The Dish

The Dish

   On Eating Healthy   

and Being Fabulous!

CAROLYN O’NEIL

AND

DENSIE WEBB

1230 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10020

www.SimonandSchuster.com

Copyright © 2004 by Carolyn O’Neil and Densie Webb

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce

this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

For information address Atria Books, 1230 Avenue

of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

O’Neil, Carolyn.

The dish : on eating healthy and being fabulous / Carolyn O’Neil and Densie Webb.

—1st Atria Books hardcover ed.

       p. cm.

ISBN 10: 0-7434-7689-1

ISBN 13: 978-0-7434-7689-8

eISBN 13: 978-1-4391-9691-5

1. Women—Nutrition—Popular works. 2. Women—Health and hygiene—Popular works. 1. Webb, Densie. II. Title.

RA778.0485 2004

613.2—dc22

2004047699

First Atria Books hardcover edition June 2004

Design by Joel Avirom and Jason Snyder

Design assistant: Meghan Day Healey

10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3

ATRIA BOOKS is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Manufactured in the United States of America

For information regarding special discounts for bulk purchases,

please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-800-456-6798 or

business@simonandschuster.com.

Acknowledgments

The Dish would never have made it to the table without the support of our smart friends and creative colleagues. We’d like to thank our literary agent, Jenny Bent, for believing it was time for a healthy eating book that was fun to read. Big thanks to cool dietitian and cookbook author Liz Weiss, who suggested we call Jenny. Networking at its best! And we can’t say enough about the joy of working with the entire team at Simon & Schuster, Atria Books. During our initial tour of publishers we liked them the best and, thankfully, they picked us, too. Our patient and supportive editor, Greer Hendricks, had the wisdom to prod us gently through the writing process and motivate us with praise. Thank you, Greer! Special thanks go to publisher, Judith Curr; editorial director, Tracy Behar; director of publicity, Seale Ballenger, and senior publicist, Brigid Brown.

And we all know that The Dish would not have come alive without the uniquely dishy illustrations by artist Laura Coyle. A big thank you to all of our Hip & Healthy Heroines and Gourmet Gurus who lent their behind-the-scenes stories, expertise, and recipes to spice up our pages.

Carolyn Says: Densie, thank you for asking if I would like to write a book with you! My answer was yes and now it’s, Let’s do it again! You are a breeze to work with and when you were yin, I was yang, and vice versa. Huge thanks go to all of my pals who nudged me through the procrastination process of writing a book. Jennifer and Ali, you’re next! Ruth, thanks for the original fun idea. Reggie, you kept me focused on the positive. Rhonda, you’re a powerful cheerleader. Linda, thank you for taking care of the home front. Mom and Dad, please keep bragging; it really helps. Jack and Katie, thank you for being proud of your mom; I’m proud of you. And just when I thought I’d never get it done, Ann Dunaway became my amazing assistant, organizing everything from research to recipe testing. They say it takes a village, and my town rocks!

Densie Says: First I simply must thank my co-author and fellow Dish Diva, Carolyn O’Neil. She has an amazing amount of energy and a continuous flow of creative juices that we were able to harvest and bottle for The Dish. We make an awesome team, Carolyn, if I do say so myself. And I have to give a big hug and a kiss to my significant other, Jacques, whom I married on an impulse years ago and never looked back, and our kids, Ethan and Eliana, who think they’re now going to be famous. And I would be remiss if I didn’t thank our dog, Brooklyn, who kept me company, lo those many hours, while I was researching and writing the book. I couldn’t have done it without their support.

