Why you shouldn’t rule out white rice: “Shockingly, we tend to malign white rice. But it’s a staple food of Southeast Asia, and out of the 50 top places around the world with the highest health adjusted life expectancy, Southeast Asia has the top 15 spots. And what are they eating at every meal? A big scoop of white rice. This carbophobia is just misguided.”
Breakfast pitfalls: “Most Americans get in trouble right away with breakfast, because it’s either bacon and eggs, which are full of saturated fats, or it’s cereal, and almost all cereals have added sugar or are simple carbohydrates which metabolize almost instantly into sugar. In Blue Zones, they almost always start with a savory breakfast. When I’m home, I start every day with a Sardinian minestrone. It’s a great way to start the day.”
Why fruits and vegetables aren’t always the answer: “The big mistake we make in inner cities is thinking we need to get more fruits and vegetables. That’s wrong. They’re not shelf stable, and they’re expensive. But most importantly, people don’t know what to do with them. But you go in with a recipe with beans and rice or beans and corn tortillas and they know exactly what to do. So my cookbook is mostly these Blue Zone fundamental ingredients.”
The perfect pairing of beans and rice: “When you put them together, you get a whole protein that is every bit of sustaining as eating a burger or a steak. I could probably go with you to Aldi’s and for less than $2 a serving, I can get you a dish that nine out of 10 of your friends would love, and it provides 97 percent of all the nutrients you need. But should you be eating some greens every once while? Yes, absolutely.”
One of his favorite local restaurants: “I’m a big fan of Nixta, that’s more of a special night out. I think it’s the most amazing food in Minnesota right now, or anywhere. They are explosively creative and use most of the traditional Blue Zone foods. It’s also a brilliant riff on a consummately traditional Meso-American diet.”
Why Minnesota will always be home: “I’m very tethered to this place. [His home base is Miami.] You know, I talked to [former] state demographer Tom Gillaspy. He told me that Minnesota has the highest proportion of people who are born here who also die here than any other state in the country. This is a place where you may go away to Los Angeles or New York at the peak of your career, but you always come back.”
Dining and Cooking