Them's the Rules: Balanced Meals for Optimal Digestion (and Pesto + Kale Picadillo)

Thanks to my Mom (The Greatest), I learned a couple of years ago that - for many (not all) of us - how we combine our foods can either help our hamper our digestion. Thanks to my mom's discovery of the very informative Sherry Brescia, I learned that I'm one of those that needs to pair foods in select combinations to work with my body's natural digestive process. In other words: I can only eat - say, a protein with greens, but not with bread or pasta. The wrong food combination can be very difficult for my body to digest, leaving me feeling pretty sick - and too much acidity accumulated over time. 

At the expense of grossly oversimplifying Ms. Brescia's philosophy, here's how the guidelines of optimal food pairing loosely break down:

• Protein (beef, pork, poultry, fish) + non-starchy vegetables (think greens) = good
• Non-starchy veggie + starch (or grain) = good
• Starch (or grain) + protein = bad
• Greens, non-starchy vegetables work great with just about anything; safe food
• Dairy by itself = good
• Dairy + pretty much anything else = bad
• Fruit + 0 = good
• Fruit + pretty much anything else = bad

If you're realizing that these equations add up to my inability to eat a hamburger with a bread bun, a grilled cheese sandwich or a slice of pizza with cheese seductively and brazenly oozing over the edges, you'd be correct. But sticking to these guidelines most of the time has made a world of a difference in my digestion and how I feel. So them's the rules I cook and eat by, most of the time. And on that rare occasion I eat a slice of pizza? No big deal. It's all about maintaining a heavier balance of discipline over indulgence.

So, in the spirit of properly balanced meals, here's a favorite recipe that I cooked for a friend last night. I'll call it pesto + kale picadillo - Cuban-style ground beef, but simmered in basil pesto (instead of the traditional tomato, garlic, red pepper + herbed sauce). A couple of notes on why this particular dish is optimized for digestion: the white rice as the bed for the picadillo is absent, and the parmesan for the basil pesto. Instead, lets elevate the mighty kale leaf as our non-starchy green; it's one of the most nutritious around (see below). According to WebMD:

• One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of the minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.
• Kale’s health benefits are primarily linked to the high concentration and excellent source of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K -- and sulphur-containing phytonutrients.

But I digress. Onto this crazy easy protein + non-starchy green recipe:

• Buy: 1/2 lb - 1 lb of ground beef for two people, depending on if you want left-overs for the next day. I chose 85% lean beef, grass-fed and locally raised beef from Jersey - but I saw Food Inc. (and read too many investigative pieces) and am very selective about my food choices based on their source. You decide what's right for you. 
• Also, a large bunch of organic kale, and basil pesto
• For the pesto, you can either make your own (without cheese), or try Meditalia's if you're in a hurry (like I was last night). I like Meditalia's because it's dairy free and non-GMO. If you read the above combinations, you'll remember that I can't combine dairy with most anything else - and I think pesto is equally delicious without the cheese, anyways. Good olive oil, basil and salt? I'm happy.
• Prep: Wash the kale and cut up the leaves by hand, leaving the steam aside. I'd aim to fill a medium bowl with the chopped kale - it will shrink rapidly when cooked.
• Cook: Add the ground beef to a good skillet (I swear by WearEver Pure Living) at medium heat, using a wooden spoon to break down the ground beef into small pieces. You want your beef pieces to look like the size you'd expect in a bowl of chili. Cook until it's pretty well done - I like to see the edges lightly brown. After about 10 minutes, add the kale. Stir it in so that beef covers the pesto. Cook for about 1 minute or two, until the kale shrinks from its original size and crispy texture.
• Dress it up: Add about 3 tablespoons of basil pesto if you're cooking 1 lb of meat. Allow sauce to cook along with the beef and kale at very low heat, stirring the mixture together for about 2 minutes. You're not looking for a soupy consistency here - you want just enough sauce to flavor the beef, not drown it.
• Eat and enjoy: My friend Seth, a beef lover, enjoyed this thoroughly, and wants to repeat himself. I consider this a compliment.

P.S. If you suspect you have any digestive 'issues' - I highly recommend checking out Sherry Brescia's approach. It's rooted in research and extremely easy to follow - no gimmicks, no deprivation, no shakes or juices - just some smart guidelines to work with your body's digestion using REAL, whole and natural foods (ALL of them). That said, as a marketer that believes in the critical importance of creating a strong product/experience first - and a strong brand identity/design immediately thereafter (or in parallel), I wish I could get my hands on Ms. Brescia's brand identity and site design. I beg you to overlook the brochure-wear site structure and non-existing UX - and instead focus on the content. It's dead on.

- P