Contents

Introduction: Deep Dish

1 The Dish on Your Diet

2 The Dish on Diet Basics

3 The Dish on Superfoods

4 The Dish on Eating In

5 The Dish on Eating Out

6 The Dish on Drinks

7 The Dish on Entertaining

8 The Dish on Cheating

9 The Dish on Looking Fabulous

10 The Dish on What to Eat Today and Every Day (depending on the kind of day you’re having)

Index

Deep Dish

Welcome to The Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous! a girlfriend’s guide to eating out, eating in, entertaining, and traveling. This book was born to bring you fresh advice on making healthier food choices without giving up your right to be fabulous. And, in our world, that doesn’t mean staying home with a fridge full of celery and a closet full of rice cakes. Mais non! We believe that the more you know about nutrition, the more you can eat. So, get ready to dig in to our book full of festive ideas and delicious foods to help you make the best choices at supermarkets, restaurants, airports, and even potential trouble spots like fast-food places and convenience stores. Today’s modern, multitasking women are on the move and often need to live off the land, grabbing snacks and meals where and when they can. This book aims to be a gourmet guide, providing women with calorie-saving solutions for all kinds of mealtime situations without sacrificing what matters most—taste!

Written by us—Carolyn and Densie—two registered dietitians who love to eat, we believe that even the most desirable delicacies, from chocolate truffles to chili cheese dip, can be part of an overall healthy diet, as long as you only accessorize with the rich and fluffy stuff. Just go easy, gal. Everyone knows that overdoing the belts, baubles, bangles, and beads can ruin an outfit. The same goes for designing your dinnertime.

Who needs The Dish? Maybe you relate to the single Sex-and-the-City types or a modern mom à la Katie Couric; or you see yourself more as a full-of-life Star Jones or a sleek and timeless Lauren Hutton. No matter. We wanted The Dish to be the very first diet book aimed at glamour girls of all ages and sizes. So, don’t look here for a long list of what not to eat or a strict deprivation diet. Instead, we’d rather share a new way of thinking about food choices, so that you can adapt healthy eating to your personal style and tastes. It’s a customized approach that fits you and your lifestyle. Don’t like fish? Don’t eat it. Gotta have cream in your coffee? Fine. Research shows that if personal preferences are a priority, healthy eating habits can become more than a diet; they become a lifestyle.

But even though we do say yes to everything from martinis to mocha fudge, The Dish respects the rule that calories in must not exceed calories out. So, get ready to learn some powerful food and fitness strategies to add energy to your days, while subtracting inches from your derriere. Most important, we know that diets don’t have to be dull and boring, and neither does a diet book. So, we’re not going to dwell on the latest research findings, unless they pass our test, which demands, Don’t tell me what’s new, tell me what’s true! And we won’t bore you with a lot of scientific mumbo jumbo or diet boot camp lectures. Think of it as nutrition aptitude meets a new diet attitude, full of modern taste and style. Sure, nutrition used to be nerdy, but now it’s hip and healthy. Just like you! Here’s a sneak preview of what’s in store.

Let’s Make Healthy Eating Fun and Stylish

You know that fashionable friend who always seems to order the lightest, yet best-tasting dish from the menu? Or that pal who’s just as busy as you, but can throw a dinner party almost every weekend and still slip into a little black dress? This book will show you how to be like them. There’s no need to deprive yourself with dry broiled fish when you can savor grilled salmon brushed with olive oil scented with lemon and dill. And yes, you can entertain guests when you’re eating lighter; chances are they’ll love you even more for putting on a spread of colorful fresh foods. And here’s the bonus! A lifestyle of healthy eating habits not only pays off by controlling the pounds, good nutrition adds bounce to your step, glow to your skin, and shine to your hair. It’s the ultimate health and beauty treatment.

Let’s Be Healthy by Eating More, Not Less

There’s a refreshing change afoot (with a perfect pedicure, of course). Instead of self-deprivation and a long list of foods to avoid, we spin the wheel the other way and offer a long overdue food philosophy that really works…. Eating more! Let’s banish starvation diets that backfire, boring meal plans, and bossy food restrictions. Simply said, strict diets don’t cut it. Research shows that such an all-or-nothing attitude often leads to overeating, because it makes you feel like you’ve already blown it if even a single forbidden food passes your lips. The twisted logic then becomes—why not go all the way?

Say good-bye to negative nutrition and hello to newfound freedom, when you choose foods based on what they add to your life and health. So, rather than blaming foods for all your ills and bulges, it’s time to set a new table with the delicious and nutritious concept of eating more foods that are good for you in so many ways. We’ll tell you which foods can help power you with energy, control your appetite, boost your immune system, fight disease, and yes, offer a winning edge in weight control. Let’s eat!

