Travel Can Be Thinning
By Judith J. Wurtman, PhD, and Nina Frusztajer Marquis, MD
Authors of The Serotonin Power Diet

They say that travel is broadening and these days and that usually means gaining weight. When you leave home, you leave the foods that you routinely eat and are faced with what is available during your travel and at your destination. Sometimes of course, the food can be good, and that may mean big problems if you are working toward keeping your weight from rising. Very few people are going to stick to a strict diet when faced with the amazing foods available abroad or regional specialties in this country. Think New England clam chowder or southern fried chicken.

Having just come back from a trip to Israel and Turkey, I worried about whether I would still fit into my clothes at the end of a l0 day trip. Fortunately the countries we picked to visit could not have been more perfect for preventing weight gain. Both countries encourage eating vegetables, yogurt and low fat cheese at all meals including breakfast. Finely chopped tomatoes and cucumbers could be found in Israel, as well as Turkey (although are more coarsely chopped here).  Both are prominent at breakfast along with at least four different kinds of local yogurt, whole grain breads and very low fat soft cheese.

Lunches are also healthy: a typical Israeli sandwich is made on multigrain, seeded bread with one thin slice of low fat cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes and sometimes sprouts. In Turkey, vegetables are also a major ingredient in lunch. Plates of toasted eggplant, artichokes in lemon juice and yogurt mixed with string beans, or tiny spinach leaves along with big salads are typical. Bread is always served but never with butter. Neither country typically serves desserts; sweets are reserved for afternoon coffee or tea.

Dinners in Israel can start with vegetables like zucchini or peppers stuffed with rice.  The same is true in Turkey although grape leaves are also part of the stuffed vegetables offering. Eggplant again makes an appearance, along with a myriad of other vegetables. These are all served as appetizers along with a large salad. Then perhaps lean lamb or grilled fish appears along with more bread in both countries. The emphasis on veggies is so strong that when we flew a short distance on a Turkish airline, the snack was salad, complete with dressing on the side.

Of course one reason we felt so well fed is that the vegetables are all local and taste like vegetables, the cucumbers have extremely thin skins, the artichokes are as big as basketballs and the tomatoes taste as if they grew next door. Will our new love affair with vegetables continue now that I am back home? Probably because I discovered it really doesn’t take any more time to make a few simple vegetable dishes than a main course , especially since so many of our vegetables come already clean, peeled and chopped. And who knows, maybe artichokes will become the new chicken?

Copyright © 2007 Judith J. Wurtman, PhD, and Nina Frusztajer Marquis, MD

Authors
Judith J. Wurtman, PhD, has been recognized worldwide for decades of pioneering research into the relationship of food, mood, brain, and appetite. Dr. Wurtman received her PhD in cell biology from MIT and took additional training as an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow in nutrition/obesity. The author of five books for the general public, she has written more than 40 peer-reviewed articles for professional publications. She splits her time between Boston and Miami.

Nina Frusztajer Marquis, MD, received her master's degree in nutrition from Columbia University and her medical degree from George Washington University. Her articles on weight, stress, and lifestyle have appeared in numerous publications. With Judith Wurtman, she founded the Adara Weight Loss Centers in the Boston, Miami and San Francisco Bay Area, where she lives.

They are the authors of The Serotonin Power Diet: Use Your Brain’s Natural Chemistry to Cut Cravings, Curb Emotional Overeating, and Lose Weight. Published by Rodale. January 2007; $24.95US/$31.00CAN; 1-59486-346-6.

For more information, please visit www.serotoninpowerdiet.com