Bite Me | A blog for all things tasty

Food & fitness

In the summer of 2009, Frank Bruni published his memoir, Born Round: The History of a Full-Time Eater. Bruni has been writing about food and politics for the New York Times for 15 years. I recall seeing a television interview when his book was released about tricks he uses (healthy tricks) to stay on top of his weight as a food writer. The thought of Bruni's struggles with food from child to food critic stayed with me. He prompted me to think about my own food habits--food reviewing and all.

So as you've seen, some of the topics we've covered recently involve new year's resolutions, cooking at home, and making fruit and vegetable servings more prominent. What's more, we've also talked about food budgets. This is what it boils down to: what is the healthiest (and tastiest--sometimes also fastest) "grub" we can get for our buck? For some of us that means cooking at home and for others that means knowing the ins and outs of our local restaurants. 

When I do a food review I go all out. I try to get a little bit of everything--one of each! Whatever the table can handle. But I've had to get proficient at tasting without gorging. I had to. I promised myself that I wouldn't get diabetes or heart disease on account of my job. 

And it's not easy because for so long so many of our local restaurants give you the whole enchilada and the chile relleno and the rice and the beans. To eat sushi or a nicoise salad you have to spend just a tad more. OR, you can look at the caldo de res-type options, salads, and well, change your diet and just watch your best friend inhale a plate of chile verde con carne smothered with cheese. Definitely possible, but oh so hard--at least it was for me. 

The point is, we do what we can with the resources we have. But it is nice to hear everyone's tricks and shortcuts--ideas about where to eat for less and where to eat better food. 

So, where am I going with this? I have another food-related question for you. I've been taking dance classes (one hour each) 3 times a week. I try to do yoga or pilates the other two days. This combination has worked for me because it is fun, challenging, and relaxing. That's my perfect workout combination. Take out any of those three words and I'm doomed.

You work out, don't you? What do you do to stay fit?

Some seafood to remember, some seafood to forget...

A few years ago I, very enthusiastically, became a member of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. This organization recommends "ocean-friendly" seafood to businesses and consumers. The idea is to avoid over-fishing in some cases, and in others, to maximize people's nutrition and health. So we've got two beneficiaries here: oceans/ecosystems and consumers. 

Seafood Watch knowledge can be a double-edged sword, especially for those of us in remote locations relying on frozen products. 

For example, while I am always happy to avoid tilapia (it doesn't do anything for me and I don't like that it eats the waste of other fish), I generally love Chilean seabass. It's pretty mild, tender, and well-rounded. It's pretty hard to mess up a Chilean seabass. No less, it's on the "Avoid" list because it is prone to be over-fished and ultimately, extinct. 

(For more information see http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_recommendations.aspx . You can find a searchable engine, a downloadable pocket guide, and even a phone app....)

So the solution is simple, the Seafood Watch recommends substituting non-certified sea bass with mahi mahi or halibut. Easy, right? Not so much. How many restaurants in El Paso do this? It seems they opt for cost-effectiveness, but one can't be certain. Whose choice should this be? The restaurant's? The consumer's? 

What do you think? Whose battle is this?