Let’s Fit Healthy Eating into a Hectic Life

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but who has time to garnish a cantaloupe and fold mushrooms into an egg white omelet? Almost no one, unless it’s the weekend. That’s why The Dish presents healthy eating plans that fit into your modern-day, fast-track mode. Rather than the typical menus that dictate what you should eat on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, etc., The Dish offers meal solutions in chapter 10 that reflect real women in real-life situations, just trying to eat as healthy as they can, when and where they can. Some days are tougher than others. So we offer suggestions for the times you have to eat on the run or just can’t say no to ice cream. It happens! Today’s a travel day? We’ll help you cope with airport food courts and lousy in-flight food. Have to eat at a restaurant someone else picked? We’ll help you navigate any menu. The secret to eating healthier in the fast lane is having a plan. We’ll show you how, with simple tips. Grab the car keys!

Let’s Learn What Works

Finally, The Dish is all about making choices. At lunch should you order the grilled chicken salad or the chicken-salad sandwich? At Happy Hour, what’ll it be—a strawberry daiquiri, Chardonnay, or vodka and tonic? Dessert tonight? Should you choose the fresh berries and frozen yogurt or a slice of peach cobbler shared with a friend? To help you learn how to cut calories where they count and maximize flavor and fun when you want to, we dish up easy-to-cook recipes, tips, and techniques from top chefs we call our Gourmet Gurus. To show you what works for other chic women, we profile our Hip & Healthy Heroines, who share their tried and true secrets to slimming success. We’ll also dish out ideas for looking great when you still have those five, ten, fifteen, or even more pounds left to lose, plus our own tales from the trenches. We’ll tell you how you can enjoy everything from French fries to foie gras, tuna to tenderloin, seltzer to champagne, bottled water to wine, while you live a vibrant, happy life. Also sprinkled throughout the book’s pages, you’ll find special boxed items filled with all kinds of fun stuff about food. So, read on in any order you choose. Begin by turning the page or start with a few drinks (chapter 6) or go straight to cheating (chapter 8). We just hope you have as much fun reading these pages as we did writing them. Now, let’s learn to live it up, be healthy, and look fabulous!

Dish Divas,

Carolyn and Densie

www.dishdivas.com

The Dish

1

The Dish on Your Diet

Welcome to the club, girl! You’re about to become one of us now—that elite but growing group of smart, stylish women who have learned that the more you know, the more you can eat. That fact has been, up to now, a well-kept secret. But we see no reason to keep it that way any longer. You may have seen others who wine and dine while staying fit and trim and wondered, "How do they do it! Well, we would like to answer that question for you. Because once the truth is revealed, it will set you free. Free to be a healthier, happier, more sane and more satisfied you. And, oh yes, there’s that little matter of your weight. By following our advice, you’ll be able to control your weight with less of the confusion, punishment, and emotional drama that usually go hand-in-hand with traditional dieting." This is the real deal. There’s no magic formula here, only the magic that lies in telling the truth. And the truth about eating is simpler and easier than you think. But more about that later.

Before we fill you in on the details about what you need to know so you can eat more, we’d like you to put yourself to the test. Take our Dish Diet Quiz to help you pinpoint the weakest links in your soon-to-be new way of looking at food. (No matter how committed you may be, we all have buttons that, once pushed, are hard to turn off.) We want you to be brutally honest with yourself. What sets off your irreversible eating launch sequence—emotions, circumstances, habit? What are your typical triggers—10 A.M. coffee break, after-work drinks, dates, no dates, late-night TV? There are no right or wrong answers, only revealing ones. So we’ll hold your hand while you take an honest look at your lifestyle, too. Does your job require a lot of business travel? Do you eat out more than four times a week? Are you super social and love to get together with friends for parties, cook-outs, or any excuse to eat, drink, and be merry? Or maybe you’re the type that favors dressing down in your most worn-out pair of sweats and throwing open the fridge door, as you pounce on the quickest bites to satisfy your raging hunger? Who are you? What are your food likes and dislikes? What makes you salivate? What makes you gag?

