So, what's with Truffle and this salt thing?

Regular readers might have heard my rant about there being too much salt in food, in restaurant food in particular. Since it's World Salt Awareness Week, I thought I'd take the opportunity to explain.

As I've said before, many restaurants over-salt their food, either because they're trying to cover up the tastelessness of poor ingredients, or because they've just gotten used to cooking that way. As restaurant-goers' palates become used to having a lot of salt in what they eat, the demand seems to be going up in an ever increasing spiral.

Just say 'no' (photo source)

Like the rest of life, there is never an up without a down (a version of Newton's Third Law), and there are health consequences to having too much of this stuff in your diet. Seriously, a list of the side effects reads like a Who's Who of undesirable health conditions: heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, stomach cancer, osteoporosis, obesity, dementia, a predisposition to diabetes and Alzheimer's... the list goes on. But in this day and age, when we're being warned of so many dangers posed by so many things (salt, cholesterol, alcohol, etc.), it can be hard to keep on top of what's at risk of causing what, and why it is exactly that too much salt isn't ideal. From reading around, here are some key facts:

Time to Detox!

Yep, and if you're up to date with the blog you'll know why.  Having spent two weeks in San Francisco giving in to all that was novel and intriguing, Frangelico and I have returned to London with a little more extra luggage than just the round cast-iron casserole - with 'round' being the operative word here.  All that walking on the famously steep San Franciscan gradients could only keep on top of so much, it seems, and in the end the salads, outstanding fruit, and other healthy options that did manage to get into the field were overwhelmed by the barrage of (very tasty) refined carbs, fried food and (in some places) double-sized portions.

Some of the steep inclines in San Francisco

Those large portions are quite a challenge for me.  Like many in my generation, I was brought up in the clean plate school, where the words "don't waste it" were coming out of adults' mouths so often at mealtimes, that they may as well have been cross-stitched and framed above a door.  As a kid, I took my formal and informal education very seriously (more than most and a little too much, I realise with hindsight).  So overcoming that programming requires a huge effort, and you win some, you lose some.

Contrary to the stereotype, it's not just in the US that portion sizes are larger than the average human being can manage - I've noticed many restaurants in London piling on the pasta or noodles too.  Marginal cost to the restaurant of these ingredients: slim.  Visual impact on the customer of a larger plate and perceived value-for-money, which the restaurant can then leverage into a bigger mark-up: priceless.

Another danger that's rampant in the developed world is the proliferation of refined carbs (especially in the form of white sugar, which is added even to simple things like bread).  My experience with refined carbs has been that, in addition to the sugar roller-coaster and the surplus energy getting stored as fat, they actually make your body visibly puff up.  A friend told me that when she traveled (away from the world of refined carbs), her frame would shrink noticeably, without her actually losing any weight.  I don't know the chemistry behind this phenomenon though.

Excess salt is another challenge.  Restaurants are too heavy-handed with salt, either because they're trying to cover up poor quality and tasteless ingredients, or because they're on a slippery slope of adding more salt to satisfy customers who are used to high salt levels across the board.  At one fine restaurant in London, the amount of salt used to season the fish went up bit by bit by bit over a few months, until it eventually became inedible.

Some of the delicious (and low cal veggie) food, enjoyed with a view of the Golden Gate

Don't get me wrong - I thoroughly enjoyed the food fest in San Francisco!  I've grown to accept that it's impossible to live life on a stable plane (who wants to anyway?), and that there will be periods of indulgence and corresponding periods of rebalancing required.  So, for the next two weeks, I'm putting myself on a self-styled detox - and let's face it, diet - programme.  This will involve eliminating wheat (no bread, pasta or noodles - sob!), refined carbs (no white rice), dairy (no cheese, cream, milk or yoghurt), added sugar (hang on, does this mean no sticky toffee pudding??), and anything else I figure out along the way.  Step forward: brown rice, millet bread, quinoa, and brown rice pasta (a genius invention, which, in London, I've found only in Whole Foods); soy milk and soy yoghurt; plenty of vegetables; white fish, chicken and lean beef; and red peppers, grapefruit juice and tomato sauce (which are said to reduce hunger pangs).

As always, the theory is one thing and the practice another, so let's see how it goes.  Any support from you guys in the form of cheering on or further tips will be most welcome!  And, please, share your experiences too.  What do you do to cut back after holiday indulgences?

Here's what we had for dinner last night, Meal One of the programme.

1. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs, lemon zest, chopped parsley and minced garlic on a plate.  Season with a touch of salt and pepper.  Spray on some olive oil to bind if necessary.
2. Season white fish fillets with salt.
3. Pat breadcrumb mixture onto fish.
4. Place fish on a hot frying pan and spray on a bit of olive oil.  Ideally, I'd have put the fish in a hot oven, but I was too tired to wait for the oven to heat up.
5. Serve with brown rice and steamed broccoli.

After I made this, I realised that wheat had sneaked in via the breadcrumbs.  Oh well, incrementalism is the thing to keep in mind.  I'm not expecting my palate to switch back overnight.

And don't worry, I won't subject you to healthy recipes and photos for the next two weeks.  There is still plenty of reportage to come from San Francisco!

Love

Truffle