Few things annoy me more than rules about eating. Rules remind me of restriction, which reminds me of deprivation, which smells an awful lot like dieting. And as every foodist knows, dieting does more harm than good toward your health and weight loss efforts, and saps the fun out of life. Thanks, but no thanks.

Unfortunately, “eat whatever you want” isn’t the best health advice either, especially in 2013 when food-like products are easier to find than real food most of the time. This is a problem I’ve been dealing with for years here at Summer Tomato, and tackled head on in my new book Foodist.

Focusing on real food is a good start. I describe real food as anything that looks like it came from the land, air or sea, and not from a lab or factory. But with so much confusing and seemingly contradictory dieting advice out there, it can be helpful to have more tangible guidelines about what a healthy meal actually looks like.

To help with this I designed the Foodist’s Plate, created roughly in the same format as the USDA’s MyPlate. I think the MyPlate is a huge improvement over the antiquated Food Pyramid of yore, but there are still enough flaws in its design to warrant a do-over.

The Foodist’s Plate differs from MyPlate in several ways. First, I moved fruit off the dinner plate altogether and indicate that approximately half of your plate should be filled with vegetables.

I have nothing against fruit, and think it makes a wonderful snack or dessert, so I placed it to the side. The reason I did this is because research has shown that when you tell people to “eat more fruits and vegetables” they tend to ignore the vegetable part and just eat more fruit. For optimal health, however, vegetables should be the focus and the Foodist’s Plate reflects this. Enjoy fruit whenever you like, but when making dinner emphasize the veggies.

I also specify that the vegetables should be cooked in natural, minimally processed oils. It is completely baffling to me that the USDA spent decades telling us that fats and oils are public enemy No.1 for health, then completely ignore it on their latest recommendations (unless you dig through 20 pages of literature––you all did that, right?). It’s no wonder people are confused about dietary fat.

The latest research shows that while processed oils (e.g. trans fats) are unhealthy, natural oils do not contribute to heart disease, while making food more satisfying and improving the absorption of some nutrients by the body. Cooking with oils improves the nutrition of your food.

Another big difference between the Foodist’s Plate and MyPlate is my take on grains and “protein.” Since protein is a nutrient, and not an actual food, I instead encourage choosing wild fish or pastured (grass-fed) meats, if possible. I emphasize wild, natural meats because the antibiotics, hormones and unsanitary living standards (think E. coli) of industrially produced meats are far more worrisome than animal fats, in terms of health.

For the starchy section of the plate, I reduced the portion size and emphasize beans (or lentils) and intact grains, which I distinguish from the confusing term “whole grains.” Briefly, intact grains still look like grains and include things like rice, oats, quinoa and farro. Because of the FDA’s legal definition of “whole grain,” things like wheat and corn can still be processed into oblivion and still qualify as “whole.” This is why things like Cheerios can still be called “whole grain,” and I call BS.

I removed dairy from the Foodist’s Plate altogether not because I think it is dangerous, but because I consider it optional, like nuts and seeds. I enjoy cheeses, yogurt and other dairy products (though I always choose non-industrial dairy to avoid artificial hormones––my skin does not react well to these at all), but with up to 70% of the globe being lactose intolerant, it’s hard to consider milk and dairy essential to health.

For liquids, water is what you should be drinking most of the time. Coffee and tea (without added sugar) as well as moderate amounts of alcohol may be uniquely healthy and can be enjoyed in reasonable quantities.

To give you a sense of appropriate portions I include a measurement for the Foodist’s Plate of 10 inches. Dinner plates have become enormous, and since a clean plate is a powerful psychological indicator that a meal is over, it can be helpful to use smaller plates if you’re looking for a painless way to cut down on your daily calories without noticing.

Keep in mind that the Foodist’s Plate is intended only to be a helpful guide, not a rigid eating plan. There are thousands of ways to have a healthy meal, even if you leave off entire sections of the plate. There’s no need to freak out about any one meal or ingredient. Similarly, don’t be discouraged even if your average meal falls outside the range of what the Foodist’s Plate suggests. It is intended as an aspirational goal for when everything is going right.

If you do not have regular access to local, organic foods, do the best with what you have. Eating vegetables and fruits from any source (organic, local, or not) is better than not eating them at all. If wild-caught fish or grass-fed meats are unavailable in your area or are too expensive to be a regular part of your diet, that doesn’t condemn you to a lifetime of disease and excess belly fat. Maybe you’ll need to rely a little  more on beans and lentils, or have to eat farmed or canned fish every now and then (I did all this and more through college and grad school). You can still eat healthier than the vast majority of Americans and continue to eat the foods you love by simply making an effort to eat more fresh vegetables and fewer processed foods.

Upgrading your healthstyle is about figuring out what works for you, regardless of the circumstances you find yourself in.

For more on how to get healthy and lose weight without dieting check out my book Foodist.