Once you’ve identified your individual problem times and situations, and can pinpoint what it is that makes you overeat (or do without), they become easier to deal with. And most important, you need to realize that with the freedom to eat more, comes responsibility. Are you ready for that? The Dish doesn’t mean you can have a splurge-fest on fudge, chocolate chip scones, and croissants. But it does mean you can enjoy all of those foods and other favorites if you just give your meals some forethought (at least as much time as you give to what you’re going to wear every day!). It means that you are ready to take full control of yourself and what you eat—eating more of the foods that make you strong, healthy, and full of energy, and less of those that do little but carry an excessive calorie load. By answering the questions in our quiz, you’ll know if you have what it takes to succeed at The Dish. The key here is self-examination. Have fun with it. Take your time, think before you answer, and be as honest as you can be. (It’s just us; come on, whisper it in our ear.) Then check out the Dish Divas’ Diagnosis for your answer and find out where to turn to in the book for the Dish on your issues. There, you’ll find simple solutions on how you can take control and make a big difference in your diet. Remember, you can be healthy without forfeiting taste or style. This is your first step toward making lifestyle changes tailored to you and your life. The more you know, the more you can eat, and that starts with learning more about you!

The Dish Diet Quiz

Time Triggers

Q: You’ve just dragged yourself in from a long, hard day. No plans tonight. It’s just you and you’re all alone with the contents of your refrigerator. What happens next?

1   You head straight for the kitchen, following the urge to splurge, and man, oh man, everything looks good. You just know how this is going to end.

2   You put on blinders to everything else, and head in the direction of the healthy snacks you’ve stocked in your kitchen cabinets and begin your routine of weighing and measuring every morsel you intend to put in your mouth.

3   You strip and head for the shower, giving yourself time to unwind and relax, then contemplate over a glass of wine which amuse bouche to indulge in before you decide on dinner.

The Dish Divas’ Diagnosis

1  If you find yourself scarfing down whatever’s on hand in the late afternoon or at night, you’re not alone. Even we strong-willed women who make it through the day unscathed can find food cravings in the late-afternoon and evening hours just too much to bear. That wheel of Camembert and leftover baguette that you wouldn’t have dreamed of munching on during the day is like a magnet. One slice is too much, but once you get started, ten aren’t quite enough. Go ahead and blame it on fatigue, fluctuating hormones, depression, a really, really bad day, or just plain old habit. Whatever the cause, identifying and recognizing when you’re most likely to throw caution to the wind and eat whatever tastes good is half the battle. If you know you’re eating too much of the wrong foods, but can’t quite put a finger on when is your weakest time, keep a food journal, jotting down not just what you eat, but what is driving you to eat. (Journaling can be an eye-opening experience—does your journal reveal you’re using food as an emotional rescue? Does it fill a void? And it can zero in on your dietary Achilles’ heel—chips, chocolate, muffins, café latte with whipped cream—in short order.) And as much as possible, clear your cabinets of high-sugar, high-fat munching foods (there’s no reason to tempt fate) and have a cache of healthy foods at the ready.

2  Okay You’re good. Too good. We hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but there are actually scientific studies that show that people who become obsessive about what they eat, even when it’s all good, are actually more at risk for gaining weight farther down the road. All that steel will has to break sometime and it won’t be pretty.

3  Now you’re talking. Okay, maybe this is an idyllic scene. If you notice, there’s no one else, not even a dog, demanding your undivided attention when you walk in the door. But you get the drift. The idea is to do something to shift your focus from food and find your own way to dissolve some of the day’s tension before you succumb to temptation. What’s that? You say you can’t resist the siren call of the fridge? Hey, even Odysseus found a way to resist the hypnotic call of those sexy temptresses. Okay, so he tied himself to the mast, but you don’t have to go that far. See what works best for you, and stick with it. Just took a shower this morning? What about perusing the latest issue of a celeb rag? Or listen to that new CD (away from the kitchen).

Want more? Check out chapter 4 for The Dish on Eating In and chapter 8 for The Dish on Cheating.

It’s All Relative

Q: Are you cursed with fat genes?

