My Food Philosophy

I am going to go ahead and make a bold statement;

I believe that the majority of healthy folks (like us) spend way more time thinking about food than the majority of less-than-healthy folks.

Ok there, I said it, and I even made it bold.

Now I'll explain it:

I believe that health conscious people think about food and issues related to food so much, due in most, to the fact that it is quite difficult to be healthy and NOT think about food. Healthy requires a balanced diet, which means we must be aware of what we eat, how much of it that we eat, how often we eat, and what else we should be eating (or not eating as the case may be).

Is is obsessive? NO! Not at all. At least not when done correctly. All it means is that we are mindful of what we put into our bodies so that we can get the most out of the bodies we have been given. We are respecting our bodies and ourselves through nutrition, which we know is a HUGE component in overall wellness. Its essential and we are acknowledging that necessity.

My approach to food (also known as my Food Truths) is this:

Eat what you love and love what you eat

Remember when you were a kid and your mom wanted you to finish your lima beans so you plugged you nose chomped twice and swallowed those little beans before they were sufficiently chewed? Yeah, don't do that any more.

Instead learn to love the healthy food that you use to fuel your body. That means trying new things and creative ways to cook them. Learn to enjoy different flavors and spices. Step outside your comfort zone and you might be surprised how much you enjoy the good stuff.

Truth be told, I never force myself to eat anything. I eat salads because I love them, much the same as I eat ice cream because I love it. I just try to make the former more of a habit then the latter.



Hint: Make salads this delicious and you'll be thinking, ice cream who??





















Nothing is off limits

Ok, let me re-phrase that. Don't limit it because its "bad for you". I don't eat red meat but not because of calories, fat, cholesterol. I just don't. Otherwise there is nothing thing that I don't eat, because "off limits" can quickly become a "fear food" and a list of "fear foods" can grow and that can become a lot more unhealthy and restrictive then the occasional piece of pizza.

Instead have an idea of your "Eat Always" and "Eat Sometimes" foods. Stick with column A 80% of the time and it's all good! Moderation is another way to look at it but carefully define what moderate means (ie: a big bowl of steamed veggies daily is awesome! Same bowl of french fries? Not so much!)

Eat the rainbow

No, not Skittles....I said eat, not taste! Ok fine, Skittles too but let's not get too out of control alright? The other rainbow is a variety of brightly colored fruits, vegetables and grains. Make green a priority in as many meals as you can. Trust me on this one, Popeye and that Jolly Giant are on my side anyway.

Mix it up a little (or a lot)

Enjoy a variety of foods. I said it before but I'll say it again, try new things! I never knew I liked beets until I threw them in some salad and ta-da! A healthy new salad fixin' was born! Sometimes its easy to eat the few things you know are healthy but guess what? You are probably going to get bored and stop eating them. And then what? Doritos city baby!

While I eat the same breakfast and lunch on work days I make a variety of things for dinner so I don't get the "Oh... you again" blahs and turn to the phone book for fried chicken in a bucket delivered to my doorstep.

Embrace food for what it can do for you

Good wholesome food gives you energy. It helps ward off pesky colds and flus. It makes you stronger and faster and fitter. It nourishes you, body, mind and soul. Food in general is absolutely essential to life and healthy food is almost as crucial.

If you are what you eat I'd rather be a Green Monster then a Double Down, that's for damn sure!!

Treat yourself and love it!

All things considered if I follow the other truths most of the time then you'd better believe I am going to enjoy something cheesey or chocolatey from time to time. It's my life and I want to live it to the fullest. And a full life, in my definition, means chocolate chips!!

Now that's the truth!



So tell me, what's one of your Food Truths?