Eat Fit NOLA chefs cooking up big changes in the Big Easy

The 2013 James Beard Foundation Awards Best Chef: South recipient said it best when he first heard of the idea, “Wow, New Orleans food, the one cuisine in America that is probably the most difficult to lighten up.” Executive Chef Tory McPhail, of the world-renowned Commander’s Palace restaurant, had to think hard about what he was being asked to do, but now he’s thrilled with the idea and is one of the program’s most vocal supporters.
What McPhail was asked to do is participate in a healthy dining program called Eat Fit NOLA, a free program for restaurants that is taking off in a city that is internationally known for its amply seasoned, indigenous Cajun and Creole cuisine. The concept behind Eat Fit NOLA is to offer diners healthy menu choices that don’t deviate far from the restaurant’s traditional selections.
On March 14-15, chefs supporting the Eat Fit NOLA concept will gather in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and prepare Eat Fit NOLA dishes for those attending the 60th Annual New Orleans Home & Garden Show presented by the Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans. The chefs will cook and serve succulent dishes from a custom-made, fully-furnished outdoor kitchen that will be set up in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the location of the Home & Garden Show.
Eat Fit NOLA is the brainchild of Molly Kimball, a registered dietitian with Ochsner Health System. For the program, Kimball uses the American Heart Association’s upper limits for sodium and saturated fat, and then takes it even further. Eat Fit NOLA dishes can have no white carbs and less than a teaspoon of added sugar.
When it comes to calories, main dishes or entrée salads must have less than 600 calories; appetizers, soups, side salads or desserts must have less than 300 calories.
As Kimball explains, “I work with chefs to identify recipes that can meet these guidelines or be slightly altered to meet the guidelines. Once finalized, an Ochsner-approved seal identifies it as an Eat Fit NOLA dish on the menu. This makes it extremely easy for diners to pick healthier choices even when eating at some of New Orleans’ most historic restaurants.”
For some chefs, embracing Eat Fit NOLA is not only a professional change, it’s a personal one. Ben Thibodeaux, Chef de Cuisine at Tableau, a classic French Creole restaurant and part of the Dickie Brennan & Company restaurant group, was born and raised in Lafayette. Thibodeaux says everything he did growing up was centered on food, but that lifestyle caught up with him last year.
He said, “I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol. My doctor wanted to prescribe medication, but I asked for three months to make a change without medicine.” Thibodeaux says his doctor reluctantly agreed, but he had a plan; he incorporated the Eat Fit NOLA philosophy into his daily routine. Three months later, he had lost 11 pounds and reversed both the high blood pressure and the high cholesterol. Today he’s 38 pounds lighter and a huge proponent of Eat Fit NOLA.
“My biggest fear as a chef was how I was going to change traditional New Orleans recipes without damaging the integrity of the dish,” says Thibodeaux. The chef says he then reviewed all the items offered at Tableau and realized, “There were a lot of dishes that, once analyzed, didn’t need much changing. For instance, all I had to do is remove fried capers from Crabmeat Ravigote (a local jumbo lump crabmeat tossed in a lemon-green onion aioli, served on a chiffonade of iceberg lettuce) and there it was — a designated healthy dish.”
“There is a misconception that in order to eat healthy, you have to limit your menu choices to lettuce and steamed vegetables, and that’s simply not true,” comments Kimball. As she explains, “Seafood, steaks, lean pork, and even some traditional New Orleans dishes can be made healthier with some minor adjustments.”
McPhail will attest to that as even he realized after reviewing a number of Commander’s recipes, “It’s not as hard as I thought it would be. I can manipulate flavors with fresh local ingredients like fresh citrus, herbs, green vegetables and toasted spices. I combine that with time-test cooking techniques to produce lighter dishes in the framework of what is Creole food.”
Eat Fit NOLA continues to gain steam throughout the city with 50 restaurants on board and more working to get involved. As Kimball humorously notes, “There’s a familiar saying in New Orleans that ‘we don’t eat to live, we live to eat.’ Through Eat Fit NOLA, we can emphasize healthier choices, which makes it easier on diners. They also realize they can still enjoy a great meal, eat something that is traditionally New Orleans and not feel deprived.”