1   Your mom is overweight.

2   Your dad is overweight.

3   You’re overweight.

The Dish Divas’ Diagnosis

All we care about is if you answered (3). Okay. So your hips are wider than you wish (just like Mom) and you wish you were four inches taller (than your mom). And your dad has a real spare tire. But, hey, you didn’t get to pick your parents. You work with the raw materials you’ve got. We can’t all be Jennifer Aniston or Cameron Diaz. You might as well accept your inglorious DNA heritage and take it from there. You can’t change your inherited tendency to put on pounds any more than you can change the color of your eyes. But you can work with and around it. (That’s why colored contact lenses were invented!) Don’t be fatalistic. Your family tendency doesn’t have to be your genetic fate. Your smarts, diet, and lifestyle can overcome any passed-on predilection you have to hang on to pounds. Take what you’ve got and create your own style and be proud of it.

Life’s Little Hassles

Q: You’ve just lost your job, been dumped by the love of your life, your dog failed to notice the difference between his favorite spot outside and the rug. Maybe all three in one day. What do you do?

1   You head for the nearest ice cream place for a double dip of super fudge caramel swirl with nuts and whipped cream. Once you’ve finished you feel nauseous and guilty.

2   You quietly plot your revenge.

3   You indulge in a massage, you head for a double-feature of those foreign flicks you’ve been dying to see, you plan a weekend trip to your best friend’s for a heavy dose of talk therapy.

The Dish Divas’ Diagnosis

1  Well, you did have a really bad day. And splurging like this, while not great, isn’t the end of the world. So you fell off the wagon. No big deal. Just pick yourself up, brush off your new snappy, strappy stilettos, and start again. Stop mentally flogging yourself for your ice cream indulgence. A little oral gratification won’t hurt (as long as your life isn’t a series of life-altering disasters). If you experience a temporary slump because you feel guilty (and nauseous) because you overate, and anxious (and nauseous) over the big, fat consequences, keep telling yourself, This too shall pass. And it will.

2  Revenge is indeed sweet and best of all, it’s calorie-free. But forgive poor Fido. He was having a bad day, just like you.

3  If you have the means and the opportunity for any of the above, go for it. These solutions might sound a little too perfect to be true, but the point is, find what works for you. Consider any and all options that won’t add any more to your calorie load.

Is TV Your Trigger?

Q: You’ve planted yourself in front of the tube for an evening of vegetation. (Whatever your secret pleasure, the latest reality TV series, old Joan Crawford flicks, or vintage Japanese sci-fi—to each her own.) What happens next?

1   TV, for you, is fattening. Every time a commercial comes on, you’re up and in the kitchen, scrounging for something to eat. The food commercials are the worst.

2   You bring a limited amount of pretzels or popcorn to the sofa and indulge your craving for salty snacks, while you indulge in your craving for trash TV. You’re so thirsty by the time the next commercial comes on, you quench your thirst with a cola (you keep a stash on hand for emergencies).

3   When you watch TV, you only watch TV. And when the commercials come on, you find something else to do. When you feel your stomach rumbling, you head for the kitchen and pick from all the healthy stuff you have to choose from.

The Dish Divas’ Diagnosis

1  Watching food commercials is like watching gorgeous men and women seducing each other on screen. You can’t watch all that smooching and heavy breathing without thinking about, well, you know. Okay, maybe you don’t bring the box of cookies to the sofa for some serious munching, but when the ads for KFC come on, you’re a goner. And the fridge is just a few steps away. What to do? Hit the mute button and use the few minutes of back-to-back ads to do something else—anything else. Pick up that magazine or book and read a couple of pages, finish making that to-do list for tomorrow’s dinner, or paint your nails. Better yet, do some sit-ups or jumping jacks. Just get the focus off the tube and on to something nonfood related until your show comes back on.

2  Number one: Toss the sodas or at least switch to the diet version. Better yet, how about keeping lemon-flavored seltzers, bottled water, or peach-flavored iced tea in the fridge? Or make this one of your planned snacks and get in another serving of fruit—a six-ounce glass of nutrient-packed grapefruit juice over ice. (Carolyn Says: Make mine pink!)

