LIVINGLIVING
In their book, Around the World in Salads, Katie and Giancarlo
Caldesi show you 120 ways to 'love your leaves'. In her introduction,
Katie Caldesi explains her interest in salads, and how they became
vital to her diet after a diagnosis of diabetes in the family.
WINTER SALADS
MAKING CARBS COUNT
"I have always been drawn
to salads. I like the crunch
of fresh vegetables, lively
colourful leaves and
punchy dressings. They
sharpen my mind and give me energy yet
still fill me up without leaving me sluggish
and tired. I can't say the same for how my
husband, Giancarlo, feels; he was pasta
man and I was salad girl. Then within one
month our world turned upside down.
Giancarlo was told he was diabetic; he had
to lose weight, give up sugar and eat less
carbohydrates. This meant less pasta, no
more cappuccino with sugar or cakes and
biscuits. Then just weeks later he was told
he was intolerant to gluten, badly so. Poor
Giancarlo! He had to give up pasta, bread
and pizza, all the things a traditional Italian
man loves. On the bright side he could eat
salads and no one told him he shouldn't eat
vegetables!"
A new world
"A few months after this we found out that
our son Giorgio is also gluten intolerant. So
now we are pretty much gluten-free as a
family and vegetables take centre stage.
We grow plenty of our own and try to buy
local and organic where possible.
"Salad is fresh, it is rich in nutrients and
usually, though not always, low in sugar and
often gluten-free. Our book was inspired by
a new way of eating at home, eating healthy
food made from scratch 90% of the time