Noms: Farm Grill, Newton

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Joanne Soolman

While we enjoy trying new restaurants often, there are a handful of restaurants that are our favorites, and as such, we go to them frequently. One of these establishments is Farm Grill and Rotisserie in Newton. This rather unassuming eatery at 40 Needham Street serves some of the freshest and tastiest Greek cuisine we have ever tasted.

The Farm Grill is a no-frills establishment; you order your food up at the counter, and then they call out your number when your order is ready. While the extensive menu takes up nearly the entire wall and is somewhat overwhelming, it is broken down into categories, including Salads, Appetizers, and Dinners to make it more manageable. The prices are reasonable, with most salads averaging around $10 and most entrees ranging from $14-$18; and with the generous portions and quality ingredients, it actually feels like a steal.

Farm Grill has an impressive selection of appetizers, including traditional grape leaves, spicy feta spread, and hummus, but Jonah and Joanne are crazy for the tzatziki, a savory spread made with Greek yogurt, cucumbers, garlic and herbs. This deliciously creamy delight is best eaten with an order of grilled gyro pita rather than the typical pita they serve on the side, as the gyro pita is thicker and fluffier and a more substantial vehicle for the spread.

While the menu boasts Greek staples such as Moussaka (an eggplant, potato and beef dish), Spanakopita (filo dough stuffed with feta and spinach), and Pastitzio (a pasta and beef casserole), the real must-haves are the grilled offerings, especially the chicken kabob. The kabob, consisting of juicy bites of marinated chicken, sliced peppers and onions, is grilled to perfection. Jonah and Joanne are always amazed at how juicy and flavorful the chicken is and, of course, how well it goes with tzatziki! Typically, Joanne and Jonah will each get a chicken kabob on top of a large Greek salad served with a side of homemade creamy Greek dressing. On occasion, they will each order the chicken kabob meal, which comes with a small side salad and two hot sides of your choice, including (but not limited to) spinach and rice pilaf, steamed vegetables, and butternut squash puree. No matter what permutation you get, you will leave Farm Grill feeling satisfied and nourished.

This restaurant is a special place where many of the customers are regulars and are treated like family. For as long as it keeps putting out high quality, addictively yummy cuisine, it will continue to be one of our go-to places for a great meal.

Noms: Margarita’s, Framingham

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Joanne Soolman

One of our favorite cuisines is Mexican food. In fact, we had our engagement party at a favorite Mexican restaurant. That place has since closed, so we have been on the lookout for a new favorite Mexican spot. Recently, we decided to give Margarita’s Mexican Restaurant in Framingham a try. Margarita’s is a chain with 24 locations throughout the Northeast.

When we walked in at 5:30pm on a Saturday, the place was already packed, which was surprising. While we waited for a table, we had a chance to peruse the lengthy menu, which was divided into numerous sections, including appetizers, salads, vegetarian dishes, fajitas, tacos, grill and “Los Favoritos.” Needless to say, the number of menu options was overwhelming. In the end, we opted to share the appetizer of guacamole with tortilla chips. Jonah got the “Burrito Vegetariana” (aka vegetarian burrito), and Joanne ordered the shrimp fajitas.

The meal started off well, as our waiter was prompt and courteous. We were given a complimentary basket of tortilla chips with salsa, which was deliciously salty and spicy, and our drinks were brought quickly and refilled as needed. We were pleasantly surprised by the guacamole appetizer, as it tasted freshly made and authentic.

After that, the meal took a turn for the worse. While Jonah was excitedly expecting the variety of vegetables promised in his burrito, he was sorely disappointed by the lack of peppers, mushrooms, black beans, and rice, and completely overwhelmed by the sheer abundance of under-sautéed onion in and on top of the burrito. Jonah likened his experience to “pulling a raw onion straight out of the ground and eating it like an apple,” and, unfortunately, his breath smelled like onion for the rest of the weekend.

While the shrimp in Joanne’s fajitas were perfectly cooked and the presentation was impressive, she was put off by the overly-salty seasoning used on the fajita vegetables (again, an overabundance of onion) and felt like the veggies were undercooked. The fajita platter did not come out of the kitchen sizzling on a cast iron skillet like most fajita platters do; instead, the food looked like it had been sautéed and then placed on a cast iron skillet afterwards. All in all, it was a disappointing entrée.

