Bad Food Guide

Very interesting little documentary on BBC2 tonight about Raymond Postgate, the socialist historian and crime-writer, who was also the originator of the 'Good Food Guide' in 1951.

The insight into the awfulness of post-war British eating is truly fascinating, from Brown Windsor Soup and horsemeat to South African snoek and whale steaks.

Postgate railed against the complacency and often downright rudeness of catering provision, as it coasted along on the atmosphere of restriction and lack of flavour synonymous with WW2 rationing.

He was the founder and sole member of the 'Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Food' - his rallying article in the weekly magazine The Leader- which led to the Good Food Club. Postgate simply asked that individuals anonymously rate eating establishments on a short form, nominating good ones to membership of the Good Food Club. The response was overwhelming, with nominations coming in from all over the country.

When The Leader shut down, Postgate undertook to compile the nominated restaurants, cafes and hotel dining rooms into a reference guide. As a method of quality control, he traveled around to each of them with his son as a dining companion and co-taster, including in the book those that satisfied his down-to-earth tastes and met his not unreasonable standards of service.

The first Good Food Guide included 'Tips for Eating Out', extremely patronising by today's standards, but designed to arm the middle class diner of the 1950's against 'the enemy' of the snotty waiter, careless chef and mercenary restauranteur. As such, it is credited with being the forerunner of the consumer movement.

The Guide captured the zeitgeist of eating out in post-war Britain, including many ethnic restaurants and in particular, local Indian restaurants, like Veraswarmas in London.

It also encapsulated the rise of the 'knowledgeable amateur' chef patrons, such as George Perry-Smith, and his restaurant The Hole in the Wall in Bath. Perry-Smith was a hip, bearded bohemian whose quality menu was inspired by the young food writer Elizabeth Davis. Together, they are seen by many as the vanguard of a new confident British cuisine and the move away from Brown Windsor Soup and surly service, championed by Raymond Postgate.

Good for them, I say, and for the British dining public!

Disordered Eating, Self Esteem

Does anyone think it's increasingly rare that women are happy in their skins?
So many women I meet seem to almost completely tie up their self worth in their appearance. Oh I know it's always been the case that women have been judged on what they look like rather than who they are, but we're supposed to have moved on a bit since the 1950's.

In my line of work, I am more likely than most to be encountering dissatisfaction and poor body image on a regular basis, but among my friends and acquaintances, body shape, looks and dieting are a perennial pre-occupation, some of them to quite a pathological degree.

The conference on eating disorders in Barcelona recently was stimulating and worrying in almost equal measure.

Eating disorders are on the increase. The incidence is increasing in men as well as in women, and the onset is at an earlier age (though the most vulnerable time overall is still puberty).

The causes are multifactorial. Some researchers are looking at possible genetic predispositions which could make individuals more likely to develop an eating disorder under certain environmental conditions (ie stresses such as poor family support, bullying etc). Societal attitude to the beauty ideal is certainly a factor, as are the prevailing messages about food and eating. Media portrayals of 'ideals' and 'norms' are an influence on girls as young as 5.

Role models are important. Mothers and peers are enormously influential. A girl whose mother is always 'on a diet' and whose friends discuss Brittany versus Christina in terms of their looks rather than talent, is much more likely to suffer from poor self esteem and to have a distorted perception of her own body.

Parents of overweight children are frequently anxious about how to address the overweight without promoting body dissatisfaction and possibly triggering and eating disorder. In fact, overweight children are most likely already dissatisfied with their appearance.

This all probably sounds a bit 'heard it before- yaaaawn'.
We've had the Karen Carpenter biopic and Susie Orbach's 'Fat is a Feminist Issue'. We're jaded with the how skinny is Nicole/Lindsay/the one with the dark hair who used to be in Twin Peaks.

Here's the thing- eating disorders are a tragic psychiatric condition about stress and control and because as a society we contribute in some way, as individuals, we each need to start somewhere and do our bit.

I'm happy that I actively promote a move away from dieting behavior towards healthy relationships with food both in my work and my life, but I also resolved in Barcelona to get over myself.

For a start, I'm going to do my very best to
1. be less self-critical- of my abilities, my skin, my thighs...
2. not avoid going to the doctor because I'm self conscious about any/all of the above (I know, I know! I was barely aware that I did that and how ridiculous it is)
3. avoid engaging in discussions with or about others on the basis of weight or appearance



For health professionals; for ED suffers; for friends & family.
See if there are any resolutions you can make.

