 Susan Westmoreland is the Food Director of Good Housekeeping. A trained chef who studied at cooking schools abroad and in the U.S., she learned to love cooking in her mother's Italian kitchen. At Good Housekeeping she carefully supervises the development of each recipe, testing each one at least three times, and sometimes more, until the results are perfect. Susan lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son.
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Birthday: August 17
Q: What's your favorite healthy meal to prepare?
I make the Moroccan Style chicken a lot. It's delicious, dieting or not, and a good change from the ubiquitous chicken breast main-dishes that scream diet food.
Q: Is there anything about yourself that you've changed your mind about in the last 20 years (can be specifically related to health, fitness, cooking healthy)?
I'm a pretty active person but for a long time dreaded formal exercise...so I did not exercise. A couple of years ago I started to work with a trainer to literally learn how to exercise right. I still hate classes because I'm self-conscious about being out of synch, but these days as well as my speed walks, I do weight training and some aerobic exercise....and it really has helped me to feel better and sleep better.
Q: If you could eat one forbidden food whenever you wanted without gaining weight, what would it be?
Cheese, from scooping runny Epoisses to hacking off chunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Oh and all those blues...
Q: What dessert do you dream about?
My husband teases me that I love what he calls "Earth Mother Desserts". I certainly swoon for chocolate, but a perfect apple crisp or sauteed fresh figs and walnuts over ice cream make me think that the earth is a pretty wonderful place.
Q: If there were one healthy food item (something you love) that you had to eat every day, what would it be?
Spinach- I love it raw, I love it sauteed with garlic and hot pepper. As a kid, my grandmother, who was one of the best cooks I've ever met, made me sauteed spinach sandwiches on crusty Italian bread. I make them sometimes on Saturdays for lunch-- heaven!
Q: What do you think is the most important thing that makes or breaks a diet for someone?
Feeling deprived. Some diet plans seem so Spartan that it's almost and invitation to cheat. I think really satisfying food in moderate portions, stuff that you'd be happy eating anytime is the way to go-- that's what we've tried to do in the book.
Q: Do you have a Calorie Bargain? (Calorie Bargains are great-tasting foods that are lower in calories than those you typically eat and that you can substitute for higher-calorie foods.
I confess i don't like most bottled dressings, which is a blessing I suppose. If I'm eating a salad for lunch I'll typically splash it with seasoned rice vinegar and no oil, or a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It's really flavorful and I'm not getting all the fat and sugar of the bottled stuff.
Q: What is it about the Supermarket Diet that differentiates it from other diets?
It is real food that you'd be happy eating, cooking for friends or family. There isn't a gimmick of "no carbs" or "high protein", It's pretty well-rounded, not the sexiest hook, I realize but friends who've used it (and lost weight!) say they don't really feel like they're dieting.
Q: What do you think are the main reasons why people don't cook at home?
At this point, everybody I know is pressed for time. Many people aren't as comfortable in the kitchen because they're not spend time there and since they're not as familiar with cooking basics, dinner can become a daunting task. When we created the Supermarket Diet, we worked at keeping prep fast and simple, as well as delicious.
Q: Do you have any quick tips or suggestions to make it simpler for people to cook at home?
Shop for a few dinners worth of groceries so that you don't have to shop AND cook on weeknights. I know it sounds basic but read the recipe through and get out your ingredients before you start cooking. And relax, it's only dinner.
Q: What are your top 4 essential cooking tools or gadgets to facilitate healthy cooking?
A deep nonstick 12-inch skillet is my kitchen pick for the most versatile and helpful tool. You can do everything from frittatas to stews for 4 in it. A microplane grater. My son teases me because I'm always raving about this tool. It is such an easy way to grate lemon, orange and lime peel, Parmigiano, and fresh ginger-- All of which add great flavor without lots of fat. Silicone spatulas- I have them in a few colors some for baking and some for stir-frying with garlic and spices. A grill pan- I love the flavor that grilling imparts to everything from chicken to eggplant. I use my gas grill a lot but the grill pan makes an easy cold weather substitute. Cooking times are about the same.
Q: What’s the Supermarket Diet Cookbook?
Weight loss begins in the supermarket. This diet teaches you: bring home the right ingredients, and you can make slimming meals. You don’t have to run around to health food or specialty stores. The ingredients are in your local grocery. And those meals don’t have to take you all night. Most can be made in about 20 – 30 minutes. This isn’t “diet food”. It’s regular, tasty, familiar food that the entire family will love.
Q: In the book, you say that there’s an ideal type of meal for weight loss. What are the magic components of a slimming meal?
All your meals should have carbs, protein and fat. It’s the mix of the three that keeps you feeling full and satisfied until the next meal. Miss one of these three, and you’ll be looking around for food hours before you need to.
For instance, you think you’re being “good” by having just a salad with fat-free dressing for lunch. Wrong! That’s an all-carb (vegetables are a carb) meal. You’ll be starving in 30 minutes. But add some chicken and real salad dressing to the meal, and you’ll be fine for hours.
Q: Give me an example of a meal that balances the three (carbs, protein and fat)
In very general terms, here’s what your plate should look like. About half the plate should be vegetables (or, at breakfast, fruit). About a quarter should be whole grains, like bread or whole wheat pasta. The other quarter protein, like fish or chicken. On top of all that should be about 2 tablespoons of healthy fat.
An example: We’ve got a Grilled Steak Caesar Salad. It’s based on vegetables: lots of Romaine. It’s got the whole grain (whole wheat croutons). And, of course the lean steak strips are the protein. The Caesar dressing is the fat. And it’s really good!
Q: The Supermarket Diet Cookbook recommends stocking your pantry. What should we be keeping in our cupboards?
Stock your pantry with slimming basics and you won’t have to keep ordering pizza or bringing home fast food night after night. Just a few key items will let you make some of the recipes in The Supermarket Diet Cookbook, or, get close enough. The book provides the complete list, here’s my very short list of absolute musts:
Healthy Carbs: bread, some sort of whole grain (whole wheat cous cous, pasta, or brown rice), at least one fruit (oranges are in season now) at least one vegetable (carrots last a long time in the fridge, or frozen vegetables are very nutritious)
Healthy Protein: eggs (preferably omega-3-enriched), canned tuna, skinless chicken (in the freezer), non-fat milk
Healthy Fat: olive oil, some sort of nuts, peanut butter.
Excerpt from The Supermarket Diet Cookbook:Good Choices at the Chains.
Click here to purchase The Supermarket Diet Cookbook.
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