Number two: You shouldn’t be eating in front of the tube, anyway. That’s a basic lesson in Healthy Eating 101! When you’re lost in the story, someone could put doggie treats in your bowl and it probably wouldn’t slow you down. But at least you got one thing right; you’re better off with a bag of popcorn or pretzels than with a quart of Häagen-Dazs and a spoon! If you really must eat, try a handful of nuts (keep them in the kitchen, so you at least have to get up to go get them), or some appealingly sliced up fruits and veggies with a yogurt dip.

3  We’re speechless. ’Nuf said. You’ve got the situation under control (if you’re telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but).

What’s for Dessert?

Q: You’ve just finished a fabulous meal at one of your favorite restaurants in town, but you really, really need something sweet to top the whole thing off. What do you do?

1   You throw caution to the wind and decide to go all the way, ordering the most decadent thing you can find. (Fried Mars Bar, anyone?—yes, it’s a real menu item at a little eatery on New York’s Lower East Side.)

2   You fight the feeling, watching everyone else ordering from the dessert tray. You feel tortured but superior, sipping on your hot water with lemon.

3   You share a luscious passion-fruit tart with a fellow diner, catering to that sweet craving, and walk away feeling satisfied but not stuffed.

The Dish Divas’ Diagnosis

1  Could it be any worse? Well, yes, but it’s still a setback. If you’re going to indulge in possibly the most decadent dessert on the planet, you could at least split it two, or better yet, three ways, to minimize the damage. The next time, avoid restaurants that offer such delicacies as Fried Mars Bars and you’ve already won half the battle.

2   Self-sacrifice taken to the extreme almost always comes back and bites you in the butt. It’s okay once in a while to feel like you’re in control and superior, but try not to let your swollen head stretch your halo. It could come crashing down on you. Might be a better idea to at least sample that dessert—the one that’s making you salivate like Pavlov’s dog.

3  You may have found the best of both worlds—a serving of self-indulgence, seasoned with a dash of self-control. But better make sure that crust isn’t drenched in butter or that cream isn’t a part of the filling (no wonder it tasted so good). It’s best to ask the chef what goes into those dishy desserts, since it’s easy to be deceived. And try to order smart—fruit instead of chocolate, sorbet instead of ice cream.

Want more? Check out chapter 5 for The Dish on Eating Out.

Name That Craving

Q: You’re standing in your kitchen looking for something to eat. This is your third round of checking out the contents of your pantry, the freezer, then the fridge. You know you want something, but what? Does that leftover salad sound good? What about an orange? Maybe a few slices of kiwi? What’s your next move?

1   Nothing really hits the spot, so that container of leftover Chinese takeout will simply have to do. It’s better than digging into that box of Godiva chocolates shoved way in the back of the refrigerator. (Out of sight, but not out of mind?)

2   You’re not in the mood to cook anything. Even warming leftover kung pao chicken seems like too much of an effort. So, you head for the quart of cookies ’n cream ice cream sitting front and center in the freezer and dig in.

3   Through sheer willpower, you run the Godiva and cookies ’n cream gauntlet and settle on an apple, feeling proud of yourself for making such a healthy choice, even though it does little to diminish your growing craving.

The Dish Divas’ Diagnosis

1  You could do worse, but don’t make a meal of it. If Chinese food is what you’re craving, a few bites should tame the urge without pushing your calorie intake over the edge. If it’s not, it could end up just being an appetizer to the real object of your desire.

2  There’s just something about a quart of ice cream sitting in the freezer . . . it actually seems to be calling your name! The attraction is like a moth to a flame, as they say, and just as self-destructive. Do yourself a favor and don’t keep quart-sized frozen confections on hand. If you must have ice cream at the ready, opt for the individual servings (you know, the kind you were served at birthday parties as a kid, with those impossible-to-eat-with, woody-tasting, so-called spoons) and limit yourself to one. A better alternative is to keep frozen fruit bars on hand for those emergency cravings. Or, go retro and keep a stash of Fudgsicles on hand. (Densie Says: Save the banana-flavored for me!) Okay, so they’re not quite as rich and creamy as