Truth, Lies and Chocolate

May 13, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
1 Comment

Truth, Lies & ChocolateOver recent years we’ve seen a renewed interest in food and thankfully a lot of people are heading back into the kitchen but are we cooking healthier food?

Julie Meek spent five years as the Dietitian to the Fremantle Dockers Football Club, has worked with the Perth Wildcats, and has helped thousands of ordinary people achieve personal success through eating well.

Julie has a degree in nutrition and health promotion and an Accredited Practising Dietitian. Her new book Truth, Lies & Chocolate explores 99 Facts and Fairytales about food. The book was a finalist in the foodie equivalent of the Oscars, the 2010 Le Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards.

Julie joined me on 98.5 Sonshine FM today during my morning programme to talk about the book and healthy eating habits. You can hear our conversation by clicking play on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

If you’re looking to get some simple answers to the complex questions about food, Julie has a wonderful way of helping others move forward on the journey to healthy eating.

Is chocolate good for us? Should we eat carbohydrates after 5:00 p.m.? Are orange wedges suitable for a mid game snack? What part does metabolism play in maintaining a healthy weight? Can eating too little prevent us from losing weight? These are just a few of the topics we touched on during our chat.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/MOR130510_1112.mp3]

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Half a Christmas

December 15, 2008
by Rodney Olsen
8 Comments

We’re half way through December and we’ve already had half a Christmas.

My side of the family won’t be able to get together on Christmas Day so we had our own Christmas lunch yesterday. We talked, we ate, we exchanged gifts. It was a great afternoon.

Splitting Christmas also means that we won’t have to dash between families on Christmas Day so we’ll be able to really enjoy the day without looking at watches wondering if it’s time to head to the next meal. And of course we won’t have to have two enormous meals on the one day.

What are your plans for the big day? A quiet one or rushing from place to place? How do you decide where you spend time on Christmas Day?

My Christmas wish is simply to be able to spend time with those I love and to be able to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Looks like wishes will come true this year.



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I've lost my touch

October 10, 2008
by Rodney Olsen
3 Comments

We had a wonderful time last night celebrating Pauline’s birthday.

We headed out to a smorgasbord restaurant and I found that I’ve lost my touch. It’s probably not a bad thing. In fact it’s quite a good thing.

Even though it was one of those all you can eat places, I’m finding that I just can’t eat all that I used to. I remember when smorgasbords meant piling up the plate and seeing how many times you could go back for more. I was quite the expert at ‘getting my money’s worth’.

I’ll admit that I had a larger dinner than I would on most nights but I was more than happy starting with a plate of cold food, then onto one hot and finishing off with sweets. None of the plates were piled up and I was happy to stop when I felt full.

I must say that it was so enjoyable to fill up on good food and still be able to leave the restaurant without feeling like I’d overdone it. I can still remember leaving restaurants after eating way too much and feeling decidedly seedy.

Maybe I’m getting old or just getting wiser.



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Hot Hot Hot

July 12, 2008
by Rodney Olsen
2 Comments

chilli.jpgHow hot is too hot?

I enjoy a good hot curry but I must admit that I’m always keen to ensure that my taste buds are likely to recover within a reasonable period of time.

News.com.au has published an article titled London restaurant’s Bollywood Burner ‘world’s hottest’ curry. It talks about a curry so hot that those who sample it are left feeling dizzy or light headed. Do you think they might be taking things a little too far?

A LONDON restaurant is serving up what it hopes will be confirmed as the world’s hottest curry, with even the chef admitting it is “too extreme” to keep on the menu.

Vivek Singh at The Cinnamon Club grabbed some of the hottest chilli peppers known to man to create the Bollywood Burner, a lamb-based dish with a fierce kick.

The curry is so hot that diners are asked to sign a disclaimer confirming they are aware of the risks involved before daring to eat it.

The great thing about many of the curries I’ve eaten in India is that while they may be quite hot, they manage to maintain the flavours. It’s not about creating something that will have you screaming for a fire extinguisher, it’s about blending the spices to create something that excites the taste buds.

After two visits to India I can only remember two curries that were too hot. Several of the locals had trouble with those ones too but I managed to eat them anyway.

How about you? Do you enjoy spicy food? How hot is too hot for you? Do you see hot curry as a challenge?

If a curry is really spicy I end up with hiccups. I can usually cure spice induced hiccups with a quick drink or two and I always make sure that I eat plenty of rice and chapatis with my curry to even out the effects of the chillis and spices.



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