To top it all off, the meal ended up being more than $40 for just the two of us, which seemed unreasonably high for the quality and quantity of the food. Thus, we will continue our search for our new favorite Mexican restaurant. If any of you have suggestions, we’d love to hear them!

What Not to Say to Someone With an Eating Disorder

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Joanne Soolman

It’s National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, so to stay with that theme, I thought it might be worthwhile to write about one of the most common questions I get from parents of my eating disorder (ED) patients: “What should I not say to my daughter/son who has an active ED?” Working with hundreds of ED patients and their families, I have compiled a list of “what not to say to or around your loved one who is struggling with an ED.” Here are three comments that could be triggering to your loved one.

1) “You look so healthy! How could you possibly have an ED?”

On the surface, this seems to be an innocuous and even positive comment. But, all the ED patient hears is: “You don’t look emaciated enough to have an ED. So therefore, you are fat.” Clearly, this is not what the speaker intended, but someone with an ED has a very distorted view of themselves and how others perceive him or her. It’s important to remember that people with EDs come in all shapes and sizes and it really isn’t possible to determine the severity of someone’s ED just by looking at him or her.

2) “I can’t believe how fat I’ve gotten! That’s it, no more carbs ‘til Christmas!”

I can’t tell you how many times my patients tell me that one of their parents has uttered the above. A parent might think that since the comment is about himself or herself, it shouldn’t be triggering to the child. This is incorrect. Kids learn by example and if they hear you talk badly about yourself and be critical of your body, they will think it’s okay for them to talk badly about themselves and criticize their bodies. This just fuels the ED even more.

3) “I know she needs to gain weight to be healthy. But we don’t want her to gain too much weight, right?”

Yes, I have heard these words from a number of parents and in front of their kid, no less. Weight gain is often a requirement in the recovery for anorexia nervosa. But weight isn’t the only factor that needs to be measured. Vital signs such as heart rate and blood pressure both lying down and standing up are very important indicators of health. Other measures of health include blood tests to look at nutrition status, whether or not a menstruating female has lost their period, and bone density. EDs take a toll on the entire body, not just weight. By keeping the focus on weight, we are fueling the idea that weight is the end all and be all. This is just not true.

Obviously, none of the above comments are meant to be malicious – we all want the best for our loved ones. But, it’s important to think about how your comment might be perceived by your son/daughter/sister/friend. We can’t edit ourselves every minute of every day, but by being aware of your words, you could spare your loved one (and yourself) a lot of unnecessary grief.

Noms: Finale, Boston

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Joanne Soolman

To keep with our chocolate-themed newsletter, we thought it would be fun to review one of our favorite dessert restaurants, Finale. We had our very first date at the Finale in Coolidge Corner (which sadly is no longer), so the restaurant holds a special place in our hearts. Despite the closing of the Coolidge Corner location, we love going to the Back Bay Finale to celebrate special occasions or when we are in the mood for a fancy dessert.

One might assume that Finale only serves dessert, but one would be incorrect about this assumption! In addition to its myriad sweets, Finale has a rather impressive, although abbreviated, “Savory Menu” as well. All savory items are less than $16, which is a pretty good deal any way you slice it. Joanne has been to the Harvard Square location several times for lunch, and she very much enjoys the Greek salad topped with roasted chicken, especially appreciating the unexpected mango and candied olives. Another tasty savory meal is the truffle macaroni and cheese, which is very rich, warm and comforting on a cold winter’s day.

Obviously, desserts are the stars of the show at Finale, and ranging from $9-12, they are a good deal, given the quality of the ingredients and the beautiful presentation on the plate. On our first date, Jonah got the crème brulee, which had a perfect crispy crust on top of a creamy sweet custard and was garnished with fresh fruit. Joanne got the Manjari Mousse, which is a “bittersweet Valrhona Manjari chocolate mousse layered with chocolate buttermilk cake.” While the cake and mousse on their own are divine, make sure to ask your server for extra crème anglaise and French apricot puree, as those two sauces put this dessert over the top!

