| People often have questions for authors about their work and their personal lives. Here are the answers to some of the questions we get asked most frequently. Please feel free to send us your questions and comments.
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Questions for author, Catherine Jones
Questions for co-author and nutritionist, Elaine B. Trujillo
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Answers from Catherine Jones
Do you have a message for your readers?
Yes, the message is that in order to lead a healthy, long, and happy life you must do three things:
- Eat healthy foods
- Exercise regularly
- Reduce stress
Some of us are better at one of these things than others. Personally, I struggle with exercising regularly and reducing my stress. I have to schedule exercise and yoga into my day or it does not happen. My mantra for getting motivated is: Do it while you still can! Seeing older people struggling to get around makes me realize how lucky I am to be able to put on my jogging shoes and go for a run.
Eating healthy foods comes more naturally to me and my family. We tend to like healthy foods, and my kids have grown accustomed to seeing vegetables, brown rice, salmon, tofu, hummus, and oatmeal on their plates. I introduced these foods to them at a young age which has made all the difference.
How did you come up with the Stay Balanced Diet concept?
The Stay Balanced concept was designed specifically for Eating for Lower Cholesterol. Elaine Trujillo, MS, RD, CNSD created an original food guide pyramid to resemble a scale. The basic theory is that your intake of calories from healthy foods should be balanced by exercise that burns off those calories. In order to stay balanced one should: maintain a healthy weight, take a daily multivitamin, drink alcohol in moderation (if you drink), use salt in sparingly, and avoid trans fats (such as partially hydrogenated oils).
The Stay Balanced Scale promotes eating an abundance of fruits and vegetables; eating whole grains instead of refined grains; consuming low-fat dairy products; consuming soy protein, lean meats, and seafood; eating mono- and polyunsaturated fats; and keeping your intake of saturated fats and refined carbs to a minimum.
Where do you get the ideas for your books?
My inspiration comes from my life experiences. The idea for Eating for Pregnancy: An Essential Guide to Nutrition with Recipes for the Whole Family was inspired by a very difficult first pregnancy. I developed pre-eclampsia while I was living overseas in Macedonia. It was not diagnosed as quickly as it should have been, and consequently, my daughter was born six weeks early and she weighed only three pounds eleven ounces. This experience made me realize how traumatic pregnancy can be, and what a miracle a healthy baby is. I wanted to write a book to inform pregnant women of their nutritional needs, and to help them meet those needs whether they are having a difficult pregnancy or not.
I came up with the idea for Eating for Lower Cholesterol: A Balanced Approach to Heart Health with Recipes Everyone Will Love after my mother had a heart attack and my eight-year-old daughter was diagnosed with high cholesterol. While helping my mother recuperate, I decided that there was a need for a book that clearly explains cholesterol and ways to lower it through diet including delicious heart-healthy recipes and practical advice on shopping, cooking, and eating.
How do you create the recipes for your health-nutrition-cookbooks?
First, I spend time talking to nutritionists to understand how diet relates to a particular condition. Then, I ask them to give me lists of healthy foods, such as those high in calcium, iron, folic acid, and other vitamins. I transform these foods into delicious dishes that don't require hours of slaving away in the kitchen. After I develop a recipe, I judge it for taste, texture, appearance, difficulty, and the amount of time it takes to make. Next, I run a nutritional breakdown to determine how healthy it is. For instance, if it is too high in fat or calories, I tweak it until the numbers improve without compromising the taste. If I lose the taste, I toss the recipe.
What is the hardest part about writing a book?
Coming up with the idea and selling it to the right publisher. There is a fine line between developing an idea, staying true to it, and packaging it in a way that a publisher can market it, and ultimately profit from it.
Do you use the recipes from your books in your own home?
All the time, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
What other writing do you do?
I write travel-essay cookbooks and magazine articles. My first book, A Year of Russian Feasts, is a collection of essays about Russian culture and food inspired by my Russian roots. In 1990 I went to Moscow to visit my mother, Mary Cheremeteff Abernethy, and Bob Abernethy, my step-father, who was the NBC News correspondent in Moscow from 1989 to 1994. I was fascinated by the connection between Russian culture and food and decided to write about it. My experiences and research shed light on the origins of my family's traditional Russian recipes, such as paskha (cheesecake) and kulich (sweet bread) at Easter, and meals of borshch (beet soup) and pirozhki (meat pies).
