Chef plugs healthy eating, Mediterranean style Published Feb. 8, 2010 By Steve Snyder Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Experts worry. Like other people, Americans are what they eat. Many neglect to follow healthy diets and slabs of fatty tissue threaten to engulf already bulging waistlines. Resulting health problems become endemic. Pious officials warn the unwary not to wallow in gratuitous displays of gastronomic masochism. But too often, they are ignored. We are losing the battle of the bulge. Dr. Robert Dell'Amore is a warrior in that battle. He's a chiropractor who has turned into a professional chef in his spare time. The doctor firmly believes that good food and healthy nutrition need not be polar opposites. His own organization, The Healthy Kitchen, Inc., is dedicated to that principle and he spends much time spreading the faith. Dr. Dell'Amore is an advocate f the Mediterranean iet. Accompanied by his ice President Elaine Medin, M.A., he explained life skills necessary to maintain healthy eating and cooking in a lecture and cooking demonstration Friday afternoon that captivated several dozen Soldiers and civilians at the Soldier and Family Assistance Center. The doctor's presentation was hosted by Natasha Freeman, director of the Soldier and Family Readiness Center and was part of Amada Espinoza's innovative International Spouses Club, which meets the last Friday of every month. The meeting roped in as many Soldiers as possible to "raise the bar for military families health," according to an advertising flyer. Ms. Espinoza, Relocation/Outreach program manager for the Warfighter and Family Readiness Center, said she heard from the doctor out of the blue. "He sent me an email and came here free of charge," she said. A native-born Peruvian who has worked at Dix's Army Community Services since 1981, Ms. Espinoza is also the guiding light behind International Spouses since forming it in 1993. Sampling exotic foods has always been a staple of the spouses and Espinoza joined others in the audience, enthusiastically digging in to the doctor's "Four Bean and Vegetable Saute" and "Multi-Bean Salada". Chef Dell'Amore said "he was thrilled to be here" and expressed his hope that he would be effective in changing eating habits. He aimed "to teach through the senses - sight, smell and touch." Instead of merely lecturing, Dr. Dell'Amore talked while he whipped up his salads which were eagerly gobbled up by the audience. The chef condemned butter, cream, sugar and the lust for saturated fats that corrupts the public's pallet with unhealthy additives. Dr. Dell'Amore said his training was done strictly at home as he experimented with recipes and ingredients to develop tasty and nutritional dishes. He said he lost 30 pounds after adopting the Mediterranean Diet which, he insists, "will change your entire body type." Olive oil, fish and vegetables are vital ingredients in Mediterranean diets. Entrees as stimulating as seafood pastas, white bean omelets, seasonal fruits, escarole salad with tuna and anchovy, fresh cheese served with honey, seasoned punched onions, stewed green beans mixed with rice and ginger, winter fruit salad with yogurt, Catalan-style mixed paella, pears in wine and numerous other combinations can be enjoyed on diets which taste as good as they sound. Dietary boundaries are limited only by one's imagination and the scope of recipes employed. Maria Schenck, a 12-year veteran of International Spouses originally hailing from Wurzburg, Germany, considered the two bean salads she sampled to be "delicious," adding "This is how Americans should eat." Dr. Dell'Amore also delved into food storage tips and how to conduct smart grocery shopping forays. His message was you are what you eat. So don't become a rump roast!