Photo by Paul Holloway

Like it or not, we tend to believe whatever we are exposed to in the media and in advertisements. In nutrition this usually means that as a society we all follow the same diet fads, glorifying some foods over others in the quest for better health. (It’s okay, I love salmon and coconut water as much as you do).

Problem is though, more often than not the news or the health claims made by food manufacturers vastly overstate any potential health benefits, because it makes a more compelling story and sells more products. Our own confirmation biases tend to make us believe what we’re told, we confidently share our insight with our friends, and suddenly our grocery stores are filled with health foods that really aren’t all they are cracked up to be.

Here are my 10 picks for the most overrated health foods.

Top 10 Most Overrated Health Foods

1. Yogurt

There is nothing innately wrong with yogurt, the natural product. But the real stuff is not nearly as easy to find as the hyper-sweetened dessert versions filling supermarket shelves. Though yogurt can contain beneficial probiotics, friendly bacteria are also present in other fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi and miso. And if you are worried about acne, dairy is probably not your best choice.

Oh, and the overratedness is doubly true of frozen yogurt.

If you’d rather keep yogurt as your breakfast staple (something I’m certainly not opposed to), go for plain yogurt that is either full or low-fat. Don’t fall for the vanilla trap, it is not plain and has even more sugar than most fruit versions. You need some fat in your yogurt so you can absorb the fat-soluble vitamins present.

2. Soy

Soy is another one of those foods that can be perfectly healthy, but can also be processed into oblivion until it’s an unhealthy product. Hydrogenated soy oil is among the most common sources of trans fat. Processed products are often touted as healthy just because they contain soy, but evidence suggests soy is not exactly the health panacea it is often made out to be. For a healthier version, stick to fermented soy products like miso, natto or tempeh.

3. Egg whites

It baffles me that Americans continue to vilify the most nutritious part of the egg while glorifying the less impressive half. Sure egg whites are a good source of protein on their own, but you’re probably not lacking protein and would likely benefit from the rich nutrients of the entire egg.

4. Margarine

Why we need a man-made source of processed oils when there are so many naturally healthy sources of fat is beyond me—that is assuming you can even find margarins that do not contain hydrogenated oils/trans fats. If you really want more stanols and sterols in your diet try eating more nuts, avocados and vegetables.

5. Bananas

Though I have a bit of a reputation for picking on bananas, I really don’t think they’re all bad and they definitely taste yummy. My biggest problem with them is that they are one of the most calorie dense fruits you can buy, and most of us don’t need all that extra sugar from a “health” food.

6. Fake meat

Next time you get a chance, check out the ingredients in your favorite meat substitute. It’s usually a lot of gluten, some processed soy, canola oil, corn starch, and a few bizarre ingredients like “natural vegetarian flavors” (mmm…. vegetarians). Call me crazy, but real meat sounds a lot more appealing.

7. Protein bars

Remember back in the day when PowerBars tasted like crap? Well they would all still taste that way if manufacturers didn’t fill them with sugar or fake sugar substitutes. Look at the ingredients, the vast majority of protein bars are the same processed junk that’s in everything else, just with a few more vitamins, some added soy protein and possibly some added fiber. Adding nutrients to junk food does not a health food make.

8. Whole grain flour

Ah, whole grains, how controversial be thy name. Though I’m not as anti-grain as some folks, I don’t pretend that highly processed “whole wheat flour” is actually good for me. Grains that don’t look like grains are not your friends.

9. Low-fat salad dressing

Fat is good for you.

Yes, fat contains more calories than protein or carbohydrates, but it also enables you to absorb more vitamins from the foods you eat and makes your meals more satisfying. Fat-free dressings do not make you healthier, they make your salad less nourishing.

10. Fruit juice

I’ve explained before how I’ve warmed up to vegetable/green juices, but I still have trouble condoning even fresh squeezed fruit juice as a health food.

Juicing fruit concentrates the sugar while stripping out the filling fiber. When you remember that one 450 ml bottle of orange juice is equivalent to six whole oranges, you can start to see where the problem is.

What are your least favorite health foods?

Photo by Denna Jones

We all know the story. Eating carbohydrates causes a spike in blood sugar, which results in a surge of insulin. Insulin shuttles all that extra sugar into your fat cells and you become obese. Over time, your poor helpless organs become resistant to insulin and you develop type 2 diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, thereby shortening your life by 7 years.

All of that is true.

The story is more complicated, however, because all carbs are not created equal.

I’m not here to tell you sugar and flour won’t make you fat, they will. But unrefined foods that just happen to be slightly higher in starch or sugar don’t, in reasonable quantities, elicit giant blood sugar spikes or abnormally high insulin levels.

Instead, unprocessed carbohydrates generate gentle, moderate rises in your blood glucose and insulin, giving you a small but long-lasting supply of energy your muscles can use for several hours. This is what is supposed to happen when you eat nourishing food, and normal healthy people have no reason to fear it.