My biggest stories include a cover piece for Saveur magazine, entitled, "Hearty Stew and Caviar: New Year's Eve in Moscow: (December 2005) and a cover story for Fit Pregnancy called "The Right Stuff" (December 2003) .
How did you become interested in food?
My interest began at home during childhood. My mother is a very international woman which is reflected in her cooking. When my three brothers and I were growing up, we only ate home-cooked meals; going out to dinner was a rare treat. My mother never opened a can or bag of frozen food. For a typical week night dinner she prepared homemade eggrolls and a Chinese stir-fry, beef Stroganov with egg noodles, creamy chicken tarragon with rice, roast beef with potatoes gratin, garlicky leg of lamb with mint sauce, minestrone and chicken soups, and the mouth-watering list goes on. Being young, we did not appreciate it, but I now realize how lucky we were. My mother still loves to make a big Sunday lunch for family and friends. Her passion for good food and the pleasures of the table were passed on to me.
Where did you learn to cook?
My introduction to cooking was at home in my mother's and grandmother's kitchens. I often helped prepare dinner, and I always felt proud putting the meal on the table. After graduating from Connecticut College with a B.A. in psychology, I decided that what I really wanted to do was to become a chef. I attended La Varenne Cooking School in Paris, which was one of the best years of my life. Not only did I learn the basics of cooking, but I learned to appreciate gorgeous fresh produce, fine dining, and simple culinary pleasures, like a crispy, buttery, warm-from-the-oven croissant at the corner bakery.
Working in the kitchen of the legendary chef Jean-Louis Palladin, of Jean-Louis Restaurant at the Watergate Hotel, was also a tremendous learning experience. Jean-Louis was a genius in the kitchen transforming ordinary ingredients, like corn, into heavenly soup, and raising already sublime ingredients, like truffles and fois gras, to new heights. Jean-Louis's mantra was: Respect ingredients and consciously taste food. He had a passion for fresh ingredients, creative cooking, and life.
Can you offer any advice to people who want to write a cookbook?
Three bits of advice: know your audience, thoroughly research your topic, and test your recipes.
Why do you live abroad and travel so much?
My husband is in the Foreign Service so my family and I live abroad for a couple of years at a stretch. Despite the hardship and stress of moving, I love discovering new cultures and cuisines and meeting people. It's fascinating to see how similar we all are, yet how differently we live and eat. Currently, I am having a great time exploring Manila, Philippines. I tried fried crickets for the first time in my life the other day. I'd like to see that nutritional breakdown!
What will your next book be about?
I'm not sure yet.
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Answers from Elaine B. Trujillo, MS, RD, CNSD
How did you invent the Stay Balanced Scale?
I wanted to create a graphic that captures the overall essence of eating to lower cholesterol and maintaining good general health. I think the Stay Balanced Scale accomplishes this by visually depicting the importance of healthy foods and the need to balance calorie intake and daily exercise.
The Stay Balanced Scale showcases fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in the outer triangle as our staple foods. These should be consumed in greater quantities. As you move inside the triangle, the emphasis is to eat low-fat dairy and soy, lean meats and seafood, and healthy fats, such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Finally, the inside of the triangle represents foods that you should minimize in your diet, such as saturated fats and refined carbohydrates.
Does the Stay Balanced Scale and related information only pertain to lowering cholesterol, or does it have other benefits as well?
The Stay Balanced Scale and guidelines are a healthy eating plan designed for everyone, including men, women, and children. The unique recommendations in the Stay Balanced Scale, include: increasing soy protein intake; eating seafood regularly; and eating more healthy fats (such as poly- and monounsaturated fat); less saturated fats; and no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. There is enough medical evidence to suggest that many aspects of the Stay Balanced Diet may help prevent not only cholesterol and heart disease, but other chronic conditions, such as diabetes, obesity and cancer.
Do you follow the Stay Balanced Guidelines?
I absolutely try to every day. I am not always perfect and I may not get enough fruit one day or not enough fish one week, but it is easy to get back on track especially because I stock my pantry with the right foods. I also try to balance my calories and exercise. If I know I will not get a chance to exercise one day, I will make sure to eat a bit less that day. Another tool that helps me balance my calories in and out is by wearing a pedometer, which counts my steps. I shoot for a certain number of steps each day and if I am short, I try to get more the next day and/or eat less. It is also important to get on the scale, at least once a week. If I see the scale creeping up by a pound or two, I know I need to step up the exercise. Personally, I prefer to exercise more than to eat less!
