Open Andre Agassi

Open Andre Agassi is a stunning autobiography.

It's not often that I find a book "un-putdownable." But such is OPEN by Andre Agassi.

Starting with Agassi's last days in professional tennis in agony from a spondylolysthesis, a defect at the base of his spine and on heavy medication to play his last-match, this is a superbly written book. The support from his wife Stephie Graf, a legend in her own right, if part of the winning formula.

Not only is the content fascinating, the inner life of a star sportsman; but also it is written in such an absorbing style. "Un-putdownable is how I found this book."

Open Andre Agassi

Open Andre Agassi is an autobiography of a man who despite a serious childhood injury known as a spondylolysthesis^[3] rises to the very pinnacle of tennis. In part his fascination with legumes appeals to me.

The road to stardom is paved with hard work of course, many knocks and usually the support of a loved one; in his case initially his brother. It is Philly who keeps him going in the early days, when they subsist on lentils and baked-potatoes.

It's Philly who is there for him when he loses his first Wimbledon in the 1st round, afterwards marching obliviously until he encountered a pack of vagrants in a park; he gave away his awesome array of rackets and gear, vowing never to play tennis again.

Interestingly he chooses a quote from Vincent van Gogh in the prelude to Open Andre Agassi; "Do you know what frees one from this captivity? It's very serious deep affection; being friends, brothers and love."

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"There's just one problem. We have no money. We subsist on baked potatoes and lentil-soup. Three times a day we bake two spuds and heat a can of generic legume broth.

We then pour the soup over the potatoes and voilà breakfast, lunch or dinner is served. The whole meal costs eighty-nine cents and keeps hunger at bay for about three hours."

"Open" by Andre Agassi whilst on the circuit in 1985.

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Mike Agassi, Andre's father

Open Andre Agassi is an intriguing book about relationships, not least his father who drives him mercilessly from early childhood. He grows up to be the most famous tennis player of all time, still the only one to win all four grand-slams and the Olympics in a calendar year.

A fascinating part of the book is his bond with his father, Mike Agassi; a love-hate relationship, with a kind and loving mother in the background, picking up the pieces. Without a doubt it was his dad who did the initial spadework, enabling him to achieve stardom; but at a heavy cost.

What comes out powerfully into the open is Andre Agassi's loathing of tennis, from the very depths of his soul. He says it many times; what is it that drives the man? Buy the book, you will not be sorry.

What is certain, if you're going to eat it three times a day, lentil protein and potatoes is a heap better food than a hamburger and chips. No doubt if it was cheaper, Philly and Andre would have eaten at MacDonald's but fortunately for them it was not. Red meat three times a day is a killer. Malignant tumour or heart attack, one or the other would have got him. 

Choice Foods

Interestingly Agassi reports that lentils keep hunger at bay for about three hours. That's fact. The Glycemic Index is very low; the gentle release of glucose to the blood stream is just what a professional tennis player would need.

Lentil protein^[1] is the future, nearly 10% by weight, as we slowly come to terms with the way red-meat is produced today in feed-lots; they are the equivalent of chicken cages and pig sties.

This is the best way to cook lentils; add a piquant-sauce as they really are rather tasteless.

Conversely the carbohydrate in baked potatoes has a very high glycemic index, supplying the energy needed on court; mixed with the lentil-soup, in the life of a sportsman they make a perfect fit.

But if you enjoy a baked potato and then go and sit and watch TV your blood sugar is likely to rise to dangerously high levels, adding pounds and causing inflammation of the inner lining of your blood vessels.

CARBOHYDRATE COUNT CHART and an understanding of the term Glycemic Index are the way to be able to have your starch and eat it.

Cake and eat it, alas no, that's not on for anyone except on high and holy days.

• CHOICE FOODS
  

Controversially the Banting diet bans all legumes, including lentil soups because of their carbohydrate.

It is an effective way to lose weight because of the satiety legumes provide but we think the Modified Banting Diet makes more sense since it avoids the high animal fat and protein; and allows beans, peas and lentils.

It's a confusing subject for the so-called experts; an understanding about resistant starch and how it prevents a blood sugar surge is how Andre Agassi was able to eat potato; and how we can too.

Copy and paste "modified banting diet" into Site search in the main menu for more information.

Lentil soup and potatoes

Throw in half a dozen green beans to your lentil soup, and it's more nutritious still; your coloured veggies have an array of B vitamins difficult to get for those who have an aversion to spinach, kale and broccoli.

• Nutritional value of green beans
  

Green bean and lentil soup is still one of my favourites; particularly, if you're not a vegan using a chicken-bones broth for stock.

An excellent alternative is making vegetable stock from scraps.

Baked potatoes from cold storage are the downfall of many of us; they have an extremely high glycemic index. That makes them very fattening and puts us on a road to insulin resistance. Wonderful food for a professional tennis player on the circuit but to be avoided by the rest of us who value our health.

New potatoes are another story; they are rich in resistant starch. You can test by seeing if the skin can be easily scraped off with your thumbnail.

Add just a couple Wimbledon strawberries, ice-cream and a few eggs a week for vitamin B-12; the odd mutton stew or hamburger if you must and a raw carrot. Toss in a few dark-green leafy vegetables and you have a sustainable diet. I particularly love this broccoli and walnut salad.

Oh and a portion of fatty fish twice a week is important for the omega-3; do you know a few ways to cook salmon? And enjoy some of these olive benefits^[4] or an avocado for the good oils. Those Agassi couldn't afford in those early days.

Copy and paste "strawberries nutrition facts" or "olive oil benefits" into the Site Search tab in the main menu for more information.

Spondylolysthesis

A spondylolysthesis^[3] is a stress fracture in the lower back; it's caused normally by a fall in early childhood. The narrow isthmus of bone in the adult was once made of cartilage making it a vulnerable point in the toddler. Baby cries for a few days and all is then forgotten; until a nagging, aching spinal pain begins later in life.

It is not curable so a disciplined set of lower back exercises done every morning before arising is part of the maintenance of this condition; and an acceptance that heavy lifting is not for some; oh, don't ever dream of becoming a professional sportsman.

The exception proves the rule. It is absolutely astonishing what the determination of a human being like that in Open Andre Agassi can achieve, despite a spondylolysthesis.

Easy Soup Recipes

For sheer good food, a nutritious soup takes a lot of beating. But don't buy it in a tin or packet; mostly the food companies ruin it with a variety of "permitted" chemicals, including a gross amount of salt.

What is it that has brought on the epidemic of auto-immune disease like diabetes, lupus and multiple sclerosis? We just do not know but I suspect all the crap that we come into contact with, especially in our food.

• What is emulsifier in food?
  

And a homemade soup fits in perfectly with our philosophy of nutritious food, made fast; and it tastes far better in any case.

Andre Agassi was into a good thing with his lentil soup, just a pity it came out of a can. Perhaps it was one of the good ones. There are some but most are loaded with salt, emulsifiers and stabilizers.

Here are our EASY SOUP RECIPES.

Useful links

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