The last few times we have gone to Finale, we opted for the dessert sampler under the “Shareable Desserts” section of the menu, which allows you to try up to nine miniature-sized versions of Finale’s signature desserts. These little bites let you experience everything without bursting your wallet (or your stomach!). While the shareable desserts are a bit pricier at $17-27, they can be a more economical way to enjoy your sweets with a group of friends.

If you are hankering for a sweet way to end the evening, you should definitely make a special trip to Finale. Sweet dreams!

The Wrong Idea

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Joanne Soolman

In addition to the many patients I see for eating disorders, I often have individuals come to see me for help with weight loss. This goal is completely understandable in the current context of our society. Most of us have been told by numerous sources that weight loss is essential for health, and only if we are at the “right” weight will we live long and healthy lives. And up until about five years ago, I would have agreed with this assumption.

But, as I have written about in many other blogs, I’ve had a paradigm shift. There is more and more scientific evidence out there that weight and health are not inextricably linked. In fact, it is completely feasible for someone to weigh considerably more than the BMI and weight charts tell her to and to be perfectly healthy. In contrast, I have seen countless patients in my office who are at their “ideal” weights, yet are using extremely unhealthy measures to stay there and have numerous health issues as a result.

Therefore, I am concerned when the New Year comes around, as I know that our office will become busier than ever with people wanting to lose weight. I’m afraid that prospective patients will have the wrong idea about what I will and will not do. As a registered dietitian, I am knowledgeable about nutrition for health promotion. This means I can provide nutrition education for my patients and help them figure out ways to establish some healthier eating habits. While these healthier eating habits may lead to some weight loss, weight loss will not be the inherent goal of our work together. If any weight loss occurs, it is just the byproduct of the lifestyle changes one instills. It isn’t the primary goal.

Maybe 2014 will be the year that we can all start taking our eyes off of the scale and instead focusing on making healthy lifestyle changes instead.

Be Your Own Best Friend

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Joanne Soolman

It’s the holiday season, a time to spread joy and love to those around you. Many times this takes place in the form of buying gifts, baking, and cooking for those we care about. It often involves telling our friends and family how much they mean to us, how loved they are. This is the time of the year when we show our appreciation and care for others.

So, in the midst of spreading all of this happiness to others, who often gets neglected? You guessed it – you! Not only do we often forget or put off taking care of ourselves, many of us are pros at talking especially harshly to ourselves. Many of my clients have an inner monologue that goes on a continuous loop. These thoughts include things like, “I can’t believe you missed that workout today – you are so lazy!” or “You have to stop eating like such a pig” or “You are a disgusting, fat person who has no self-control.”

Now, would any of us talk to our best friends the way we talk to ourselves? Of course not! Pretty soon, we wouldn’t have any more friends! Then why do we think it’s okay to talk this way to ourselves? Whenever a client tells me about her latest bout of self-hate talk, I ask her to think about what she would say to her best friend if the friend was saying these hateful things about herself. Common answers to the above hate talk include, “You’ve been so tired and run-down lately, it’s probably a good thing you skipped that workout. You need the rest!” and “You are not a pig! We all overeat sometimes, and it’s not the end of the world,” and “You are a beautiful, smart, and loving person – self control has nothing to do with how wonderful you are!”

Let’s break the cycle of negative self-talk and start talking to ourselves in a more positive way. When we are kind and gentle to ourselves, we are more likely to take better care of ourselves, too. Imagine what a difference that would make!

Extreme Disappointment

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Joanne Soolman

In general, I don’t watch reality weight-loss shows. I used to. Biggest Loser was one of my favorites. I was always in awe of how many pounds the contestants would lose each season, many of them shrinking to half of their starting size. But, ever since I became a dietitian, I view these shows in a much different light. Shows like My Big Fat Revenge, Biggest Loser, and Extreme Weight Loss promote dangerous messages about weight management – namely, that fat people are inherently unhealthy and that the only way to be healthy is to lose copious amounts of weight quickly by drastically restricting one’s calories and exercising like a maniac.

