The 'Model Cook,' Daniel Green's other moniker, cleverly underscores his good looks and healthy cooking in just two words. But the cook book author and culinary judge for US Food Network's 'Kitchen Inferno' hadn't always been healthy—in fact, clean eating is what helped him lose 65 pounds 30 years ago.
Recently in town as a guest of St Regis Kuala Lumpur, Green was commissioned to craft guilt-free menus for the new Iridium Spa Suite Retreats. "Teaming up with the St Regis is easy, especially when you have access to the best ingredients from all over the world," said Green. But what if one lacks such liberties?
Parading several sticky situations before Green, we asked him to propose the best means of steering clear of empty calories:
It’s your daughter/son’s birthday bash. Mum has dimmed the lights and brought out a magnificent cake covered with white frosting. ‘Happy Birthday’ is sung, candles are blown out, and the cake is cut. Plates are passed around, and an especially large piece of cake is handed directly to you. What do you say?
I would start offering the slice to the other guests. “No, you have it! No, you have it!” Or I might just have the whole slice. Sometimes there’s nothing you can do, so you might as well profit and enjoy it to the fullest! You’re going to have the day off or a meal off at some point, so I’d use this instance and be good again tomorrow. That’s how I’d realistically do it.
It’s your mate’s stag do and everyone has broken out the bottles of whiskey, rum, vodka, and tequila, as well as sugary mixers like sodas and juice. What do you mix?
Shots! Or whiskey straight. Also, because I don’t have much sugars in my food, I definitely enjoy my wine. Again, it’s about moderation.
See also: Here's the bitter truth about our most popular sweetener