Something a respected nutrition professor has recommended to my class: never admit to being a nutritionist at a dinner party. As other guests would feel compelled to show a gaping lesion to a dermatologist, so they would share their most intimate dieting downfalls and bowel frequency with a dietician.
As a mere graduate student my enthusiasm for the subject is intact and I enjoy sporadic discussions with the nutrition layman, though my knowledge is still limited. Recently a friend of my boyfriend, Matt, requested to speak to me. Apparently he's been a vegetarian for a long time and was concerned about nutrients he may be missing out on. OK, I thought, I can do that. Omega-3's, B12, iron... I had a few solid points to emphasize while he waited to order his next beer. When we finally got around to talking he dismissed the issue of vegetarianism--which I brought up--and asked me what to eat to prevent Alzheimer's. Maybe my glass of wine had clouded my brain, but I could not think of much to say to him. It's a new point of attention, right? There's still research going on, years before any real recommendations can be made, eat omega-3's and colorful veggies. Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. Michael Pollan can get on my nerves, but I can't fault him for having a sweeping statement for good nutrition. After all, I'd just recommended the most generic healthy diet for prevention of a specific disease.
On an unrelated note, this week I will be cooking mashed cauliflower and sweet potatoes as an alternative to mashed potatoes. This will be accompanying tuna steaks cooked by a beef steak recipe from Gluten-Free Girl with some other healthy substitutions (omega-3 spread instead of butter, low-sodium chicken broth instead of veal stock). And some leafy greens, to prevent Alzheimer's of course.
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