Chicago Sun-Times food writer Michael Austin includes mention of my book, A Guy’s Gotta Eat, in a review of two other books (Esquire Eat Like a Man and Men’s Health Big Book of Food & Nutrition) on the general topic of men and cooking. Austin allowed me some sense of victory in the piece, seven years after my own book was published:
Chicagoan Russ Klettke was preaching the importance of healthy eating among men long before the era of guy food arrived. His book on the subject was released in 2004. In it, he talked about the importance of avoiding high-fructose corn syrup, among other simple ways to lose weight. It was a novel concept back then, but it is almost a given today.
Another of his weight-loss suggestions: Cook at home.
Non-cooking men, mostly single and on the younger side, have relied on processed foods through the years, and it shows. The fat, sugar and salt that keep those foods alive tends to bulge the waistline and the cheeks.
A Guy’s Gotta Eat: The Regular Guy’s Guide to Eating Smart by Klettke with Deanna Conte (Marlowe & Company, with a second printing by DeCapo, $15.95) offers fellas processed-food alternatives, and simple rules to follow. It has recipes, too, including roasted beer-can chicken.
“Nothing’s verboten,” says Klettke, a freelance writer and certified fitness trainer who grows lettuce, beans, Swiss chard, tomatoes and oregano in the backyard of his North Side home. “When my book came out, everyone was talking about the Atkins Diet, and low-carb, and cutting out certain categories. No one likes that and it doesn’t work. Don’t think of being on a diet. Just think about enjoying your food, but go about it with some skill.”
The recipes in Esquire Eat Like a Man are not “healthy” per se, but as Klettke sees it, as long as men are being encouraged to cook, it’s a step in the right direction.
“There’s a victory in that,” Klettke says. “If you make your food at home, chances are it’s going to be healthier than if you eat something outside of your house.”
Which leads me to conclude:
People should listen to me in real time.