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Starting a new year is reason enough to reconsider that relationship with food.

And who better to give advice than a a registered dietician and best-selling cookbook author who just happens to live in the Lakeway Area.

Susan Zogheib, MHS, RD, who wrote “The Easy Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan,” her fifth cookbook, told a group of local women that this particular edition has a special place in her heart.

Zogheib was born and raised in Lebanon. She moved to the U.S. in 1989.

Located in the middle East, Lebanon lies off the Mediterranean coast and “is not the easiest to find on a map,” Zogheib joked with her audience.

She came from a small village, population of 300, where her grandfather was the mayor. She shared a photo with the group that showed all the family houses, and the church where the family attended.

“It’s something that’s just so beautiful and I love talking about it, because that’s what I’m most passionate about: is appreciating where you come from,” she said.

Standing in one of Morristown’s newest venues, The Vale, located in the downtown business district, Zogheib used humor and educational information to present the topic “Mindful Eating,” at the fifth installment of the Health, Wealth and Humor series presented by First Horizon Bank and First Horizon Advisors.

She began working with a publisher in 2015 to create a cookbook specifically for individuals suffering from renal disease. She is employed by a pharmaceutical company that works with patients who have kidney disease. A representative from the publisher reached out to her because a relative was on dialysis and the individual could not find any cookbooks. The first was completed within six weeks and is now a best-seller on Amazon.

“One of the best things about doing what I do is that these patients from all over the country, all over the world, reach out to me and say the books have empowered them, have helped them to change their lifestyle and so forth. I still work in Pharma, but I write the cookbooks and do speaking engagements on the side,” Zogheib said.

Her mother was born and raised in the U.S., but was full-blooded Lebanese, as were her parents. In 1989, while the family was living in Lebanon, Civil War broke out.

“There are 26 religious sects in the country; the president is required to be Maronite Catholic – agreeing on something does not go very well. At the time, the war was between Syria and Lebanon. I was about 9 years old. I remember the day so specifically. We had lived underground for about a year because of all the bombing.”

Her father was in jail at the time because of mistaken identity. He spent four months there.

“That’s the kind of country we were dealing with. They didn’t do background checks,” Zogheib said.

Her parents had a conversation during which she remembers her mother saying, “there is no way we can stay.” The family, including five children, took a cargo ship from Beirut to Cypress – they fled with thousands of others. They flew out of Cypress and eventually relocated to the U.S. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The memories of her home country are strong.

“The middle east, Lebanon specifically, was referred to as the pearl of the middle East. It was beautiful. Keneau Reeves was born in Beirut – his mother was an exotic dancer,” Zogheib said. “It was such a booming little city in the middle East.”

Now, family members can only pull out $100 at a time from their bank.

“I can’t even send money to my family in Lebanon because the government is so corrupt,” Zogheib said. “People say to me, ‘Why are you always so positive?’ This is why. It’s because I appreciate where I came from. I know what we have here.”

“What I looked forward to when I was little … my family was poor as dirt, but the one thing that remained constant was that they always made fresh meals at the table. It didn’t matter that it took the whole village of my aunts and uncles cooking, but I remember almost every single day being exposed to all the food in the world. And that’s what I try to imbed now … for me, family time at the dinner table is so significant.”

A year ago, mindful came into play – her youngest child, at age two, said to her, “Put your phone down.”

“We’re not paying attention to what’s happening around us,” Zogheib said. “The way we live and eat has changed significantly. As a dietician, you study where we were and where we have come. Waistlines were tiny back in the 70s; doctors were encouraging pregnant women not to gain too much weight.”

The term ‘mindful’ started in Buddhism, a centuries old practice used in many religions, according to Zogheib.

“It’s really trying to incorporate living in the moment, trying to bring back the joyfulness of food,” she said. She referred to the ‘popcorn study’ done in 2005 – when researchers gave participants a large bucket of stale popcorn, they ate 40 percent more than those given the smaller bucket, even though the contents were literally stale.

“We don’t even care what it is, we are just eating, and eating and eating,” she said. “You eat 30 to 40 percent more when you do not pay attention.”

Zogheib described mindful eating as having a balance – “You can eat chocolate cake,” she said.

She passed out miniature Hershey bars as part of an exercise, instructing the audience members to close their eyes and just smell the chocolate (“Your body should relax, anticipation should take place,” she told them), then place a small bite in your mouth, but do not chew. Wait 30 seconds before chewing. Just enjoy it. “The whole premise is to literally bring what you eat to life,” she said.

According to Zogheib, women are designed to eat during stress, while in the throes of menopause, while driving, while on the phone.

