Four O'Clock Snacks for Health & Beauty
One of my Parisian girlfriends describes how French mothers
used to give their kids a pastry and chocolate after school.
That light snack, known as a "Four O'Clock," is similar afternoon
tea, invented by an English countess who grew tired of waiting
for her rich dinner served late at night. Afternoon tea was
popularized for enhancing health, beauty and seduction by Lola
Montez, the nineteenth century sex symbol who wrote The Arts
of Beauty. Lola collected beauty tips from the courts of Europe.
Some were impractical such as dropping Valencia orange juice
into your eyes to make them sparkle. I adapted some of Lola's
recipes and added my own in Healthy Beauty, which will appear
on iUniverse later this year.
Lola, the unacknowledged godmother of today’s natural beauty
and cosmetic industry, rose to stardom in the Paris of Napoleon
III, at a time when the City of Light was becoming the magnificent
capital that we admire. She captivated a series of famous, rich,
and royal men, but above all Lola became a celebrity: she was
famous for being famous. People in New York and London
flocked to her lectures on the fine art of being beautiful.
Lola, born Eliza Gilbert in Limerick, Ireland in 1818 to a young
military officer and his thirteen year old bride, grew up in India. In
keeping with Eastern health traditions, she advised against dietary
extremes especially the customary breakfast of strong coffee and
hot buttered bread, then fasting until a late dinner of “peppered
soups, fish, roast, boiled, broiled, and fried meat, game, tarts,
sweet-meats, ices, fruits, etc.” Lola advised that such a diet would:
“derange the stomach, and by creating or increasing bilious
disorders, gradually overspread the fair skin with a wan or yellow
hue.”
"Eat richly and keep late hours," Lola warned, "and the result
will be a shapeless flabby softness of tissue"--We call it cellulite.
Lola recommended self-discipline as a cure. From experience,
I know that most of us need help to remain disciplined and lose
weight. Slimming foods have to become a lifestyle.
Healthy Snacks
Here are a few slimming, beautifying snacks that you and your
kids can enjoy preparing together for afternoon tea. That's a
good time to relax and talk over the day's events. You can use
the snacks to stay in shape and encourage healthy eating habits
for the entire family. Or you may want to woo a special someone.
My recipes come from my new book FEED YOUR TIGER: The
Asian Diet Secret for Permanent Weight Loss and Vibrant Health.
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Letha Hadady is the author of personal transformation books including, Asian Health Secrets:
The Complete Guide to Asian Herbal Medicine, Personal Renewal, Healthy Beauty, and her
new book is Feed Your Tiger: The Asian Diet Secret for Permanent Weight Loss and Vibrant
Health. A nationally certified acupuncturist, she has appeared widely in the press and media
as an expert on natural health and beauty. Her website is: www.asianhealthsecrets.com