Food Preference Starts Early

An ongoing pan-european research project called INFABIO is looking at infant feeding practices and the development of food preferences. (You can read about other food preference research here).

There is quite a bit of evidence that babies who are breastfed have less neophobia about foods- they take to new tastes more easily than bottle-fed babies. The possible reason is that the flavour of breastmilk is subject to subtle changes, depending on the mother's diet, whereas formula milk always tastes the same.

Apparently, there is also evidence that babies can taste and smell some strong flavours, like garlic, while still in the womb as the phenol compounds responsible for the distincive taste can be found in amniotic fluid.

I'm glad that they know about the flavours by measuring phenols. Being a researcher is difficult enough.

Bad Science

Oh I love this site!
It's Dr. Ben Goldacre's 'Bad Science' online presence and includes an archive of his columns of the same name in The Guardian.

I laughed out loud so many times at the comments on 'That Awful Poo Lady' clip from YouTube that my stomach hurt.

And he's the image of my friend Vinnie. Have a look.

(PS if you need any more convincing about the ridiculousness of El McKeith, the archives in Ray Girvan's Apothecary's Drawer blog are also pretty good on de-bunking bunkum spouted by the Scottish 'nutritionist')

Normal Weight?

We're probably all aware of the historical chestnut that Marilyn Monroe was a size 16.

However, based on her measurements, she would have been a US 10 (UK 12) and had a healthy BMI of just over 20kg/m2.

(The healthy range is 20-25, though for women, 18.5- 24.9 is recommended by the National Institutes of Health in the U.S.)

The perception seems to be that Monroe would be considered 'fat' by today's standards- yet she is at the lower end of a healthy BMI range.

Looking at the national statistics on BMI for the USA, it looks like the population is redefining 'normal'. Fewer people have a body mass index in the healthy range (18.5-24.9) and more and more fall into the overweight, obese or underweight categories.

This trend in body sizes away from the norm has led some to seek a re-definition of the healthy range, and anyone advocating this change is proposing a move upwards.
Current weight for height charts are still based on the Metropolitan Insurance tables from the 1950's.

While I do understand the rationale which says that we are taller and heavier now, and that comparison with data for the 1950's might not be a realistic reference for people today, this argument doesn't take account of the fact that 50% of the population have a much thinner 'norm' to which they aspire; social pressures are for women to maintain a body size substantially smaller than what was considered 'normal' or even attractive in the 1950's. And remember, Monroe was not overweight.

Apparently, the couture sample size aspired to by all of Holly wood is '0'. Size zero! 'No size', effectively. Just think for a second about how ridiculous that is- never mind how tiny. To my mind, adjusting BMI or weight reference ranges is moving the goal posts. We would be 'normalising' unhealthy weights and addressing the wrong issue.

Guru, Barcelona

I experienced a series of firsts on Friday night in Barcelona. Fairly mundane firsts, it must be said (before anyone gets excited), but firsts all the same...

I found my destination straight off without any detour or stress.
I was there ahead of my dinner partner.
I was waiting for close to an hour and didn't get irritated.
I was the ONLY person in a popular restaurant aside from the staff!

Guru bar/restaurant/club at Nou de la Rambla 22, Barcelona, is very cool indeed. There is a long narrow bar on the way in, where they play mellow, ambient tunes and have an excellent cocktail list.
At the back is the restaurant, a grotto-like room, with white 'palm tree' columns and hanging globe shaped lights. The lighting is low and a pinkish neon glow and concrete flooring adds to the surreal grotto feel. The furniture is completely white too and ultra-modern, with leather banquettes down the sides of the room for larger groups and tables of four in 2 rows down the middle.

The menu is nicely straight-forward, with a choice of 4 appetisers, 6 starters, 6 mains and 4 desserts. I had the guacamole while waiting , then a pumpkin and rocket risotto to start followed by fillet steak with asparagus and delicious waxy potato and brie stack (called something much more appetising on the menu, but plenty of cava reserva and a glass or 2 or chilled rose muddled my memory).

