Assja’s Green Space
Assja Baumgärtner contributes a regular column on whatever green ideas have tickled her fancy during the month.
Lent – and healthy eating
All cultures, regardless of their religious background, set aside a time of fasting and contemplation in their yearly cycle. In Europe with its Christian background it has been the time of Lent, though the same practices were well established before Christendom spread across Europe. The cynical may point out that the chosen period, at winter’s end, is a time when many foods were hard to come by, but there seems no harm in using a difficult period as a time for spiritual refreshment.
Lent is now generally seen as a time to give up something we usually depend on or love dearly. Groups of students in several parts of Britain have sworn, for instance, to observe the 6 weeks of Lent by abstaining from the use of Facebook or their ipods or gaming consoles.
I decided to be very traditional about it and go for 45 days of not eating meat. Since I am not a vegetarian, it seemed quite daunting, but I wanted to see whether it was possible to get through a month and a half of meatless days without having to endure salivating dreams about steaks and lamb chops. And, too, without an insurrection from the males in the family, a very carnivorous teenager and a hardly less meat-dependent husband.
The amazing thing is that there was not the slightest sign of a palace revolution. On the contrary, the family has discovered dishes they like and want again and again. And I certainly have surprised myself by becoming more and more adventurous in experimenting with the cooking ingredients available. And it really is fun. Don’t get me wrong! I’m not spending exorbitant amounts of time in the kitchen trying to invent new dishes. It’s just that after the first five days I have finally overcome the weird idea that I have to replace meat by something that looks or tastes similar. And voilà, dishes like smoked mackerel paella, bean chilli fajitas, potato and apple curry, cabbage leaves stuffed with brown sultana rice on a herby tomato sauce or broccoli and cheese soufflé topped with roasted almonds are visualising before my inner eye and get served a bit later.
But the most amazing thing about the whole Cooking-for-Lent was my check up at the doctor’s this week. For more than a few years I seemed to have some problems with my digestive system and we were wondering whether there were any food intolerances. So I went to my regular check-up, ready for the proceedings of measuring blood pressure, pulse, the usual. Then my doctor asked: “How’s the stomach pain?” And I realised that for at least a week I hadn’t had any pain at all. The next question followed naturally – what had I done that was different? I almost said “nothing” before it occurred to me that I was actually on a different diet altogether. One with far more seasonal vegetables, lots of fruits and salad – and no meat or poultry. A diet rich in fibres, seeds, nuts and vitamins. All else apart, it’s made me feel much more energetic. So – maybe this whole idea of Lent and its predecessors is was not only a religious affair or the result of some foods not being available. It could also have begun as a deliberate cleansing of the body and spirit. Eating no pork in the Jewish and Muslim faiths is a religious requirement but it might well have been because wise men of that time recognised the connection between pork and trichinosis.
However, my butcher need not fear that I will become a complete vegetarian. Although I haven’t had any desperate cravings for mince and sausage, I am still looking forward to roast lamb for Easter. With lots of lovely veggies and a big salad, of course. But I think the idea of having meat every day may have gone for ever.
