No Wonder We Like Champagne!

Champagne has trace amounts of lithium. Who knew? According to Mireille Guiliano, that contributes to the feel-good vibe you get when sipping a glass of bubbly.

Guiliano is full of interesting food-related tidbits, I discovered last night in Mequon. As you know, I was torn between catching a talk about tea and coffee in Shorewood but in the end, the allure of obtaining a signed copy of French Women for All Seasons was too much.

In person, Guiliano was utterly charming, sprinkling her talk with selected passages from the new book, some of which I had read while waiting for the event to start. She jokingly admitted that her French compatriots were a little vexed with her for revealing so many of their stay-slim secrets: Avoid processed foods, think about what you eat, invest in quality ingredients, drink plenty of water, and get moving.

You’d think that would be pretty simple, but in our go-go world there’s often not a lot of thought that goes into food, or its preparation. Instead, we scarf down meals on the go, toss back biggie-sized cups of soda and venti-gigantico cups of coffee alongside super-sized burgers and fries while waiting for flights or driving home.

I’m guilty of my fair share of dashboard dining too, always twinging a bit at the thought of what I am (or am not) consuming. But Guiliano makes eating well sound so simple. Then again the French make tying a scarf look simple, and we all know French women are the only ones who wear scarves without looking like they tied a tablecloth around their neck!

Thankfully, she provides a wealth of suggested recipes for things like sea scallops with citrus fruit, pear apple compote with honey, buttersquash soup, cauliflower gratin, and (I can’t wait to try this!) – flourless chocolate cake.

She also advocates making your own yogurt, or at the very least checking the ingredients closely on store bought to ensure you aren’t getting more than milk and active cultures. Some brands include corn syrup and a host of other completely unnatural additives. Yuck!

Anyway, I was completely inspired to be more conscious of what I eat. And I suspect that after reading the book, I’ll be inspired in other areas of my life as well.

Merci, Mireille.

Comments

[Shalene Christenberry]

I had just finished off a yogurt before reading this and dug it right back out of the trash to find High Fructose Corn Syrup in the ingredients. And here I thought I was eating extremely healthy and wondering why it tasted so good. My favorite is Yoplait (light) White Chocolate Strawberry. Oh it is so good.

[Audra]

What??? No Yoplait either??? Note to gift-giving fam and friends: I want a Donvier yogurt maker for sure now! :-0

[Yulinka]

Yoplait really isn't very good yogurt. Corn syrup aside, it just tastes starchy and artificial.

Try Mountain High full-fat, plain yogurt. It's the best yogurt I've found so far, and it's delicious topped with a couple of tablespoon of jam. You can get it at Outpost and the Nehring Sendik's stores.