Despite my dislike of these shows, I do (rarely) catch an odd episode from time to time. Many of my clients watch these shows and take what the “experts” say as gospel, so it helps if I am in the know about the latest and greatest gimmicks these shows use, so I can help re-educate my clients.

Last night, I stumbled across an episode of Extreme Weight Loss that truly disturbed me. In this episode, a 23-year-old woman named Alyssa was the individual who was chosen to undergo a year of restrictive eating and over-exercising courtesy of trainer Chris Powell. The episode started predictably enough: initial weigh-in tears, a loss of 100+ pounds over the first 3 months (Phase 1), and the inevitable struggles to lose weight during Phase 2 (months 3-6).

This is where things take a serious turn. After Phase 1, Alyssa found that the weight just wasn’t coming off like it had been before. No matter how much she tried to follow the meal and exercise plan, her weight was at a plateau. So, in order to reach her goal of losing another 60 pounds during Phase 2, she decided to drastically reduce her calories even more, at times eating close to nothing. This resulted in rebound binges and subsequent purging. Alyssa developed an eating disorder (ED).

At this point, the show’s producers should have stopped the program for Alyssa, insisted she get treatment for her ED, and take all of the focus off of her losing weight. Instead, Alyssa had a heartfelt talk with Chris and his wife Heidi (who herself struggled with an ED for eight years), and despite the fact that clearly Alyssa needed help dealing with her ED, they continued to encourage her to lose weight and restrict her calories. She was instructed to eat 1500 calories per day while exercising for at least three hours per day to achieve “healthy” weight loss.

At the very end of the program (and after she had completed the program, losing a total of 200 pounds), Chris offered Alyssa a two-month stay at Shades of Hope, an ED treatment center. While at first she rejected the offer, Alyssa ended up going to the program two weeks later, as it was clear that her eating issues were continuing. Why wasn’t this offer made immediately after Alyssa admitted her ED to Chris? Why did they wait until the end of the year to offer her help?

When someone is struggling with an ED, there should be no talk of trying to lose weight, whether it is in a “healthy way” or not. In a sense, the show itself taught Alyssa how to eat in a disordered (re: restrictive) way, priming her for developing an ED. By letting her continue on in her weight loss program, the show did Alyssa a real disservice and gave the message that EDs are no big deal and are just a “phase” that can be dealt with easily. Unfortunately, EDs are not only extremely damaging (and potentially fatal), but they also often turn out to be a life-long struggle, not something to be glossed over.

These shows are not only doing damage to the contestants, but also doing an enormous amount of damage to their viewers. I am hopeful that one day these shows will run out of steam and stop reinforcing the idea that losing weight and the number on the scale are the end all, be all. Maybe someday shows will promote healthy behavior change, without focusing on the numbers. But, I guess that wouldn’t make for scintillating TV.

Meal Enjoyment and Nutrient Absorption

Posted on October 25, 2013 by Joanne Soolman

In nutrition school, I was taught that there were certain nutritional facts that always held true. A calorie is a calorie. If you eat 500 calories less per day for a week, you will lose one pound of body weight. Just because a “healthy” food might not be enjoyable to you or taste good, it is still important to eat it for good health.

Well, there is some interesting evidence that when it comes to nutrition, how much we enjoy our meals may be just as important as what our meals are made of. In October of 2000, Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter discussed a study that measured how one’s enjoyment of a meal affected one’s nutrient absorption. In the study, researchers from Thailand and Sweden teamed up to see if cultural preferences for a food would affect the absorption of iron from a meal.

In the first phase of the study, two groups of women, one from Thailand and the other from Sweden, were fed a typical Thai meal. Needless to say the Thai women preferred the taste of the meal more than the Swedish women did. Interestingly, even though all of the meals contained the exact same amount of iron, the Thai women absorbed twice as much iron from the meal than the Swedish women did. In the second phase of the study, the two groups were served a typical Swedish meal with the exact same iron content. In this case, the Swedish women absorbed significantly more iron from the meal than the Thai women did.

