Newport Academy

Part 2

Healthy Eating Tip from Executive Chef Chris Buxton-Smith

by: Christopher Buxton Smith, Executive Chef, Newport Academy

Carbohydrates! The mere mention of the word sends people running with their gym bag and protein shakes to the nearest gym. Hitting the treadmills, they run as fast as they can from the memory of that piece of bread they had at dinner the night before, or that surly cracker monster they dined with in bed as they watched movies. Misconceptions about carbohydrates abound. They are force fed to the consumer  by the media and the gimmicked laden dieting community about the how’s and whys carbohydrates and their siblings are the devil and why they should not be consumed. But what if I told you that not all carbohydrates are bad for you? What if I told you that some are a necessary component of a balanced, healthy diet? If I went further by saying they actually were the basis for creating energy and producing serotonin in your body, do you think you could shrug off the myth of the villainous carbohydrate?

As a chef, the methods by which I can cook with carbohydrates are endless. Most people, when they think of carbs, immediately associate them with white flours, baked potatoes, refined sugars and other high calorie low nutritional value food items. This is a very narrow minded view of a very dynamic food category. Whole grains such as barley, quinoa, bulgar wheat and most notably whole wheat, to mention a few, are staple diets of many food cultures (not including America oddly enough) whose agricultural infrastructure are not based on the production of corn. They are packed with vitamins, much of the time valuable protein as well as being a good source of soluble and insoluble fiber; not to mention when cooked well they are delicious.

According to Dr. Jeffrey Fortuna, the nutritional consultant at Newport Academy and Professor of Health Science at Cal State Fullerton, the nutritional establishment views carbohydrates based on their Glycemic Index and glycemic load. For example, the Glycemic index is a method of ranking of how certain carbohydrates affect our blood glucose levels. Because certain foods have higher GI levels, when eaten, they tend to produce large spikes in blood glucose levels resulting in abnormal energy cycles and brain function. Ideally we should be eating foods with a lower Glycemic index keeping our blood glucose levels moderate but sustained providing energy for a longer period of time.

At Newport Academy, I attempt to serve our residents in just such a manner. I bake fresh whole wheat and rye breads made from natural yeast culture, cook as much as I can with refined sugar substitutes like Agave nectar, and use whole fresh fruit and nuts at snack times to keep our residents healthy and sustained through the day. Various whole grains are offered at meal time, prepared and presented in gourmet splendor. Such a food program allows our residents to not only be nutritionally sound, but also more apt to participate in their recovery program because they are not being subjected to spikes and drops blood glucose levels.

Here are a couple of examples of foods with low glycemic indexes that are not to be over-looked:

Barley: 25 (excellent: low GI)

Bulgur: 48 (low GI)

Buckwheat: 54 (moderate GI)

Oat Bran (55)

Some really healthy fruits:

Cherries: 22 (excellent: low GI)

Grapefruit: 25 (Excellent)

Apples: 38 (excellent)

Pears, bartlett: 38

Peaches: (42)

Oranges: (44- excellent)

Blueberries: 53 (Moderate GI)

Bananas: 55 (Moderate)

The most common question I get from the residents is, “How can I cook these items so that they taste good?” At Newport Academy our cooking demonstrations serves not only as a life skills class but also as a window to a new view on culture and through food and cooking. Most items, especially the whole grains, are you used in everyday cooking around the world. Barley for instance is a very versatile grain with the lowest glycemic index on the list. There are numerous methods to prepare it. Its all about flavor maximizing, or coaxing the most flavoring out of each ingredient through cooking and flavor layering. Instead of water, cook barley in vegetable stock, or you can toast it in the oven to bring out the nutty aroma that pairs well with fresh fruit. Flavor layering is the manner by which you pair an item with another in order to a achieve a new taste sensation. I encourage the girls to think creatively and outside the box. For instance, peach and heirloom tomato caprese salad with thai basil and toasted pumpkin seed pesto is a delicious flavor combination that you may not immediately think would go together. Pumpkin seeds are high in zinc and omega threes while peaches have a low glycemic index and are high in lycopene and lutein. Tomatoes have a cleansing and detoxifying effect on the body while basil aids in digestion and is treasured in eastern medicine. Obviously those are just a couple of the myriad examples in which carbohydrate foods can be healthy and delicious.