How a weekend in Washington DC changed my (food) life
Three disparate events led to one big change.
Yup, one recent weekend changed my food life. At least for now.
How can a weekend, 2.5 short days, change a person’s food habits? In this case, it was the confluence of three events: an indulgent restaurant meal, the enviably healthy eating habits my daughter has developed for herself (totally without my motherly guidance, I’m sad to say) and a cook book talk by author Phoebe Lapine, who is cracking on the code on becoming a “healthy hedonist”, someone who eats well and intentionally while saving room to embrace indulgence.
Here’s what happened.
1. Indulging at Maydan, a Mediterranean-ish restaurant to put on your “where to eat in D.C.” list.
My lovely daughter Alex worked hard, got lucky and nabbed a reservation at Maydan, (the word is Arabic for “town square”). Walk into the restaurant and feel the town square buzz. The space is built around a huge copper clad fire pit whose blazingly robust fire burns all night long.
The food is a mash-up of Mediterranean, Moroccan, and West African cuisine .
This post is about food-changing experiences, not Maydan. But the meal we had is the type of indulgence that brings the idea of healthy hedonism to life. It was an indulgence that needs to be embraced, not fretted over. And embrace it we did.
The exotic cocktail order, while sadly taking too much time to arrive, consisted of an Ottoman Old Fashion (coconut oil washed bourbon, mission figs, burnt cinnamon, mint, smoked bitters and orange zest) and the Neon Moon. Despite its reference to the sad, boozy Brooks & Dunn song, the Neon Moon is a lighthearted drink of Suze (a bitter/sweet French liquor with a hint of orange), Lillet blanc, rose petal-honey cordial and peaches .
For dinner, we ordered the Tawle, which is Arabic for a more-than-ample tasting menu. We loved the pickled vegetables and dates, a Fattoush salad, hummus and muhammara, walnut-infused labne and halloumi (grilled cheese), chicken shish kabob and hearth-roasted asparagus and, as the main course, the best damn marinated and grilled rib-eye ever.
And, of course, dessert!!
It was a BIG meal. It was fun and elaborate, pure food-hedonism. We enjoyed every morsel.
2. Remembering that dieting is stupid; eating healthy is smart.
I am so impressed with my daughter, Alex and Bradley, her boyfriend. Do they even have the word “diet” in their vocabulary? Probably not. Instead, they naturally and smartly lean into protein (a bit of an obsession!), whole grains and lots of vegetables. The food is satisfying, delicious and beautifully presented.
I particularly loved the butternut squash/turkey soup (not pictured here), thickened with the butternut squash and brought alive by a healthy squeeze of lemon juice on top.
And then, when they go out (hello Maydan!), all bets are off.
3. Talking with cookbook author and carbivore Phoebe Lapine on how to be a healthy hedonist.
Phoebe Lapine is a self-described “healthy hedonist” whose book, Carbivore, describes how to stop fearing carbs and embrace the foods you love.
In her early 20s, Phoebe was diagnosed with two lifelong disorders: Hashimoto’s thyroid disease, an autoimmune disorder that responds to a gluten free diet, and SIBO, an intestinal disorder whose sufferers can’t tolerate grains. To manage these debilitating disorders, she went on a journey, meeting with countless doctors, wellness advocates and nutritionists, often receiving conflicting advice on food, nutrition and health. The bottom line? She learned stressing doesn’t help; she had to learn to eat well and enjoy it.
“If you’re stressing about what you’re eating all the time, no amount of kale can make you healthy. Rather, we all have to find that sweet spot where the things that nourish our body can be offset by the practices that feed our spirit. And for some of us, French fries are our spirit food.”
Put another way,: “How do we have our proverbial cake (or French fries) and eat it too – without the fatique, insomnia, blood sugar swings, breakouts, depression, chronic illnesses or weight gain?
Phoebe’s deep-dive into how macronutrients work in our bodies led her to understand how to eat the carbs in a healthy way. It’s a matter of following these four principles:
Healthy eating is about what you add to your diet, not what you take away. Restrictions breed deprivation which breeds impulsivity. Don’t deprive yourself. Add more healthy, more natural, more colorful and delicious items! This one is BIG for me.
Indulgence plays a role in success. Eating is – and should be - enjoyable. If you feel bad or guilty about eating something, figure out what you might change to take that negativity away so you can eat joyfully. Another BIG one for someone like me who loves to make and eat and share delicious food and wine.
Think about where and when and how you are eating carbs. Everyone loves carbs, right? Giving them up is not a good idea! They are the source of glucose, which drives energy. However there are better ways to ingest carbs and better carbs to ingest. For example, eating a salad before pasta or an egg before morning toast makes the carbs more filling and better for you.
Reduce the added sugar in your diet. Of course! We’ve all heard that one before. Sadly, it takes draconian measures and none-stop will-power to abolish all added sugar. However it is possible to vastly reduce this inflammation-inducing, weight-enhancing addictive additive. My new and highly experimental rule of thumb: avoid desserts and highly processed food and then don’t sweat the rest!
And, by the way, sugar is sugar, despite its various names. White sugar, brown sugar, molasses, honey, agave, turbinato, they are biologically identical. One is not better or worse than the other.
The Bottom Line
For me, it’s been a week since I started applying these four principles.
I have dramatically and pretty easily reduced my added sugar intake. I’ve also been eating more - more veggies, more protein, more fruit. No more cookies for snacks; how about an apple and peanut butter instead? I’ve also indulged in some great restaurant meals and, of course, paired those meals with wine.
I’m definitely feeling better. My energy is steadier during the day. I wish I could say I have lost a pound or two, but that hasn’t happened. Yet. (A girl can hope!)
Want to know a little more about healthy hedonism? Here are some links where you can find out more:
Carbivore. You can order here from Amazon. Phoebe also has a website, here.
Michael Pollan, food writer/investigative journalist, is also an inspiration when it comes to becoming a healthy, happy hedonist. A slightly edited quote I attribute to him is:“Eat whole food. Not too much. Enjoy.” He’s up to some pretty interesting projects you can read about here.
For your indulging pleasure: Maydan
1346 Florida Ave NW
Washington DC 2009
closed on Mondays
meet@maydandc.com.
Love the concept of healthy hedonism and am going to check out the book. Hopefully will offer some inspiration to work on my sugar habit.
Sounds thoroughly wonderful! Might be on our stop! :)). Paul knows the word as Ukranian. Apparently, it's the main square in Kiev where all the political unrest happens...