In the second phase of the study, the Thai group and Swedish group were split up into two subgroups. The two Thai subgroups were given an identical Thai meal, but one of the subgroup’s meals was pureed into a mush. Even though both of the meals had the exact same iron content, the women who ate the mushy meal absorbed 70% less iron than the other group. The study was repeated in the Swedish group and the results were similar.

So what does this tell us? Taste and enjoyment matters to nutrient absorption! If you are one of those “nutrition martyrs” who eat foods that you really don’t enjoy just because they are “good for you,” it’s likely that you aren’t absorbing much of the nutrients from those foods. Conversely, even if you are eating a food deemed “unhealthy” by the food authorities, if you are truly enjoying and savoring it, you will be absorbing more nutrients from it.

Now, this isn’t license to only eat “junk.” But, instead of forcing yourself to eat healthy, but not tasty food, how about finding healthier foods that you enjoy? Instead of eating fat-free cheese, which, ahem, tastes like plastic, how about savoring some real sharp cheddar from a Vermont dairy? Instead of munching on low-quality chocolate, how about enjoying a piece of dark chocolate that is full of antioxidants? I am willing to bet that if you start to incorporate more pleasure into your meals, you’ll be happier and healthier.

Fitspiration or Fat-Shaming?

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Joanne Soolman

In fat-shaming news, Maria Kang, a 32-year-old fitness fanatic and mother of 3, posted a photo of herself and her three sons (then aged 3 years, 2 years, and 8 months) on Facebook with the caption “What’s Your Excuse?” In the photo, Kang is wearing only a sports bra and tiny workout shorts, showing off her toned and sleek body. Clearly, the photo and caption are meant to be “fitspirational” to all of the new moms out there who haven’t yet made losing weight their top priority and to show them that even with 3 kids under the age of 3, you too can have the body of a fit model. Needless to say, the internet has been ablaze with both positive and negative feedback on the image.

I actually saw this woman on the Today Show this morning, and she was rather unapologetic about the message her photo is sending. She reiterated the fact over and over that the photo was meant to be inspirational, not a knock against fat people. That may have been her intention, but honestly, the caption clearly implies judgment against those who “haven’t lost their baby weight yet.” That perhaps if these overweight women just tried a little harder, they too could bounce a quarter off their abs.

Kang, who is a former personal trainer and beauty queen, clearly has always been in good shape. Given this fact, it’s not surprising that she was able to “bounce back” to her original shape after her pregnancies. But the fact is that she is in the minority. The average woman in the U.S. does not look like Kang and even if she were to put in all of the extraordinary time and effort to achieve Kang’s physique, it is very unlikely that she would be able to maintain it.

So, yes, I do believe that this image is fat-shaming. Instead of sending the message that if you just try hard enough, you can have a hard body after baby, how about telling new moms that they are beautiful and that they should appreciate what their bodies can do for them (e.g. give birth!). Now that would be inspirational.

My Big Fat Revenge

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Joanne Soolman

So, a couple of days ago, I caught wind of a new reality TV show on the Oxygen network called My Big Fat Revenge, a show that appeared to be a hybrid of The Biggest Loser and Punk’d. Intrigued, I decided to check out the show’s website to learn more about it. Apparently, the “docu-series” gives overweight women the “opportunity” to not only lose weight through Draconian measures, but also to get retribution against family members, former boyfriends, former classmates, etc., who had shamed and made these women feel humiliated about their weight in the past. To do this, the “fat shamers” are “set up on blind dates, auditions, and nightmare jobs to experience what they put their offenders through,” so that the transformed women can teach them a lesson and get an apology.

All I can say is “no.” What a horrible idea for a show! Instead of having the women embrace their bodies as-is and then confront their tormenters, this show is condoning the idea that getting thin is the best (and only suitable) revenge. In fact, by focusing solely on losing the weight, the women are actually validating their attackers’ assertions that they should have been ashamed of their weight. While the show does assert that fat-shaming is wrong, it essentially undermines this message by saying that unless you lose weight and look thin, you do not deserve respect.

As a television channel that is supposed to be providing inspiring and empowering programming for women, I find all of the above very depressing indeed.