The empty dining room filled up with a funky stylish crowd of mixed ages, and from 1230 or so, the central tables were cleared back and the restaurant gradually morphed into a laid back loungey club. The bar outside had been buzzing from about 1030 too, with the separate DJ there revving things up by degrees.

We had to go before things really integrated, but it's open till 6 apparently, and I'd definitely love to go back with a larger crowd; though I'd start later..... and I'd make sure that no-one ended up in Guru bar on Josep Anselm Clav by mistake......

Eating Disorders Conference in Barcelona

I'm here in Barcelona at a conference on Eating Disorders and I'm exhausted. The sessions start from 830- 930am and go on till 7pm.

On Wednesday, I was at a teaching session on what is categorised officially as Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS for short)- basically, everything except Anorexia Nervosa or Bulemia Nervosa. There was Binge Eating Disorder, Night Eating Syndrome (with various sub-categories) and Purging Disorder (which can be Bulemia-like or Anorexia-like). At the end of the session, I felt that almost 100% of all the women referred to me have an eating disorder, as do about 80% of all the women I know, and about 20% of the men.

Yesterday, there were some fantastic presentations and workshops in the area of pregnancy, early development, infant feeding and gene/ environment interactions.

And today, my brain was overloaded with ED in childhood/ adolesence and prevention programs.

I'll post summaries of the most interesting stuff as I go through my notes, but suffice it to say that we're massively under-resourced for ED in Ireland.

Of course, Barcelona's great. Staying at the B Hotel- great value, good location & interesting modern decor. Had some pretty good tapas last night in the Barri Gotic off las Ramblas, and am looking forward to a night at Guru restaurant/ club later on, as recommended by my other half, who is always astonishingly up to date on what's happening in any number of cities. He calls it research. And here am I thinking that 'Protein repletion post-refeeding in female patients with severve low-weight Anorexia Nervosa' is research.......

Summer Eating

Well it looks like the summer has finally reached Ireland!
I'm back in sunny Dublin after a fabulous weekend boating on the Shannon.

How five women survived not only the technicalities of navigating and handling a 6 berth cruiser, but also confinement in close quarters for 3 days is beyond my other half, who is still shaking his head in disbelief.

But we did, and it was fun and relaxing and the weather was amazing and we didn't break anything much and apart from a minor bump with a 6 week old, 300,000 euro shiny cruiser (sharp intake of breath)- no damage to either boat- (and exhale), it all went well. We were blessed with ridiculously sunny weather every day, and ate on deck or at the riverside for every meal.

Outdoor cooking and eating really is something special. Everything seems to taste better. From the fresh watermelon at breakfast to the glorious salads, the barbecued haloumi, corn on the cob, flat mushrooms with pesto and vine tomatoes with tapenade, and lovely chargrilled fresh salmon, it was all delicious. Fresh fruit like pineapple and bananas all went on the barbie and I think it's almost replaced my yearning for the Scandinavian berries and white chocolate dessert at Bang Cafe.

Summer barbecuing really doesn't need to be all about the meat. Lots of vegetables do very well and if you don't want to go to the bother of skewering up some veg and haloumi or even fruit kebabs, you can spread out chunks of the cheese with red pepper and onion on disposable aluminium trays with a drizzle of oil, salt & pepper or marinade and they'll cook away over the cooler part of the grill. Leave good ripe little tomatoes on the vine if you can -simply because it looks lovely- but you can snip them into bunches of 3 or four with a scissors to make it easier for turning and serving.
The big flat mushrooms would make a great veggie alternative to a burger. We had them in freshly baked crusty baps with haloumi and the tomatoes mashed in like a relish. They need some fat to cook well, and although we used a dollop of pesto, a smear of garlic & herb butter would be equally delicious.
Barbecuing is quite a healthy way to cook as it uses very little additional fat or oil. Of course, marinades for vegetables, fish and meat are fantastic- they increase the flavour and decrease the cooking time- but always be sure to drain off any excess before putting food on the grill as drips onto the coals will cause 'flares' and excessive charring.
Use your imagination and be adventurous this summer.
Look here for recipe suggestions and here for food safety guidelines.

The Jack Spratt Advantage

You've heard of Jack Spratt? He of nursery rhyme fame who could eat no fat, and whose wife could eat no lean?

This nicley laid out article cleverly titled 'The Jack Spratt Advantage', details some research from the Medical College of Georgia which showed that people with more lean muscle than fat regulated their blood pressure better.

