Choose Health (Recipe)

The holidays may seem to be fraught with opportunities for failure when it comes to healthy eating, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Whether temptation comes in the form of a party, a family get-together, or a box of chocolates given with the sweetest of intentions (pun intended), we always have the opportunity to choose what’s best for our health at that moment. Better still, deciding beforehand to stick to your Kaufmann 1 food plan no matter what (rather than putting it off until after the new year) can assure you don’t lose ground on the progress you’ve made toward better health.

Especially if you’ve been on the diet for a while and are seeing an improvement in your health and experiencing fewer negative symptoms, you’ll want to have a plan that can help you to stick to what’s already working. Sometimes, visualizing what’s going on in your body can be helpful. Imagine those pesky (at best) and dangerous (at worst) fungal organisms, struggling to survive. You’ve withheld their food source and managed to reduce their numbers. You’re feeling good! Then someone surprises you with a gift of some homemade goodie that you know for certain would taste delicious. Stop. Think about it. Think about the battle you’ve been waging for better health. You have a choice. Do you want to give sustenance to “the enemy”? You know for sure that their numbers will multiply quickly when given sugar, grains, alcohol, etc. Depending on where you are in your recovery, it’s possible for a slip in judgement to set you back to the beginning of your battle. Is it really worth it?

Every time you say no to those foods that feed fungus, you’re making a choice to improve your health. You’ll wake up the next day feeling proud of your resolve. In the world of runners, it’s said that no one ever regrets a run they took, only those they skipped. The same could be said of the choices we make with regard to food; we’ll never regret having made the choice for better health. 

And if you’re worried about feeling deprived, don’t be! Here’s a recipe that is party-worthy, delicious and will keep you on the path to improved health, right through the holidays and into the new year.

Herbed Beef Tenderloin

Wrapping the filet of beef tenderloin in the herbs of your choice and roasting it at a low temperature produces incredibly tender and flavorful meat. 

A whole beef tenderloin, preferably grass-fed, approximately 5 pounds, trimmed of excess fat and tied 

Herbs of your choice (thyme, rosemary, tarragon are all good)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 275°. 

Dry the filet thoroughly with paper towels.  Fold the narrow end of the tenderloin back on itself just far enough to make the tenderloin uniform in dimension. (Alternatively, if you want to have some of the meat well-done, skip this step.) Using kitchen twine, tie the entire filet every 2 or 3 inches tightly with twine. Brush the meat with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Stuff herbs of your choice under the twine. 

Place the filet on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, or to a temperature of 125° for rare to 135° for medium rare. 

Tent the meat with foil and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.