Not worth the weight
2020 has also become the year of comfort eating, Carly Gibbs reports
IF YOU’VEPUT onweight this year, you’re not alone. Comfort eating has become a hard habit to break. “Depressing” ishowchef Peter Blakeway describes the queues outside fast-food chainswhenwe emerged fromlockdown.
“I just found that astonishing,” he says, adding the hunger foruber Eats was equally sad.
“Not only havewe become so lazy thatwe go for food of questionable nutrition and value, but thenwe’ll get someoneelse to pick it up for us.”
Comfort eating has led to, according to one survey, a big toll on Kiwi diets.
The Covid Kai Survey of 3028 people ran from April 24 to May13 whennewzealand was at alert levels 3 and 4.
Results of the online surveybythe University of Auckland suggest the Government should put more emphasis on nutrition during any future lockdowns, and on howto preparehome-cookedmeals.
Two-out-of-three people increased their score on an unhealthy diet measure with sweet and salty snacks, alcohol and sugary drinks.
Dr Sarahgerritsen, of the School of Populationhealth in the Faculty of Medical andhealth Sciences, said: “With the restaurants, fast-food chains and takeaway outlets closed, we wondered if morehome-cooked meals would result in healthier eating over the lockdown. But independent grocers and fruit and vegetable storeswere also closed whichmayhave limited options for buying healthy food.”
The surveywas part of an international study across 38 countries ledbyresearchers at the University of Antwerp in Belgium.
Research shows that time athome, boredom, and heightened stress led to more snacking.
However, it was also a stressful time, and stress is linked to poorer eating decisions.
“We need to show compassion to ourselves and others when thinking about comfort eating, as it’s clear from research thatshame and stigmamake it worse,” says Dr Gerritsen, whoadds that community advocateswho“stepped up” should be funded and scaled up quickly again, in futurecrises.
Blakeway, an English-born Michelinstar chef and author who’s appeared on television and tutors at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, saidnew Zealanderswere strained under severechallenges; wewere at theend of our edible gardenseason in March, andsome felt safer eating packaged foods.
But, it also highlights a bigger problem, and that’s “quite frankly” a lot of Kiwis can’t cook.
And, whilesome of us baked, he guessesovens have gonecold.
“Thenumber of sourdough starters aroundnewzealand that have promptly died is quite astonishing.”
We’re time-poor, he says, have greater choice, and perceive takeout to becheaper. “As a chef, that’s a real shame, although to be fair, it’s also an opportunity.”
Heexplains there’s a high demand for qualified chefs as food-borne illnesses grow globally, and education around food hygiene becomes morecrucial. Gobacka couple of generations, and everyone was related to a farmer and managed theirown food. Now, more people live in cities.
“We don’t grow food the waywe used to, or preserve it, even though we haveabetter advantage todaywith freezers, yetwe use themless.”
He sayswe have generationswho get their flavour from processed foods high in fat, sugar and salt.
“Wewent through a time [after the 1960s] where our intermediate and high schools didn’t teach cooking effectively, and that crosses thesame time period that supermarkets and processed foodswere developing massively, and then the development of the fast-food joints right around the country. Aperfect storm happenedat once.”
Nowadays, schools have initiatives suchas the Garden to Table programme and there’s a “huge amount of hope” for future generations, butwe’ve left a couple of generations “sitting on the shelf”.
Peoplewho areefficient homecooks, benefit by cooking with food that’s in season (and thereforecheaper), skilfully modifying recipes all year round to suit.
Further international research shows they have healthier eating patterns, spend lessmoney on takeaway foods and have indicators of better health. Sharing meals with others is also associated with greater feelings of happiness.
Blakeway’s advice for thosewho feel helpless in the kitchen is to remember there’s “no such thing as wrong in the kitchen”.
“If it doesn’t work, it’s ‘just don’t do it again’. All food throughout history has been experimentation and use of what’s available here and now.
“A bowl full of cauliflower will not necessarily beexciting, but you’d get ameal out of it, and the more you practise, and the more you play, and the more you experiment, the better you’ll get.
“This attitude that ‘I can’t cook’ just doesn’t exist. You haven’t tried.”
Howtoget started
Onewomanon a mission to get Kiwis cooking is Lindaduncan.
The Taupo¯ mumand accountant releasedher first book The World’s Easiest Recipes in 2018, released volume two last month, and has plans for volume three.
Cooking ameal to sharecan be a daunting task, but Duncan uses pantry staples like tomato relish, mint, Worcester and soy sauces, so stress and cost are not an issue.
Enough to “jazz upsomechops or chickenbefore you throw themin the oven, to add flavour and variety”.
All of her recipes require 15 minutes or less of hands-on prep time.
“It’s really good for people whohave the excuse ‘I haven’t got time to cook’.”
During level 4 lockdown shemade her first cookbook available for free download, saying a lot of people took advantage of it, but more people still opted for baking instead of cooking.
“A lot of people don’t cook, period. I come across people all the timewho say ‘I don’t cook’ and I think ‘Well, how do you eat’?” she says, sharing that most tell her they go to the supermarket deli after work, or get takeaways three to four nights aweek.
“I think a) how do you afford that? and b) Doyou realise just howbad that is for you?”
Duncan says she decided to take up cookbook writing after being a workingmumwhose biggest bugbear every night was ‘what areweare going to have for dinner that’s easy and affordable?”’
She hadapile of cookbooks she didn’t use because they required ingredients that she never had.
Her wholesome recipes are a mix of tried-and-true classics, and others she’s simplified from other recipes, ormade up herself.
She also skips on the “long-winded method”.
“You don’t have to read awhole novel just to get the gist of what the recipes are about. Just really, basic steps.”
Improving your health is also about giving things a go, says registered dietitian Cati Pearson of Rotorua’s Feed Your Fuel.
She says if the Government was to do anything to improve nutrition during another lockdown, they should target support at high-poverty areas.
She agrees “not everyone knows howto cook home-cooked meals”, and popular subscription food boxes are great for convenience but are not in everyone’s price range.
What’s more, you can help your diet by simply upping your daily water intake, which helps with food cravings, digestion and your portion size.
“It’s a really easy way to alter habits without saying you can or cannot have X, Y and Z.
“Your body ismade up of 70 per cent water and if you’re not replacing that your body can’t work to the best of its ability in any aspect.”
If you feel stuck with your food choices, a dietitian can help increase accountability and provide ideas for keeping yourself goal-focused.
And take heart from Linda Duncan whosays anyone can conquer the kitchen without needing to whip up a sous vide lamb or chicken milanese napolitana.
Of her first cookbook, she says: “My husbandwho couldn’t even boil an egg, can make every recipe.”
Cookingmadeeasy
The trick is knowinghow to throw a fewbasic cupboard ingredients together.
Combine sweet chilli sauce, mint sauce, honey, and garlic, and pour over lamb chops before cooking tomake a “restaurant quality” meal.
For dessert, stir melted caramel chocolate through whipped cream.
Or, howabout making a loaf of bread that requires no kneading. Just mix the ingredients, tip into a loaf tin and allow to rise before cooking.
For recipes visit: www.twer.co.nz Linda Duncan’s second book The World’s Easiest Recipes Volume 2, is out now($29.95).