Last Sunday, I made what looked like a huge greasy Southern meal of fried fish, collard greens, mac & cheese and sweet potato cornbread and called it "The Last Supper" before embarking upon a "veggie-centric" lifestyle. In all honesty, the only thing that wasn't the "healthiest" was the fish. I used no oil or butter in the collards, the mac & cheese wasn't baked with eggs & butter, but a stovetop version made with a simple roux of grueyere and fontina cheeses, and the sweet potato cornbread was without the egg & half the milk, using the potato puree for moistness. All of that is to say, that if I had actually measured the calories of that meal, it'd be a FRACTION of what it had been if I'd followed the recipe exactly, or dared order it at a restaurant.
I don't believe that you have to eat like a rabbit to eat, look or feel "well". I do believe that you should know exactly what you're putting into your body and exert as much control over the sourcing of your products and minimizing the unknown and hidden ones in sauces and seasonings especially as you can. Thus, I try to buy organic fresh produce, farm raised & grass fed meats, and season with lots of fresh herbs. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with flash frozen foods or dried herbs. I just have a tendency to want to use ingredients before they go bad, so it keeps me on my toes to eat the fresh stuff I have, as opposed to boxed and preserved.
I touted that I didn't use any cheese or condiments, thinking it was a healthy & delicious choice. But, I was challenged about my "veggie-centric lifestyle" comment on the last supper. To which I will clarify that I could never be a vegetarian, or maybe I could with everything except giving up bacon. I cannot live without it. And my beloved bacon was precisely the victim of the next criticism, "Would have been great without the fatty bacon..." she said. And I thought to myself, did you notice that I subbed out "lettuce" for for a healthier, greener pile of spinach? That it's on two small slices of multi-grain bread instead of a big fluffy white or sourdough roll? Oh..ok... Let it be clear that I will never go on a diet, because I don't believe in them. Everyone I've ever known to try one was back to their old ways and weight in just a matter of time. What I do believe in is daily lifestyle choices.
Everyday this food lover is faced with the scent of Insomnia Cookies wafting into my lobby. The scent of bacon, egg & cheese sandwiches being fried up on every corner on the way to and savory halal street meat on the way from my office. It is for every solitary food choice that my body thanks me for. Not for putting it into shock by going cold turkey on all meats and carbs, but cutting back where I have the will power to do so, until I eventually forget what those bacon cheese fries taste like and no longer crave them every time I come home at 3am after a ridiculous night out with the crew.
And because I love food so much and love my body equally, I will continue to find ways to make my favorite foods healthier (greek yogurt subbing for any dairy required is priceless!). And I will drink H2O as I always have, incessantly. If you even start there, you'll be cutting back on so much un-needed sugar, your skin will be clearer, and your food cravings will subside. I try to drink roughly half my body weight in water a day, before I leave my desk at the end of the day. The real goal is a gallon, but sometimes that's harder than others. And guess what? It's free!
So that's my challenge to you. If it's too boring, add a slice of lime or lemon, which have great health benefits as well. But I promise you'll see the difference. Every small choice counts. Don't beat yourself up for indulging from time to time, we're human. Just make a different choice somewhere else in the day.
xox
Thanks! I definitely will.
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