Strengthening your muscles through resistance training (such as Pilates or using weights) has numerous advantages, and I've talked about some of them, such as NEAT, before. Cardiovascular workouts (like running or aerobics) burn calories and are great for your lungs and heart, but don't forget to work on those muscles too. You'll burn calories more efficiently, even when at rest, and it's good for your blood pressure.

Crochet...yes, that's right, crochet.

Nothing to do with nutrition or food, but crochet is my latest vice. There, I've said it.

When clearing out an old filing cabinet in my (still awaiting refurb) office, mixed in with the carbon copies of journal articles from the 1970's left by my predecessor, I bizarrely found a crochet pattern for a baby blanket. It brought me back to my crochet passion phase of 1979 when my entire family got birthday and Christmas presents fashioned by my own fair hands in mushroom and beige coloured wool- including a particularly fine tie for my businessman father. Imagine their pleasure!

Well, my friends and family are again awaiting gift-giving occasions with trepidation, because I'm finding it very, very relaxing to dc, dtr, ch and rep. Fortunately, most of my friends are now in a baby-booming 'phase' themselves, and crocheted baby blankets, hats and booties are less 'let's hope it's a passing crochet phase' than the neck-ties, glasses-cases and fruit bowls (!) of the past.

If I've ignited the same passion in you, you might like to read more about the origins of crochet here.
Or not....normal service should resume shortly.

Healthy Lunches

A lot of my clients need direction on simple recipes and suggestions for quick and easy meals.

Bibliocook has a super blog with lots of wholesome simple things to try.

I'm really, really pleased to see such quality food blogs originating here in the Emerald Isle - or at least in Biblocook's case, from an Irish native abroad. Good stuff.

Ice Cream Ireland

Now, this is nice. From Kieran Murphy of Murphys Ice Cream in Dingle, Co.Kerry.
Someone who loves what they do. And a passion for food- lovely recipes for delicious desserts in his blog- and Mojitos, the loveliest summer drink.

I'm harking back to my theory that eating healthily is easier for people who know and love food.('What if....?' Aug 05)
Nations that are still connected to food production and preparation and taking pleasure in eating appear to me to be the ones that have fewer problems with obesity and the other nutritional ills.
The 'disconnect' in the UK, USA and here between where food comes from and how to prepare it is shocking.
I see people every day who never prepare a meal from scratch, ever.

And yet on the other hand, the humourless, anti-pleasure 'diet nazis' thrive...ho hum. (I just love Howard's rant on Gillian McKeith)
Come the revolution, there'll be changes! And ice-cream for everyone!

Another reason to eat local?

Funny article by Pim of Chezpim blog fame on another faaaabulous reason to eat locally produced food.

As if you needed another reason! My erudite post on local markets convinced you aaaaaages ago...er, I never made that post did I? Just a quick link to Slowfood sometime last year.
The path to hell is paved with good intentions, as they say.

And speaking of intentions, I will be returning to my limited 'This Season..' posts as soon as I can.

Where's my previous post on asparagus????
Oh....hmmmmm.

Hell, I tell you.

The Mac is back! (and why caesarian sections are bad for you)

I have missed my lovely white machine SO much! Can't believe it's finally back! This poor blog has gathered dust and cobwebs....

Here's a link to get things going; it's about the risks associated with repeat cesarean sections.
Of course, a cesarean section is a necessity for safe delivery of many complicated pregnancies and difficult labours, but I'm increasingly bothered by the numbers of women who seem to believe that a c-section is the 'easy' option for delivering their healthy babies.

We're doing something badly wrong as a society when we're fostering an attitude that sees the pregnant woman as an oven in which to cook up the genetic recipe written by both parents, ignoring the potent dynamic interaction between the mother's body and her developing baby, from the very start to the very end of pregnancy.

'Role models' like Jordan, Liz Hurley and Vicky 'Posh Spice' Beckham are appalling examples of how to 'do' pregnancy- minimal weight gain, maximum emphasis on appearance, c-section (preferably early, to minimise stretching the skin) and back in your pre-pregnancy jeans within a week.

Awful, awful, awful.

Unhealthy for mother and baby in the immediate and in the long term, entirely unrealistic for any normal woman, and unethical by any sane measure.