Eating more fat (and protein)

Home over winter break, my parents picking up the tab, I found myself eating more protein. Instead of ordering soup out (usually the cheapest item on the menu), I'd order a salad with chicken or a fish sandwich. At home, we had protein every night: lots of fish, tofu, turkey, and bacon, duck, and lamb for the holidays. I felt more full at the end of each meal, and then noticed that I was snacking less throughout the day. My net intake seemed to be about the same.

As a med student, it's easy to develop a fear of fat, both in your food and on your body. (See Mulling on lipids from last April.) When I described my typical school diet to my mother, a family doc, she noted that it's strikingly low in fat--leaving me at risk for staying hungry throughout the day and eating more overall.* That rang true.

Since returning to school, I've made it my goal to eat more protein and to finish each meal feeling satisfied. It helps that my dad sent me back with two beautiful pieces of fish--tuna and swordfish steaks--which I cut into small pieces (about 3 oz) and served on top of noodle soup or with an Italian pasta dish. The nice thing about high fat fish? You can eat a small piece and feel full. The additional protein does not have to dominate.

Instead of a purely vegetarian split pea soup, this week I made split-pea soup seasoned with chicken sausages. Absolutely the easiest recipe I know. This comes from my dad but it is also the recipe on the Goya bag (sorry, dad!).

Split pea soup with sausage:

• 1-1.5 cups dried split peas
• 1 onion, sliced in half or chopped
• 1 carrot, sliced in half or chopped into large chunks (optional--makes the soup slightly sweeter)
• 1 chicken sausage, in large pieces
• tablespoon olive oil

On high heat, saute all of the ingredients in the olive oil. Add several inches of water and boil until the split peas are soft, adding more water as needed. Season with salt and pepper.

Food for tonight and the week: swordfish, tomato 

sauce, pasta pot, split pea soup with chicken sausage.

(*In terms of weight loss, low fat diets are no more effective than other diets, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. In terms of heart disease, low fat diets are more effective at lowering total and LDL cholesterol, while low-carb diets are more effective at lowering triglycerides and raising HDL cholesterol--both are important strategies.)