As I said in my very first post, however, when I first changed the way I ate, eating out was frustrating and difficult, and what I cooked at home became monotonous and boring. But through the years, I changed that - big time! I had to. If I didn't, I could have never stuck with it. It's funny, because before I started "watching" what I ate, my diet was way more monotonous than it is now. After all, I hated fish, I hated most greens and too many other vegetables, always ordered the same greasy, sauce-laden foods on a menu, and over salted everything. I realize now, that what I was doing was essentially burying the true taste of most foods! I used to subscribe to a cooking magazine that included a couple of pages of "healthy recipes" each month and I always turned my nose up at them, not giving them a second glance. When it came down to it, I was a picky eater!
You've been hearing me rant and rave about things you should eat more of, and things you should limit or avoid, and are probably thinking that, if you follow my advice, eating will never be enjoyable again. But I found that the changes I made gave me freedom to explore new tastes and cuisines. In fact, I finally discovered what most foods really tasted like. And I found I liked most of them - a lot. Things like carrots, spinach, cauliflower, chickpeas, lentils (especially cooked in a nice Indian Dal), eggplant, and even Brussels sprouts, are delicious if prepared properly. I learned to cook some of the more challenging vegetables in ways that still kept them healthy but that complimented their unique flavors.
So, I cut out the foods I no longer needed in my diet: beef, full-fat dairy, deep fried foods, sodas, and most conventional pastries, and discovered, with much joy, the myriads of foods I should be eating. I even learned how to make low-fat versions of family favorites like scalloped potatoes, candied yams, and several Greek, Indian, Italian, Mexican, and Asian foods. When I reached my weight goal - which took about 6 months - I learned how to make low-fat desserts, which I "reward" myself with about once or twice a week. Yes, I did look back now and then in the beginning, but I did not let myself give in to the temptation, knowing that one bite of one my "old favorites" would lead to another and another, until I was smack-dab where I started. I was like an alcoholic who had successfully gone through AA.
You know what your "addictions" are when it comes to food. You and only you know what items you splurge on when you need comfort, or that you feel guilty about after you eat them. And because I believe all of us, deep inside, are getting cues from our bodies regarding what we really need and are actually craving, we also inherently know what we should be eating. If you follow the media in terms of dietary advice, you will go crazy! You will see that sometimes coffee is good for you, and sometimes it's not. The same is true for red wine. We are told to start our day with a big breakfast and then we are told not to. Garlic was shown to lower cholesterol, and then suddenly it didn't. But three things remain constant, mainly because they are based on simple common sense: 1.) As we get older, we need to reduce our caloric intake, and if we want to lose weight, the only way to do it is to cut calories, 2.) A low-fat diet helps stave off heart-disease, eases inflammation, and is the number one step to take in decreasing your chance of contracting certain cancers, and 3.) Exercise should be a daily part of your life.
One of the things that really helped me to stick with my diet- and I HIGHLY recommend it - is subscribing to a couple of healthy cooking magazines. The ones that have the absolute best recipes (hands down) are "Cooking Light" and "Healthy Cooking" (which used to be called "Light 'n Tasty"). During Lenten periods, I also enjoy many of the recipes in "Vegetarian Times". And I have favorite Indian and Greek Low-Fat Cookbooks, as well. You need to make sure that you have plenty of choices in your "arsenal" or else you will burn out - plain and simple.
And as for eating out, when you have learned the calories and fat content of recipes that you've been cooking at home, choosing healthy items on a menu becomes a breeze. And never, never forget that at any decent restaurant, a chef can replace french fries with rice, fruit or the vegetable of the day, and all sauces can be served "on the side". Omelets can almost always be made with egg whites and they taste great without cheese, especially when you load them with vegetables like mushrooms, asparagus, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, or onions. I can glance at a menu and know that grilled fish, vegetarian - especially portobello - fajitas (hold the sour cream and cheese), a pasta with a vegetable-laden or marinara sauce, or linguine with red clam sauce, Moo Shu Vegetables, several vegetarian Thai and Indian dishes, and lots of items on a Lebanese menu, are good choices.
One of the places we love to celebrate special occasions is a Japanese Steakhouse (see photo above taken in Duck, NC). And you can get a delicious healthy meal there quite easily. Although I try, in general, to keep meats at a minimum in my diet, I order the grilled teriyaki chicken (since I am allergic to shrimp), eat the grilled vegetables, and order brown rice on the side instead of the fried rice the chef prepares. Name a restaurant and I can tell you what you can order and still keep it low-fat and relatively low calorie.
Now is the time to make that change you've been meaning to make, and I can help you do it if you let me. Next time I will introduce the infamous "Food Diary". Until then, happy and healthy eating!
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