(In my experience, eating intact grains can even curb sugar cravings and help you avoid those late night slip ups that undo all your progress and riddle you with guilt.)

So what are these magical carbs that don’t make you fat? Pretty much anything you can find in nature. If it comes in a box and has a prominent “whole grain” sticker on it, you’re barking up the wrong tree.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not a license to gorge yourself on grains or any food. Eat enough of something, or eat it quickly, and you’ll still end up with more sugar in your blood than your body knows what to do with. But in moderate quantities you can eat from the following list without risking your life or growing out of your favorite jeans.

10 Tasty Carbs That Won’t Make You Fat

1. Fruit

Some popular diets recommend limiting fruit because of its relatively high concentrations of sugar compared to other foods. However you can continue to lose weight even while eating fruit, so long as you don’t pig out on it. Fructose, the sugar in fruit, is bad for you not because it raises your blood sugar, but because it is converted to fat in the liver. However the relatively small amounts of fructose present in whole fruit is nothing to worry about.

2. Beans

Though beans are relatively rich in carbs, a substantial portion of it is fiber and the overall glycemic load is pretty low. Beans are also an excellent source of iron, protein and folate, as well as essential minerals.

3. Oats

Oatmeal is tricky because Quaker and other companies have somehow convinced us that cooking real oats is too hard and time consuming for any civilized human being. This conveniently allows them to mark up the prices on their instant, pre-sweetened varieties that are closer to dessert than they are to a healthy breakfast. But in reality real rolled oats are low calorie, high fiber, and not fattening in the least. They also cook up in minutes.

4. Dairy

Have you ever checked the label of plain yogurt and wondered how all that sugar got in there? No you’re not crazy, it’s just that the FDA nutrition labels don’t distinguish between added sugar (sucrose or fructose) and naturally occurring sugars like lactose, the sugar in milk. In reasonable quantities and without added sugars (read labels carefully), unsweetened dairy products will not usually contribute to fat accumulation.

5. Lentils

Like beans, lentils are full of fiber and slowly digesting. If anything, adding lentils to your diet will likely help you lose weight, not make you gain it.

6. Farro

One of my favorite foods, farro is a dense and chewy grain with a thick husk and rich flavor. Although it is a grain, farro is very filling and a little goes a long way. No need to spike your blood sugar with this stuff.

7. Wine

Though people often cite wine and alcohol as having a lot of calories, your body digests alcohol calories different than sugar calories and they have virtually no impact on glycemic response. Though there are many reasons to keep your wine portions under control, sharing the occasional bottle won’t stop you from losing weight.

8. Quinoa

Technically a seed and not a grain, quinoa (keen-wah) is a good source of protein and fiber, and has a very low glycemic index. It’s also high in iron, has a complete amino acid profile (great for vegetarians) and cooks in almost no time.

9. Brown rice

A lot of people claim to dislike brown rice, but cooked properly it can be a beautiful addition to almost any meal. A small serving of brown rice can make your salads, stir fries and other vegetable dishes more satisfying, while not forcing that big blood sugar spike you’d get from eating bread.

10. Potatoes

This may surprise you, but moderate amounts of potatoes cooked in healthy oils (not processed vegetable oils) won’t make you fat. Potatoes are actually fairly high in iron, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and minerals, making them a healthy alternative to other starches so long as you don’t go nuts.

What are your favorite healthy carbs?

Originally published March 21, 2011.

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

This week Harvard says “whole grains” aren’t always healthy, why you should eat carrot tops, and calling BS on Coke’s new ad.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Delicious. I also share links on Twitter @summertomato,  Google+ and the Summer Tomato Facebook page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you. (And yes, I took that pepper heart pic myself).

Links of the week

• Foods Identified as ‘Whole Grain’ Not Always Healthy <<I’ve told you this before, but now Harvard agrees that the government’s definitions of “whole grain” is ridiculous. (ScienceDaily)
• Edible Veggie Tops <<I almost always eat my radish, turnip, beet and other greens from root vegetables. You should too! (Mark’s Daily Apple)
• The FTC says no to POM Wonderful’s health claims <<Turns out POM Wonderful pomegranate juice shouldn’t be telling you their products help you cheat death. Go figure. (Food Politics)
• Creating a Dish, Not Just Reheating One <<Great resource for those of you with limited cooking options at work or home. Who knew the microwave was so versatile? (New York Times)
• Tree and Human Health May Be Linked <<This article is more interesting than I expected it to be. It can be shocking what environmental factors can influence health. (ScienceDaily)
• Fast Food Diet Linked to Asthma and Eczema Severity in Kids, Large Study Finds <<What’s shocking is not that fast food is bad for kids, but that there is a measurable impact at only 3 servings per week. (ScienceDaily)
• Convert Measurements in the Kitchen with This Handy Infographic <<This is actually really useful, and even easy on the eyes. (Lifehacker)
• Mindfulness Meditation May Relieve Chronic Inflammation <<Yet another benefit of practicing mindfulness. (ScienceDaily)
• Salmon with Fennel Baked in Parchment <<Salmon and fennel is one of the best food pairings ever. This looks healthy and delectable. (Simply Recipes)
• The Honest Coca-Cola Obesity Commercial <<Huge thank you to John Pemberton for calling BS of the week on Coca-Cola for their deceptive advertising.

