Mediterranean Grilled Vegetables

If it grows from the ground, you should probably be able to eat it without worrying too much. At least that’s what I’ve always believed. And now (hallelujah!) Weight Watchers agrees with me! Cue the angel chorus…

In a move that has generated a ton of buzz in the healthy eating community, Weight Watchers has modified their incredibly popular Points program to make fruit a “zero Point” food. As background, (most) vegetables have been “zero Point” since the Points program was introduced in 1997; this encourages Points-counting Weight Watchers devotees to eat lots and lots of vegetables, which helps them fill up with low-calorie, nutrient-dense food. Unlike vegetables, fruit has always been assigned Points based on WW’s proprietary calorie-fiber-fat based algorithm. A banana, for example, was 2 Points. No longer.

So why the change? Well, under the old system, that banana had the same Points value as two Oreos, which finally started to trouble the powers-that-be at Weight Watchers. They’d always ascribed to the belief that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. And of course on some level, that’s true. But the nutrient value is so radically different between a banana and an Oreo that it no longer felt quite right to equalize them for their members.

So under the new Points-Plus system, members can eat as MANY fruits and as MANY vegetables as they choose. Anytime, anywhere. This is brilliant. All the data suggests that our nation is radically undereating vegetables and fruits in favor of processed foods. Beyond that, diets like Atkins which recommend high-protein, low-carb eating have demonized higher-sugar fruits like pineapple or vegetables like carrots to the point where people are afraid to eat them! Unless you’re battling diabetes, that’s simply throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Vegetables and fruits are low-calorie, nutrient-dense, and full of fiber. All of us should be striving to get as many servings a day as we can, seeking variety seasonally

In the words of a compelling voice of reason (that of author, Michael Pollan, in his book Food Rules):

Eat (real) food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

Amen and hallelujah.

Spring has sprung here…or so it seems. We’ve had a gorgeous preview of spring this week with temperatures in the 60s and streets filled with children in short sleeves playing with abandon in the sunshine. That first breath of spring air always changes my palate in an instant. I am passionate about cooking seasonally, and days like we’ve had this week make me start to crave lighter, greener foods. I want to fire up the grill (without having to brush the snow off of it first!) and smell the char of a steak or the smoky edge of shrimp. I want to steam asparagus and toss salads of mixed greens with lemony vinaigrettes. Gone is my desire to spend the day near the stove stirring warm, comforting foods…the soups and stews that have satisfied and nourished our family through the cold and snowy days of winter here in the Midwest. Changing the foods on the table is like throwing off the comforter and quilts of winter to reveal crisp white sheets and light coverlets of spring. Aaaaah.

Tonight we’re having Mediterranean Grilled Vegetables on whole wheat flatbread. I’ll grill red, yellow and green peppers, a sweet Vidalia onion, some baby zucchini, and a handful of cherry tomatoes tossed in olive oil till the edges are charred and the pieces are crisp tender. I’ll grill the flatbread just until it’s warm and spread it with hummus and top it with the grilled vegetables, a sprinkle of goat cheese, and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic reduction. And we’ll have that green salad with shallot-lemon vinaigrette I’ve been craving all day. If I weren’t pregnant I’d open a bottle of bright, crisp Sauvignon Blanc and toast to the joy of our spring preview…as it is, I’ll make do with a bottle of Pellegrino and a twist of lime. 😉

I’m afraid we’ll be back to soups and stews for a few more weeks before spring is here for REAL but with a dinner like this to whet our appetite, I’ll spend those weeks poring through cookbooks for ideas to take advantage of the first spring harvests.

Tag Archives: Mediterranean Grilled Vegetables

Unlimited Fruit? Weight Watchers Weighs In…

A meal to welcome spring