Today’s food trends
favor fesh, organic
veggies and
fuits, grass-fed beef,
and fee-range poultry—
along with roasted pork
belly, duck-fat-fied
potatoes, and growlers
of craf beer. Being
fiends with a gourmet
cook or having foodie
fiends can be a mixed,
if delectable, blessing,
especially when
those gourmands aren’t
focused on their waistlines—
or yours. With
some wise management,
here’s how you can edge
your favorite foodies
into delicious (not
belly-busting) dishes.
Your Challenge
Your fiend loves to
show off her cooking
talents, but her dishes
have several-thousandcalorie
price tags.
Adapt & Adjust
Appeal to her ego. Tell
her that you’re trying to
shed pounds but want
to do so deliciously—can
she help? Chefs will
fall over themselves to
show you new ways to
use herbs and spices, infused
vinegars, broths,
anchovies, Sriracha, and
other powerful flavors
to help you reduce fat
and calories without
sacrificing taste. (I’ll bet
she cooks that way for
herself. The Institute
of Food Technologists
found that 42% of foodies—
more than twice the
percentage of less-foodfocused
folks—count
calories. How do you
think she stays so slim?)
Your Challenge
You’ve asked your neighbor
not to bring fattening
dishes to potlucks
you host, but she keeps
doing it.
Adapt & Adjust
Steer clear of resentment.
She’s probably not
taunting you on purpose,
at least not consciously.
Consider that she may
be subconsciously afaid
of what might happen
to your relationship if
you slim down. So don’t
succumb to mind games,
especially with yourself.
Be honest. Start your
sentences with I feel and I
need. Be kind, clear, and
firm. Be confident that
she cares about you and
wants to help.
Your Challenge
Food isn’t the issue—your
fiends prefer to drink
their highbrow calories.
Adapt & Adjust
Grab the keys. The
designated driver never
gets pressured to say yes
to one more elderberry
martini or biodynamic
Shiraz. Sip one designer
cocktail, then switch
to club soda with lime,
knowing that you’ll keep
everyone safe.
Your Challenge
You favor very simple
food but must attend
business dinners booked
at restaurants where
chefs prepare adventurous,
high-fat fare.
Adapt & Adjust
Fake it till you make it.
Grab a hard-boiled egg
or a handful of nuts
before you go, and then
try something new. A
risk-taking palate takes a
while to develop. Once
it does, you’ll find joy in
all kinds of unusual veggies
and grains (quinoa
and jicama, anyone?).
Whole, fesh foods, no matter how they’re prepared, tend to
have less added salt and sugars than
processed foods. A focus on highquality
ingredients can help recalibrate
your taste buds quickly. When you try
a dish you love, search for a recipe
so that you can re-create it at home.
The entire process—finding those new
ingredients, layering on new spices,
trying new cooking methods—will help
you strengthen your own emerging
foodie cred.
Your Challenge
Your foodie fiends like to socialize at
places heavy on the pork belly, duck
confit, and lobster mac ’n’ cheese—
high-calorie comfort foods. You swear
your pants are tighter the next day!
Adapt & Adjust
Focus on what’s important. (Hint: It’s
not the food.) Socializing is something
you should never give up—but what you
actually do those nights is 100% up to
you! To break out of the rich-food rut,
make a list of 20 non-food-oriented
activities you all would enjoy: movies,
walks in the park, museum hopping,
shopping, or even go-karts, rollerskating,
or paintball—any fun, interesting
activity that’s not centered on
eating or drinking. Then commit to
trying one of these activities every gathering
until you’ve broken the caloriebomb
restaurant habit together.
Source:
Pam Peeke, MD, is assistant clinical professor
of medicine at the University of Maryland School of
Medicine and the author of New York Times best
seller The Hunger Fix (Rodale, 2012).