“This is what society has imbedded in us,” she said. “We’re eating while multi-tasking, eating emotionally. We’re eating past the point of being full,” she said.

“Mindful eating is considering not just the meal, but where the food came from, how it was prepared. I feel when we sit down to eat as a family, we are savoring it, we are enjoying it together. When we order fast food and eat it sitting in the car, we are eating so much more; we are trying to fill a void.”

Mindful eating is also to express gratitude for the food we have.

“If you take anything out of this presentation: just stop and enjoy your meal. Stop and enjoy the present moment that you are in … honor the food, engage your senses, serve modest portions, (the more colorful your plate, the better), eat slowly (eating fast does not allow the body to catch up in the digestion process) do not skip meals. And by the way, bananas do not make you fat! As a society, we’re not exercising enough, we have a sedentary lifestyle.

“You only have one body to live in, make the most of it … It’s okay, eat the chocolate cake … enjoy the moment,” she said.

In answer to one of the audience questions, she described the Keto diet as a good kick-starter, but does not recommend it long-term: “If you don’t try to incorporate healthier habits after you hit the plateau – the weight will come back,” she said.

And Zogheib is not a big fan of using a weight scale on a regular basis: “It plays a mind game with you. It’s how we feel that is more important,” she said.

The evening included food, featuring dishes inspired by the cookbook prepared by Chef Lawrence Phillips and his team at Jersey Girl Catering.

• Lemon Spinach Salad with Pears & Bleu Cheese (page 101)

• Salmon Provencal (page 144)

• Pan Fried Chicken with Roasted Squash Salsa (page 148)

• Wild & Long Grain Rice Pilaf with Grapes (page 167)

• Roasted Vegetable Melange (page 175)

Local Sommelier Jill Bruce was on hand to present a wine pairing.

“Everybody should have a glass of wine before you sit down to eat. I’m not kidding; it relaxes you and will slow you down. She added, “Wine is a fruit.”

• Gruner Veltline, a dry white that grows almost only in Austria. With flavors of green pepper and lime.

• Mark West, a Pinot Noir has lovely aromas of cherry and red currant that are complimented by notes of caramel with hints of vanilla and toasted oak.

• 14 Hands, a Chardonnay. A bright twist of lime unfolds into a silky caramel and vanilla. Although delicate, this wine exudes expressive flavors of Gla apple, citrus and ripe pear.

• Apothic Merlot is a silky, approachable red wine grown in California. Notes of blackberry and boysenberry are underscored by hints of toasted oak and shaved chocolate.

Health, Wealth & Humor events have been held since 2018, hosted by First Horizon Bank at various locations throughout the Lakeway Area and planned by an advisory board made up of female community leaders.

The “Health, Wealth & Humor” series’ purpose is to engage, empower and enrich women in our communities,” Julie Rex, Vice President of Community Banking at First Horizon Bank, said. “What prompted us to do this was a trend identified a number of years ago regarding the role of women in the home had changed. No longer is the man the primary breadwinner and 60 percent of all Master’s degrees are earned by women, and 51 percent of personal wealth is controlled by women. So things have changed and First Horizon really wants to get out there and empower women to not only know what’s going on in your financial household, but to get together and talk about topics relevant to you.”

For more information about the Health, Wealth and Humor series, email jbrex@firsthorizon.com

The Easy

Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan

The book includes 4 weeks of instruction to jump-start your journey to lifelong health.

WINK appreciates the “Tips for Eating Out” on page 119 – here’s a paraphrased version: decline the breadbasket, avoid anything fried (don’t be afraid to ask, if you’re unsure if a dish is fried), choose from poultry, fish or vegetarian options. If you can’t say no to beef, look for leaner cuts like flank or sirloin steak, tenderloin or filet mignon; ask for the sauce on the side.

Words of wisdom from “The Easy Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan”: success isn’t a straight line – and it’s certainly not black and white. When you slip up, it’s absolutely okay – it happens to all of us. Deviation from the diet doesn’t mean you’re a failure and that you can’t be successful on the Mediterranean diet. It simply means you’re human. We all mess up from time to time. So don’t be discouraged if you plateau, don’t see result immediately, or overindulge in your favorite food.

“Put yourself back on track by reminding yourself of your goals, finding inspiration in motivational images and words, or talking to a family member, friend or another supportive member of your community for a boost of confidence.

“Remember that the Mediterranean diet isn’t a crash diet; it’s a lifestyle change for achieving enduring health. And in order to succeed, you have to practice self-compassion – be kind to yourself.”

“The Easy Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan” is available on Amazon for $16.99 (as of WINK publication date, 12-14-2022).