Fad diets, like Jenny Craig, the Atkins diet, Slim Fast, and to a lesser degree Weight Watchers, are still big news these days. And I have a problem with that, because healthy eating is not, and should not, be a fad. Nor is it something to do to achieve a temporary goal. Eating healthy is, simply put, the logical way to eat. And it should be a permament part of one's lifestyle, not something we do for 6 months or that comes out of little prepared packages that we eat until we reach "our goal" and are then left with 2 options: 1.) either keep buying the little packages, or 2.) go back to the way we ate before and gain back most of what we lost. Keep in mind that when we don't eat what is "good" for us, or if our weight goes up and down again and again, eventually our bodies will rebel. Can't blame them. They need certain things to function properly, and when we don't supply them with those things, they break down. Much like your car does if you don't give it the right kind of gasoline or get the oil changed when you should. And believe me - I should know!
I wasn't always so considerate of my body's needs. No, I was actually a walking nightmare when it came to what I ate. I let my head rule. You see, what we choose to eat is largely due to conditioning. We like eating what we are used to eating. If your mother went overboard with salt, you tend to crave it throughout your life, and end up being on high blood pressure medication by the time you're 40. If rib eye steak with butter on it was a weekly feature in your house, followed by fried chicken, and dishes that included a pound of butter or a cup of oil, unless you have amazing genes, I can't even begin to tell you the health problems that could be lurking if you have continued the trend. I know because my diet used to be both a salt and a fat-bomb. And it did not take a cardiac catheterization in the year 2000 to change it. It took Stage 3 breast cancer in September of 2001 to wake me up.
It took my almost losing my life to begin researching the connection between health and diet, especially the link between cancer and diet, and I realized that I was killing myself with mine. I was not giving my body anything that it "needed" - just what it "wanted." I hated greens and most non-starchy vegetables, skinless chicken or lean meats of any kind, chose "fried" over "grilled" whenever given a choice, and beans were a 4-letter word. I radically changed the way I ate after I radically changed the way I perceived the role of food in my life. Not only physically, but even spiritually, the way I used to eat weighed me down. I was often too sluggish to stay alert enough to pray with any kind of real focus. I also struggled with my weight - something that drove my cardiologist to distraction. But, since changing my diet (and I mean really changing it), I have maintained a healthy weight for 9 years! I remember when I first reached my goal, my mother-in-law refused to buy me "size small" clothes. She was convinced I would gain at least some of the weight I lost back - after all, everyone does. 9 years later, I am still a size 2 to 4 (used to be a 10 to 12) and am still a size small (used to be a large). Changing the way I ate, as opposed to "going on a diet" was the only thing that worked for me.
Long, long story short, I am now a Nutritionist by trade, and this Blog is my gift to those of you who care about what you put into your bodies, and who either want to make sure you are eating right or would like to change the way you eat. I include pictures (with recipes upon request) of meals I prepare to demonstrate that healthy eating does not have to be boring. Believe me, I enjoy food too much to have a blah, boring diet. But it does mean cutting down on certain fats and, perhaps, salt, knowing what's in the prepared and processed foods you buy, varying your diet, especially the fruits and vegetables you consume, and just making sure you are getting enought of what you "need".
So, until we meet again, happy, healthy eating to you all or, as the Vulcans say, "Live long and prosper!" (couldn't help it - recently saw the movie and loved it!)
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