June 1, 2023. Around the World in 80 Ways, eating very, very well all the Way. 80 recipes based on traditional healthy cuisines from around the globe. From places and times that never heard of diabetes, overweight/obesity and cardiovascular disease epidemics. These very different places had very different diets. But all these diets have two things in common: no highly processed foods and very low daily glycemic loads.
Centuries of trial-and-error produced tasty traditional dishes that kept people alive and healthy. But, uh, pie? Yes! Sure, you’ve got a pie crust that’s made from flour, an ingredient with a relatively high Glycemic Index. But the other ingredient is butter – with its GI of zero. Make it like I do – with no added sugar – and you’ve already got a Glycemic Load that’s not bad. Make a tart – with just a bottom crust and no top – and you cut it in half.
And now you’ve got the best parts: fresh fruit. The natural sweetness of baked strawberries and rhubarb means plenty of sweetness without adding refined sugar of any kind. The natural sugars are packaged with natural fiber in whole fruit, so this is low GL sweetness. And the natural bright tartness of these fruits comes from their acidity, which slows down digestion and thereby reduces or eliminates any sugar spike you might get from the carbohydrates in the crust.
So make your own like this. The old-fashion Way. No additives.
Until I learned to make my own pie crust a few years ago, I really wasn’t a pie guy. Except for strawberry-rhubarb pie. I’ve always been a total sucker for this. It’s what May and June should taste like. And making your own is as easy as apple pie.
The World’s Greatest Hits
No deprivation diet here. Just a focus on better, low glycemic calories. Because all calories are not created equal. No weird food. Just the most loved meals around. The tasty, satisfying stuff. Bon voyage. Bon appétit.
The goal: a full-day Glycemic Load of less than 80.
Cost-Benefit Analysis
70 cents per slice. For a light, intensely flavorful but not too sweet dessert. Pretty terrific for breakfast, too.
Cost Comparison
Less than $6 for the complete tart that could serve 12. When you taste it, you’ll think 8 is more realistic. A masterpiece you can make with less than 20 minutes of your time. At the excellent chain restaurant, Le Pain Quotidien, it’s $4.95 for a dainty individual serving of fruit tart. Seven times more expensive than your own even Better version. Better is Cheaper.
Let’s Do The Math
If you can keep your serving size down to one slice, a brisk 40-minute walk will burn all of its 200 calories.
Not too much sugar
Each delicious slice of this sweet-enough dessert delivers just 12 calories from sugar. The American Heart Association’s journal, Circulation published a study showing 20% increased risk of heart disease for men aged 40 – 75 who drink one 12-ounce can of sugar-sweetened soda daily. That’s 100 calories from sugar.
