with the vitamins and minerals that our food simply isn’t providing for us. I have done a lot of research on this topic and have even discussed the matter with some world-renowned experts on the subject.
I use a specific meal replacement protein shake that contains vitamins and minerals, I take additional supplements, and I eat clean and balanced meals throughout the week.
On the weekends I like to cut myself some slack and ease up on being so strict. This is when I enjoy some desserts, fried foods, and everyone knows that I love pizza and pasta.
By eating clean and balanced consistently five days per week I can easily maintain the great way that I feel while still being able to indulge a couple of days per week. What you do consistently is what will show up everyday. Feed your body what it needs to function on a high level and you’ll feel great everyday.
So there you have it, how I really live day to day. If you would like information on the specific shakes and supplements I use contact me via my website at JustCookIt.net and I will be more than happy to share the information I have and help you all I can.
Also, if you’d like for me to talk more about these kind of topics in future columns let me know and remember that it’s also usually more delicious and also healthier when you — Just Cook It!
Mario J. Porreca of Belle Vernon is a food personality, author, and the host of Just Cook It on WMBS Radio 590 AM. He can be reached via his website at: www.JustCookIt.net. Twitter: @MarioPorreca