Journalism of Courage
Actor Gwyneth Paltrows cookbook Its All Good is now available on Flipkart (Rs 1,630). The perplexing question is why would a to-the-manner-born Oscar winner,whos married to a rockstar,want to write a cookbook on healthy eating? But,Paltrow provides an entirely new perspective on food and lifestyle-related beliefs. Beset by migraines and stress,she discovered she was sensitive to many foods and came up with recipes that dont include coffee,dairy,alcohol,sugar,shellfish,eggplant,corn and wheat,a long list of other no-nos and of course,everything processed.
While anyones first reaction to this drastic elimination diet is to dismiss it as ridiculous It-Girl neuroticism combined with wacky narcissism,its safe to presume Paltrow would have consulted the best nutritionists and chefs to come up with delicious recipes despite such a challenging and frugal ingredient list. The biggest problem for anyone whos trying to change their eating habits is the huge compromise they feel they have to make,on taste. I often think that diets fail not because people cant stick to eating less: if youre replacing honey-glazed spare ribs with boiled chicken you can bet your motivation isnt going to last very long. So how do we eat healthy,yet tasty,low-calorie food? In her wonderful book,Italian Khana,chef Ritu Dalmia says,never to compromise on the quality of the ingredients. If your taste buds are satiated,dieting becomes a lot easier. Similarly,all the punch hasnt been taken out of Paltrows meals. Her yogurt tahini dressing would take precisely 10 minutes to make and is quite divine. While most of us dont hold ourselves up to Paltrows level of fitness,its interesting to know the investment she makes in her own svelte shape. Her greatest achievement in Its All Good is that every recipe is not more than three lines long,and seems absurdly easy to follow. Some are also available for free on her website http://www.goop.com. Yes,she recommends using a really expensive brand of honey but like all amateur cooks everywhere in the world,you can easily adapt it according to what works for you,or rather what youre willing to spend on.
