Nigella vs Clean Eating

Guy Fieri's inner child.

When I went to culinary school around 2008, the idea of the celebrity chef still felt relatively new and exciting; the Food Network was hitting it's stride. Unfortunately, most of these celebrity chefs seem to be celebrities first and chefs second. Big personalities who could burble about food are great for housewives (and househusbands) and shut-ins, but none seemed to speak to us, ye mighty culinary students.

Rachel Ray is more of a morning host, Sandra Lee more of a home maker, Gordon Ramsay more of a Trump-like a-hole,  Paula Deen more of a hostess, and Guy Fieri, more of a douche's douche. But there was one who spoke to us: Anthony Bourdain.  Not only was he an old crusty kitchen-dog who had credit from a long established place in NYC, he had a big NYC mouth which would freely rag on each and every other celebrity so-called chef. As a an indiscreet culinary student looking for someone to be MY champion, Anthony was the man. And rather than focus on being a personality making comfort food, he seemed to indulge his own drive by making his shows about traveling the world and eating everywhere and anything, and not just because it was weird or disgusting, but because it was good on it's own level.

Anthony loves the cock.

But that was then, and this is now. I don't cook in restaurants or run a knish business anymore, and my thoughts on food have less to do with the popular celebrity driven media and more with concerns for me and my children's health. So it was with some amusement when I caught this piece come in over the wire this week:

Nigella Lawson is not down with the clean eating trend. The British chef and author, famous for such decadent recipes as her Chocolate Guinness Cake, does not mince words when it comes to the healthy eating craze. At the JW3 Speaker Series in London earlier this week, Lawson said, “People are using certain diets as a way to hide an eating disorder or a great sense of unhappiness and unease with their own body.”
Lawson continued: “There is a way in which food is used either to self congratulate — you’re a better person because you’re eating like that — or to self-persecute, because you’ll not allow yourself to eat the foods you want.” According to People, this isn’t the first time she’s criticized the lifestyle. In October, she told the BBC she thinks “the notion of ‘clean eating’ is an implication that any other form of eating is dirty or shameful.”

Lawson herself has had experience with eating disorders earlier in her life, and has made it through. Her mother also dealt with these issues. For her to call it out so clearly is not a common thing, as everyone is trying to make a buck and there is a hesitance to criticize a fellow traveller. Bourdain doesn't seem to give a f@ck because that's part of his shtick, but Lawson has less to gain from placing herself in this firing line. Except maybe for a sense of duty to help those suffering, as her mother did and how I'm certain she does not want her own children to suffer.

Mmmm muffins.

I've been close to people who have extreme diets by conventional standards -- some have said I am extreme myself by virtue of keeping a food diary and counting calories. But I've seem to be puzzling a difference out that puts people into two groups. One group rigorously thinks about their food and acts on evidence both personal and from the ideology we choose to subscribe, and the other group just kinda "feels" like how they eat is the right way, taking a little bit of this and a little bit of that but not really having the time, energy or thoughtfulness to see it through.

So many vegetarians who eat chicken and fish. So many vegans who make exceptions for dessert. So many people who make themselves less healthy and refuse to credit their diets. This is where "clean eating" falls, and the emotional charge of rewarding/punishing yourself by way of your diet is the dominant guiding light. Diet should be a part of your self-worth, because food is wonderful and it fuels us. And that's where it ends. Thank you Nigella for calling out some the BS that the last decade or so's obsession with food has helped to develop.

Eating, disordered.

WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2798

Intense week, for the best of reasons, but didn't get a ride in due to technical, weather and work factors.

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MONDAY COUNT: 2360

SLEPT: 10pm - 5am, 7 hrs

AM SNACK: 5:15am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST 1 : 11am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2 : 1:45pm, steel cut oatmeal, 450 cal


LUNCH: 3pm, beef patty, momma salad, tomato soup, pickles 550 cal

DINNER: 6:30pm, 2 vegetable samosas with chickpeas,  poppa salad with dressing, banana bread, +/- 1200 cal

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2780

SLEPT: 8:45pm-4am,  6.25hrs

AM SNACK: 4:15am,  iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 9:15am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10:30am, Greek yogurt with honey, almonds, vanilla,  450 cal

LUNCH: 1:45pm, scrod, asparagus, poppa salad with dressing, 750 cal

PM SNACK: 4:30pm, momma salad, veggie straws,  230 cal

DINNER: 5:30pm, veg dim sum, ice cream, +/- 1000cal

EVENING SNACK: 7pm, pocky, 190 cal
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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 3090

SLEPT: 9pm-5am, 8 hrs

AM SNACK: 5:45am, iced green tea

AM SNACK: 7am, small piece of c-chip banana bread, +/- 100 cal

BREAKFAST 1: 10am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 11:15am, fruit smoothie, 450 cal

LUNCH: 1:45pm, steamed string beans, lentil curry, chicken meatballs, pickles,  680 cal

PM SNACK: 2:45pm, momma salad, cheezits, 310 cal

PM SNACK: 6:15pm, streetza, +/- 300 cal

DINNER: 8pm, shoyu ramen with extra noodles, gyoza, mocha, sake, +/- 900 cal

EVENING SNACK: 10pm, pocki, 190 cal
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THURSDAY COUNT: 2250

SLEPT: 10:30pm-5am, 6.5hrs

AM SNACK: 5:15am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST 1: 10:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, sautéed shrimp & mushrooms in oyster sauce and poppa salad with dressing, 670 cal

PM SNACK: 3pm, momma salad, veggie straws, 230 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, pocky, 190 cal

DINNER: 6pm, falafel platter, mousaka, ice cream, +/- 1000 cal
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FRIDAY COUNT: 3210

SLEPT: 9:30pm-5am, 7.5 hrs

AM SNACK: 5:15am, iced green tea


BREAKFAST 1: 9:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 11am, steel cut oatmeal, 450 cal

LUNCH: 1:30pm, beef patty, tomato soup, poppa salad with dressing, 600 cal

DINNER 1: 5:30pm,streetza, ice cream, +/- 800 cal

DINNER 2: 9:30pm, chicken shnitzel, brocollini, mushroom & pepper, whiskey, wine & song, +/- 1200 cal