I am easing my way into a new approach to fat. And by this I mean in my food, not on my person. One step at a time.
I’ve long been aware of fat grams on that little chart on the back of my food. I often stand in grocery aisles, similar items in each hand, comparison shopping by the numbers. I have really only been looking at the fat, paying little attention to the calories, and paying no never mind at all to things like sodium or fiber. My day will come I’m told.
But now I say, bring on the fat!!
While traveling recently, I made the amazing discovery of Greek yogurt. The stuff is fantastic. It is not like any Yoplait-this or Dannon-that I’ve ever tasted. It is thick and rich and creamy with a texture similar to sour cream – which until very recently was also on my Banned Food List. The Greek stuff was served with garlic and cucumbers mixed in or as dessert with chopped fruit and honey. It was addictive. And it was so filling and satisfying. I think I actually ate less because it made me feel full sooner. And it made my body really happy. My whole digestive system and energy level just grooved on being introduced to real, wholesome food. No additives, no preservatives, nothing with patents or trademarks. Just food. I never really understood the “no chemicals added” food bandwagon but I’m starting to trot alongside now, pondering whether or not to jump on.
Determined to bring a little bit of Greece to Woodhaven, last week I bought some cucumbers, garlic, apples, and dug out that cute little bear of honey I bought at a local farmer’s market last year. All I needed was some yogurt. I was under no delusions of actually finding the authentic Greek stuff so I figured I would just get some full-fat American version and strain it. Off to Albertsons I went.
And then Safeway. And then Fred Meyer.
Have you ever looked for full fat yogurt? The stuff does not exist! Well, unless you want to commit to an enormous tub with servings for 47. I was focused for so many years on finding the non-fat stuff, I didn’t realize that my only other single-serving option was low fat. An entire dairy case, with mixed-in fruits of every tree and bush possible, and nothing, NOTHING with God-given fat. I was stunned. Especially since one thing that was impossible not to notice while traveling outside the US is how fat we are as a nation. Somehow despite our low fat and no fat and sugar substitutes and plastic towers of bottled water, when walking in a crowd with a bunch of Europeans, it is really hard not to notice the waddling Americans. So surely there must be full fat food out there somewhere!
After an entertaining but yogurt-less conversation with a nice Russian man at a local Euro Market, I decided my last hope was Trader Joe’s. This is a big trek since there is only one TJs in my county and the rest in my state are about 3 hours away. Did I mention I live in the middle of nowhere?
Blessed be Trader Joe’s!!
Not only do they have full fat yogurt, they have full fat Greek yogurt! Two brands even! In a varitey of user-friendly sizes! I nearly hugged the Hawaiian-shirted crew member stocking organic trail mix nearby. I bought one tub and already trekked back for Tub #2. Mixed with some I-picked blueberries from over the summer and some farmer’s market honey and man o man, what a breakfast! As for the fat grams in my Greek tub-o-heaven, I have no idea. I just know I am eating better -- and my body thanks me.
6 comments:
Right on!
Make the switch. And don't do fake sugar either. As bad as I think white sugar is, I still think its better for you than any of those scary chemical no calorie sweeteners people use.
I've been loving Fage (pronounced Fa Yay) greek yogurt for years. Full fat only. MMMMM
And if I ever get low fat or non fat it doesn't even feel like I'm eating real food anymore. The whole food is so much more satisfying that I don't feel I need to eat as much.
By the way, it makes a good desert too. With honey and/or cinnamon and/or bananas.
I've devoted my life to taking care of my body and my health. In my search for the ultimate health, I've gone to the extremes of veganism but got a little hypotensive and anemic, so now I've settled into just being aware of how foods make my body feel. (LIke you said, grooves on it.) If it feels good, I think its good. And it seems to work for me, so far. So I applaud your discoveries and the direction you're trotting. I'm on that bandwagon saying, HOP ON!
1/2 way through your yogurt hunting saga -- I was yelling at the screen TJ's!!! Go to TJ's!!! Yeah for TJ's.
BTW, not healthy, but oh, so good... their mini peanut butter cups :o)
Hi Eileen! So are you saying you also eat the Greek yogurt? Am I the last one to know about this stuff?? Man, you gotta be careful about leaving California. It takes YEARS for the trends to come sniffing around.
Mmmm. Peanut butter cups.
Hi Jay! Thank you so much for your support! I know this will be a slow change, though, as I sit here munching on Smartees. (Where are those trick-or-treaters? Oh, yeah, we don't get any...)
Tonight I made tzatziki for the first time. One cup of the yogurt with grated cucumbers, garlic, some olive oil, and some vinegar. YUM! With cucumber slices and one piece of pita bread for dipping, it was dinner for me. I am completely full. Fabulous, aside from the shockingly garlicky breath I have now. No fear of vampires on this Halloween!
I have now tried both brands of the yogurt (Fage and TJ's) and I officially prefer the Fage, too. And I love the idea of cinnamon. That shall be a part of my breakfast tomorrow.
And personally, if a totally buff actor/model/NIA guru says he eats full fat yogurt, that's more than enough endorsement for me! :-D
Welcome to what some people are calling the "slow food" movement!
You can also try making Yogurt. It's not difficult, though it requires keeping the milk warm for several hours. Here's an example of an appliance: http://www.amazon.com/Salton-YM9-1-Quart-Yogurt-Maker/dp/B00004SUHY. You start with milk, mix in a bit of the yogurt (plain, unflavored) you're trying to copy (make sure it has live bacteria in it - the label should say that it's live, living, or active) and let it sit over night. It might come out a bit watery but you can strain it if you want something thicker. Many recipes say you should warm the milk up to "denature" the enzymes in the milk. This is unnecessary with pasteurized milk as it's already been heated in the pasteurization process. You would want to warm the milk up before you start the yogurt making process, just so you don't need to factor in the time it will take the milk to warm up from being in the fridge. I've used a microwave to do this - just don't get it too hot - just warm up to room temperature-ish, not boiling.
And when you're running out, you must repeat the process using a bit of what's left over from the last batch to start the next. Over time, I found that the flavor changed somewhat, I think as the colony of bacteria changed. When that happened, I'd go a buy a fresh tub of yogurt and start the process over from the beginning.
It's amazing what friendly microbes will do for us, isn't it?
And I eat real butter too! Real food for real people :o)
I've been reading Barbara Kingsolver's book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I like the book's message about learning where your food comes from and eating seasonally and locally. It fits with Marc's comment about "Slow Food" becoming more popular. So, I resist buying tomatoes in January that have been flown in green from Chile and wait for the good stuff in August/September! You might also see the term "locavore" to describe this philosophy.
It does mean that you have to cook more (and find a new home for your sweaters) so you can use the dishwasher [wink]. But I find that I can eat better and stay (relatively) thin this way. And then, I can continue to eat mini peanut butter cups too!!
We went through a 150 piece bag for our trick or treaters this year!
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