A couple of weeks ago, I posed a question to readers of The Washington Post’s Eat Voraciously newsletter: How do you feel about seeing the nutritional information under each recipe? I asked because, as someone who continues to heal from an eating disorder, I find both providing and consuming nutritional information with recipes to be very challenging. I wish it wasn’t there, or at least required a consenting click-through to get to. (More on that later.
) But I know my opinions and feelings are just that: mine. I was curious to hear from readers. And wow, did they respond! We received more than 300 emails from newsletter readers, and I estimate that I got at least 100 direct messages on Instagram.
The responses were not only robust, but they were also thoughtful and diverse. Thank you to those who took the time to write in. First, let me assure you that The Post has no plans to remove nutritional information on its recipes.
I asked the question because I am interested in your feelings. (After all, I’m married to a therapist.) Your feedback fell into three buckets: pro, anti and neutral.
I’ll start with the neutral folks, because their answers were most amusing. “I didn’t even know it was there!” said several readers. “What nutritional info?” asked one person.
For those who like having nutritional information on recipes: Many readers use the information to make informed decisions about what they’re cooking and eating. In fact, some folks said if the recipes didn’t include the nutritional information, they would not cook them since they wouldn’t have all of the details they require to cook a dish. I heard from people living with or caring for individuals with a wide range of chronic illnesses, such as Type 1 diabetes, gallbladder disease, kidney disease, Prader-Willi syndrome, hypertension and others, who require knowing exact quantities of carbohydrates, fat, sodium and more to help manage their treatment, including medication dosages.
“It’s critical for our family,” one reader told me. Some are seeking to lose weight, which makes me want to get on my soapbox about the perils of diet culture, the racist origins of fatphobia and the beauty of body diversity, because just as you want all the nutritional information available, I also want you to have all of the cultural and sociological information available. But I truly believe in all of us having agency over our own bodies, so if intentional weight loss is your desire, I respect your decision.
For various reasons, some of you are very attached to knowing how many grams of protein are in any given serving. As a competitive powerlifter, I can empathize, but I also worry that we can get a bit too obsessed with protein. Some of you would like more information, such as daily percentages and additional details about serving sizes in more recognizable units of measurement, as well as further data about things such as potassium.
For those who would rather not see nutritional information on recipes: Some people simply don’t trust it. Many pointed out the discrepancies between brands and sizes of ingredients, such as the amount of sodium in soy sauces. Others feel as if the numbers aren’t helpful because our appetites vary and serving sizes are often minuscule.
“I’d rather listen to my body and try to honour its needs holistically than subscribe to a serving size I know won’t serve me,” one person wrote. A lot of readers, like me, find the mental health toll of seeing the information too much to bear. “It haunts me,” one person wrote.
“It robs my joy,” said another. So many people shared vulnerable details of how they view their own bodies and how seeing nutritional information can trigger an onslaught of negative feelings and can affect choices and behaviours. Some readers feel as if it inspires flashbacks to tracking and counting consumption, which furthered the distance between themselves and their intuitive relationship with their bodies.
(I know this is true for me.) For others, it brings up shame and guilt. One person said, “It feels like the equivalent of a big scary warning label on a pack of cigarettes, except it’s .
.. food and we have to eat it.
” Some of the most insightful responses I received were from registered dietitians who shared that, although they can see the value that the numbers provide, they regularly witness the fraught feelings that the information triggers for their patients, which can derail their work toward having a neutral – let alone positive – relationship with food. “There’s a general misunderstanding of how to use the information, courtesy of diet culture and misguided health initiatives,” one dietitian told me. Several readers suggested proactive, practical ideas that could allow the nutritional information to remain without it being front-and-center, such as placing it in a drop-down menu, so those of us who would prefer not to see it would not be required to.
I thought that was a simple, compassionate response. Ultimately, I don’t think there’s a definitive right or wrong here. I think there’s information and our reactions to it.
Hearing from readers, and feeling heard, makes me feel more connected, and for that I am very grateful. And, as this is a recipe column, I’m also grateful for a simple, nourishing home-cooked meal on a hot summer evening. Today’s is a seasonally appropriate sandwich featuring a lemony ricotta spread on warm pitas that are stuffed with grilled eggplant and peppers.
You can use other grilled vegetables if you’d like, such as summer squash, onions or mushrooms. Make dinner outside! It’s summer, after all. Serve with chips and watermelon, or whatever other no-cook side dishes you most enjoy.
And peruse the nutritional information. Or don’t. That’s always up to you.
Pita Sandwiches With Grilled Peppers, Eggplant and Ricotta Active time: 35 minutes. Total time: 45 minutes Serves 4 (makes 4 sandwiches) These summery sandwiches feature lemony ricotta spread on warm pitas that are then stuffed with grilled eggplant and peppers. You can use other grilled vegetables if you’d like, such as summer squash, onions or mushrooms.
Storage: Refrigerate leftover vegetables for up to 4 days. INGREDIENTS 1 cup (8 ounces) whole-milk ricotta cheese 1 garlic clove, minced or finely grated 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon fine salt, plus more as needed 1 lemon, plus lemon wedges for serving 1 large eggplant (about 1 pound), trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices 2 bell peppers (any colour), stemmed, seeded and sliced Extra-virgin olive oil Four (8-inch) pitas Fresh flat-leaf parsley, for serving DIRECTIONS In a small bowl, stir together the ricotta, garlic, oregano and salt until well combined. Using a rasp-style grater, such as a Microplane, finely zest the lemon into the ricotta mixture, and stir to combine.
Reserve the zested lemon. Prepare the grill for direct heat. If using a gas grill, set it to 450 degrees.
If using a charcoal grill, fill a chimney starter with charcoal, light it, and when the coals are white-gray with ash, pour them onto the charcoal grate, adding more charcoal, if necessary. Put the lid on the grill, making sure the vents are open all the way. When all of the coals are gray and hot, about 15 minutes, your grill should be medium-hot.
(Use a grill thermometer, or test the heat by holding your hand, palm-down, about 4 inches from the grate, making sure that nothing flammable, such as clothing, is near the heat. If you can hold it there for about 4 seconds, the heat should be at medium, or about 450 degrees. Pull your hand away from the heat before it gets painful.
) Make sure the cooking grates are clean. While the grill is preheating, arrange the eggplant and bell peppers on a large sheet pan. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt.
Use your hands to toss the vegetables until evenly coated. Grill the vegetables directly on the grates (or in a grill basket, if you prefer), turning occasionally, until charred and softened, about 3 minutes per side. Return them to the sheet pan, then halve the zested lemon and squeeze its juice over the vegetables.
Warm the pitas on the grill, then cut each pita in half to form pockets, and divide the ricotta mixture and the vegetables among them. Serve immediately, with more lemon for squeezing over, and parsley. Substitutions: For ricotta, use cottage cheese or goat cheese.
Don’t like eggplant? Try zucchini. For fresh bell peppers, you can substitute jarred roasted red peppers. For more protein, add a sliced hard-boiled egg to each sandwich, or a bit of shredded cooked chicken.
Gluten-free? Use gluten-free pitas or serve the vegetables and cheese over rice or another gluten-free grain. Vegan? Use dairy-free ricotta. Nutritional facts per sandwich | Calories: 388; Fat: 17 g; Saturated Fat: 5 g; Carbohydrates: 49 g; Sodium: 599 mg; Cholesterol: 28 mg; Protein: 12 g; Fiber: 6 g; Sugar: 7 g This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation.
It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice. From cookbook author Julia Turshen..
