I'm on my way out of town to deal with yet more family business, oh joy. I get to fly to southern California for a whole 36 hours. That's way too much airport and plane time for too little sunshine for my liking, but duty calls, and all that. I wanted to get this out before I go.

So read on, and I hope you find it informative. Enlightening. Diverting. Or something like that.

And someone tell me I won't have to fly again soon...

Dana

Truth to tell, I didn't have a brilliant idea for an article this week, so I thought it might be useful to look at some of the recent research on low carbohydrate dieting. As I said last week, I don't care if my Way of Eating is fashionable, but some of you are facing friends and family who are sure that your "fad" diet is terribly bad for your health. Some facts to counter their scare tactics surely wouldn't come amiss.

From Metabolism, the current issue:

The study started with the statement that low carbohydrate diets have a beneficial effect on weight, triglycerides, and HDL ("good" cholesterol,) but "may" cause undesirable changes in LDL ("bad" cholesterol) in some people. Right here we have the outright acceptance by medical researchers that a low carbohydrate diet works for weight loss, and has beneficial affects on two notable risk factors - that's something right there.

Let's talk about pork.

It's hard to think of a more controversial meat than pork. On the one hand, it's beloved by many cultures. Ever since the Chinese domesticated the wild boar about 2900 BC, pork has been the most popular meat in Chinese cooking, and pork agriculture has spread around the world. The economics of pork argue strongly in its favor; just feed a pig your waste or let them forage in the woods, and you'll be able to use "everything but the squeal." The Irish dubbed the pig "The gentleman who pays the rent," and many pioneer families counted on a pig not only for protein, but for lard to use where we would use oil, butter, or (heaven forbid) hydrogenated shortening.

True to my word, I've been trying new recipes. Wouldn't you know it, this is when my Master Cook program decides to hiccup and swallow my new results! I'll reconstruct them; the new meatloaf I tried, in particular, was too good not to pass on. But in the meanwhile, here's one from The Every Calorie Counts Cookbook.

Picadillo

This is my version of a dish that's popular all over Latin America - think of it as South American Sloppy Joes.

1 1/2 pounds ground round
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 cup green pimiento stuffed olives, sliced
2 teaspoons capers, drained