What inspired you this week?

Rice Balls

I have been getting a lot of questions about rice lately, and I am not surprised. Though some people swear by rice cookers I have found them to be inconsistent and generally unreliable, especially when it comes to brown rice.

My solution? Stove top.

A few years ago I read about this method of cooking rice that supposedly worked “every time” for every kind of rice. I had trouble believing it because I’ve found that different styles of rice have hugely different requirements in both the amount of water and time needed. However, I have had great success with the method and am extremely happy with it (sorry, I do not remember where I found it).

The reason this trick works so consistently is that it does not rely on a specific amount of time or water. Rather you need to test the grains occasionally for tenderness and decide for yourself when it is done. I have found for brown rice the entire process takes about 30 minutes, which is 10 minutes shorter than it took in my rice cooker.

Because rice does take so long to prepare, I like to make large batches and freeze individual servings so that I do not have to wait half an hour for dinner every single night.

For short grain brown rice, I use about 2 cups of dry grain and a large 2 quart sauce pan. Put the rice in the pot and add cold water until it is almost full. Use your hand to swirl the rice around and loosen any dirt and dust. When the rice settles back to the bottom, dump the water off the top and repeat. Continue to rinse rice until the water is almost perfectly clear, about 4-5 times.

After the last rinse add cold water to your rice until you have at least 3 times the volume of water to rice. Do not worry too much about the amount, and err on the side of excess. This is especially important with brown rice which absorbs much more water than white rice. Place the rice and water on the stove and turn the heat on high.

When the rice begins to boil, reduce heat to medium and continue to simmer, uncovered. This is a good time to start the rest of your dinner.

Check on the rice grains occasionally by grabbing a few out with a fork and testing them for tenderness (squish between your fingernails or taste it). Rice becomes opaque when it cooks, so there is no point in checking it while it is still somewhat translucent. Once the rice does start to turn opaque, check tenderness every 2-5 minutes. If too much water evaporates and the rice starts to look soupy, you need to add more water. You should add enough water at the beginning to avoid this.

Boil rice until it is almost tender enough to eat. In other words, imagine you are an impatient person who wants the rice to be finished as quickly as possible so you decide the rice is done and serve it, but later regret that decision because the rice is ever so slightly al dente. It is at this point you want to stop the boiling and begin the steaming.

Next drain off the remaining water. A mesh strainer or splatter guard works nicely for this (hold it over the pot and simply dump the water into the sink), but you can also carefully pour the water off and use a fork to keep loose kernels from falling out (but seriously be careful!).

Place the pot with rice back on the burner and reduce the heat to as low as it will go. Cover the rice and set a kitchen timer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes turn off the burner and set the timer for another 5 minutes. Do not lift the lid during this process unless you are concerned that you messed up the boiling time and want to check on the doneness. After the rice has sat for 5 minutes, remove the lid, fluff with a fork and serve. Put the lid back on if you are going to let the rice cool in the pot.

If for some reason you think you overcooked the rice when you were boiling it, you can skip the steaming step and just let the drained rice sit covered with the burner off for 5 minutes. If you undershoot, you can always extend the length of the steaming process, but it will take much longer.

I usually wait until the rice has cooled down substantially before wrapping it in plastic. It is the last thing I do in my after-dinner clean up. To store rice, break off squares of plastic wrap and scoop individual rice servings (1/4-1/2 cup) into the middle. Fold over the plastic, twist the ends and tie them in a half knot so that the rice is in a ball, as shown. Put rice balls in a freezer bag and into the freezer.

To thaw, remove a rice ball from the freezer and allow to sit on counter for a few minutes until you can untie the knot without leaving little pieces of plastic stuck in the folds of rice. If you forgot to do this (I always forget!) you can run the knotted plastic under warm (not hot, heat releases toxins in the plastic that can get into your food) until you can untie it. Place unwrapped frozen rice ball in a small bowl and microwave on high for 1-2 minutes. I like to use our microwave cover for this, but you have to figure out for yourself what works best in your own microwave.

Having individual rice servings is very, very handy. Brown rice is a fabulous option to make light vegetable dishes, soups and salads more substantial.

I just dug this recipe out of the archives because it is so darn useful. Use it wisely.

Originally published October 12, 2008.