Few voices have so much weight in the Spanish culinary panorama as that of Karlos Arguiñano. The recognized chef, in addition to his brilliant gastronomic career, has also become an unavoidable face of television, where he has eaten cuisine and entertainment for decades. Therefore, when it talks about food and well-being, millions stop to listen, according to the Spanish newspaper As.
Associating food with well-being is almost immediate, and often this connection leads to the word “diet.” However, arguiñano stresses that it is not necessary to fall into extremism. The important thing, he argues, is to maintain a simple balance, based mainly on common sense.
In 2019, in an interview with Huffington Postduring the presentation of your sixth book Kitchen day by day. 1905 recipes. 365 menus for the four stationsshared a practical example. “I stopped using sugar packages for 8 or 10 years. If I drink 3 or 4 cafes with milk every day, for 365 days a year, how much sugar I already avoided?” He asked, explaining how a small daily change can have great impact.
Sugar in the background
The Basque chef confessed that this simple gesture helped him dramatically reduce sugar intake, an ingredient whose relationship with chronic diseases is widely documented. His message, however, was not of absolute prohibition, but of moderation.
Arguiñano warned of the exaggeration that some dietary currents defend. “Let it be poison to drink milk, I don’t understand … We all grow up drinking milk. Why don’t you have to eat a flan or a sweet rice?” He regretted, defending balance in the face of radical prohibitions.
Milk and traditional desserts
From its perspective, foods such as milk and traditional desserts should not be viewed as enemies, as long as it is integrated in a varied and balanced diet. The problem, he insists, arises when consumed in excess and uncontrolled.
This appeal to wisdom is a constant in the chef’s speech. It does not believe in miraculous solutions, nor rigid rules that end up driving people away from a healthy relationship with food. For him, eating must remain a pleasure.
Eating everything, but in moderation
The secret, as often repeats, is not complicating. Eating a little of everything, without abusing anything in particular, is the basis of a balanced diet. And this, he adds, does not require nutrition diplomas, only sensitivity.
“There is no need to study any place to realize that eating healthy is eating a little of everything, with a common sense, and much of nothing,” he said in this same interview, summarizing his philosophy clearly and accessible.
A timeless board
The simplicity of the council, curiously, is what makes it more effective. In a world where restrictive diets, personalized plans, and ephemeral eating trends proliferate, Arguiñano’s message stands out for being timeless.
Throughout his career, Zarautz’s chef has used to translate complex concepts into practical ideas. This is what the public values: the ability to talk about nutrition without falling into scientific jargon, but also without losing rigor.
The weight of proximity
Your television charisma reinforces this authority. According to, thousands of Spaniards have grown to see him cook on television, accompanied by his jokes and the unmistakable Basque accent. This turned it into a nearby, almost family figure.
And when someone who has gained this confidence talks about what he eats and what avoids, people tend to hear. The elimination of coffee sugar, moderation in the consumption of milk and desserts, and the appeal to common sense are examples of this.
The simplest recipe
In the end, your recipe is simpler than any fashion diet. Just use the personal criterion, not overdo it and enjoy the pleasure of eating. As he himself summarizes in six words that have become celebrated: “I see it that simple”(“ I see this so simple ”).
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