epicur-iousity

Food, food, food! We all need it, we all love it...

Today I was at the local green-grocer stocking up. It dawned on me that I haven't shopped at a "normal" grocery store in quite a long time. I get all of my foodstuffs at Henry's Marketplace (fruits, veggies, bulk grains/beans, dairy) or Trader Joe's (seafood, wine, cheese, ehtinic foods, etc). For some reason I remembered how much pre-packed prepared foods I used to buy years ago. Basically I would just buy "dinner stuff"at the supermarket and grab lunch at a fast food joint everyday.

Most of us know what's good for us and what we should avoid. Yet it seems like the rules (according to the "experts") change a lot. First we're told that fish is really good for us, helps protect your heart. Then we're told that fish really doesn't make any significant impact after all. Trusted celebrities pounce on us during our favorite TV shows...eat Quaker Oats and lower you cholesterol x-many points. Magazines, newpaper articles, website pop-ups all try to sell us everything from healthy breakfast bars to quick-n-easy frozen nutritional meals.

I'm not a diet fan, starving yourself for 2 months and returning to your old crappy eating habits after you've reached your "target weight" isn't healthy. It just confuses the hell out of your body. You don't need to buy special frozen meals or snacks. Don't believe anyone who says a "popcorn diet" is good, you may lose weight but you're gonna return to your old eating habits and put it back on.

Since I've never been on a diet plan like Jenny or WW or Atkins, I don't know if they teach their clients about long-term eating habits. I'm not a nutritionalist or whatever but what is wrong with eating naturally pre-packaged (courtesy of Mother Nature) foods like fruit and vegetables? They're portable, readily available (in this country, at least), healthy and best of all not expensive. And there's no wrapper or packaging to dispose of / recycle.

Okay, so I'm an apple-aholic. Nothing's better than a crisp, tart, juicy apple for breakfast or as a snack. Oranges....yeah, they're messy but your body loves all the C it gets. Carrots make a great crunchy snack and you'll see in the dark a lot better (at least that's what Mom always said), Celery and peanut butter, yadda-yadda-yadda!

Protein you say, how about some protein? Tofu, fish and beans for starters. Yes, it's okay to add a little meat. I was recently in a chili cook-off and was one of the few folks to bring a meat and bean chili instead of all MEAT chili. Our bodies actually need a lot of what meat provides, but eating a slab of meat everyday isn't necessary.

Me? I eat beef or pork once or twice every two weeks, fish a few times a week and beans, tofu, grains, dairy, veggies for the rest of my meals. I am a few pounds overweight, I LOVE to cook(and eat, obviously) and believe in using spices instead of that nasty old salt.

WOW! I really dragged this subject out. I'm done now....thanks for listening.