What made you decide to co-author Eating for Lower Cholesterol?
When I spoke to Catherine for the first time, I knew immediately that this was a worthwhile opportunity. I jumped at the chance to be part of a book to educate consumers about nutrition, health, food products, and to provide them with instructions on healthy eating.
What information do your patients in cardiac rehabilitation ask for most often?
People feel overwhelmed by the quantity of products in grocery stores. The margarines alone are confusing. People want to know how to shop, what to make, and what to look for on food labels. They like to know the best brand names, and they beg me for delicious, healthy recipes.
Often people start off by asking, "Tell me what I can eat?" I usually turn this around and ask them what they like to eat. Many are surprised that some of their favorite foods are healthy and that if they work on modifying other choices, they can still eat what they like and not have to be on a special diet. For some, it is a matter of changing how much they eat. For others, some modifications are necessary. Usually, people are relieved to learn that a heart-healthy diet is not as devastatingly depriving as they thought.
What basic advice do you have for people trying to lower their cholesterol levels?
Try to work on one thing, or one goal at a time. For instance, if you are someone who does not eat breakfast, start out by having a glass of milk and a piece of fruit. Don't commit to doing it everyday, but plan to do it three times per week. Once you have accomplished that goal, take it to the next step and plan on eating a light breakfast five days a week until you reach the point where you have accomplished eating breakfast on most days of the week regularly. Then think about another area in your diet that needs fixing and take it in steps! The same applies for exercise, take it in steps.
Do you use the recipes in Eating for Lower Cholesterol?
Some of my favorites are the smoothies, the sesame-ginger noodles and the vanilla flan. One of the family's favorite recipes is the Asian-Style Broccoli (page 120). That is the only way I can get my son to eat broccoli. Here is a kid who does not like vegetables. I always put some on his plate and ask him to take one bite. I figure that the more he sees vegetables on his plate, the less foreign they will be to him, and eventually he will try them and maybe even like them. So, imagine my surprise when I served the Asian-style broccoli and he was sopping up the sauce with the broccoli and asking for more. I was delighted!
What is your message to women regarding heart disease?
Don't assume that you are not at risk because you are a woman. Have your cholesterol and blood pressure checked regularly and talk to your doctor about your risks for heart disease.
Diabetes is on the rise, how can we reverse this trend?
There is evidence to suggest that people who are at high risk for developing diabetes can prevent developing the disease by losing 5-7% of their body weight. For example, if you weigh 170 pounds, that is just 8 to 13 pounds.
Does heart disease really start in childhood? Should parents be more careful about what they feed their children?
Kids today are the first generation that will potentially die of chronic diseases at an earlier age than their parents' generation. This is startling and disheartening information. More and more children are overweight or obese, and this puts them at greater risk for heart disease.
Parents need to set good examples for their children. They need to take control of their weight and diet and teach good habits. For many Americans, that means eating less junk food, such as fast food and unhealthy snacks, and exercising more. Parents can engage kids in healthy eating by getting them involved in the process having them do some of the preparation for a meal, teaching them how to read food labels, and picking out healthy items at the supermarket. And physical activity needs to be a part of our everyday life. Most kids are easily engaged in physical activity.
How does obesity in adults and children affect heart health?
People who are overweight or obese are more likely to have high LDL or "bad" cholesterol, low HDL or "good" cholesterol, high triglycerides, and high blood pressure.
We are now learning that fat in obese persons releases substances that cause inflammation in our organs. It is not yet certain to what degree inflammation plays in heart disease, but we know that diabetes, high blood pressure, and lipid abnormalities are related to inflammation.
Why did you decide to become a nutritionist?
I was frustrated and nervous before going to college because I did not know what I wanted to major in. When I learned that I could study nutritional science and follow a career path in that area, I was delighted. I had always had an interest in food and nutrition, even working in a health food store while I was in high school. My parents were not fond of the idea of me pursuing a career that they knew so little about, and they were uncertain if I was making the right decision. I never hesitated. And I am a firm believer that you are more successful and overall happier doing something you enjoy, rather than pursuing a career that is associated with more money, success, and prestige. |
