Food, food, glorious food!

Good morning. New Monday. New week. Make your day a good one despite it being Monday. I know, easier said than done but mind over matter. Kill people with kindness when they are assy. Everyone is responsible for themselves. What they say and do and how they act. So when someone doesn't treat me right I keep in mind that is on them. And I can choose not to be negative and irrational as it is in my power not to be. 

I had a great day yesterday. I had a kick-ass workout in the morning (burned over 1500 calories!) then went to my friends christening for her sweet baby girl. Then went back to her house for a reception. We were all practically fist-fighting to hold that baby all day she is so good. She hangs out and smiles at you. I bet she'd make those not sure about having kids want them....yesterday!! haha! I did indulge in baked ziti, chicken parm, meatballs, bread and cake. And it was awesome! lol! And I came home to my boys. My heart is always missing a little piece when they're gone and is whole again when they're home. I know that is cheesy but it's 100% honest!! :) I hope your Sunday was just as nice. 

You know, there are some days my coffee tastes so much better than others. I wonder why that is. I live a healthy life and focus on foods and drinks that will benefit me and occasionally I have thoughts of cutting coffee out, but then I think.......lets not get crazy now! haha! 'Sides, there are some that say coffee is good for us. It is loaded with vitamins and antioxidants. Controlled trials show that caffeine improves mood and brain function so it makes us smarter. It also is said to increase metabolism and increases oxidation of fatty acids. It may also lower your risk of Type II Diabetes, Alzheimers and Parkinsons. It is also shown to be protective against certain liver disorders and lowes your risk of death! 

Now while anything in moderate amounts is preferable to a large consumption, coffee is looking to be one of the healthiest things on the planet rather than the beverage of doom it was once thought to be. I do drink a large vat first thing in the morning and then try to get green tea in later in the day. Another antioxidant rich source of caffeine...just in a smaller amount. You would have to drink three cups of green tea to get the same amount of caffeine that is in one cup of coffee just to give you an idea. I have to be careful of too much caffeine late in the afternoon. I won't sleep!

Isn't it funny that so many things are bad for us and then not. Current research is constantly contradicting past research. Eggs were once thought to be the devil that caused high cholesterol. Now they are promoted as one of the best foods you can eat. It makes me not sure what to think some days. But that is why I err on the side that if it comes from the planet or nature...it is good in SOME capacity if used the right way. Most of the products anyway. Clearly tobacco and other things are not good for us. But I think we are all smart enough to figure most of it out. And it seems obvious to me that with "modern conveniences" the cancer rate has gone up. Microwaves, cell phones, packaged foods and drinks, fake colors, fake additives. So, I really do think eating clean, going old school with some things and live a modern life using tried and true "old-fashioned" methods might be the way to go. You might not save as much time but you might add GOOD, HEALTHY years to your life. Seems like an even trade to me.

I was thinking about these mixed messages while on the elliptical yesterday. After I published my blog I just kept thinking about it. How the word diet means different things when used in different ways. If you say "I'm on a diet" people gasp and say "Oh, it's SO bad for you! Don't diet!" But if you say "I eat a healthy diet" then that is applauded. So it's all in context. Kind of stupid when you think about it. How the manipulation of a few words can change a meaning so drastically. People are made to feel bad about what they're doing by someone at some time no matter what it is they choose to do. 

I don't promote "diets' necessarily but I don't think they are the Antichrist either. Some anyway. I did say I promote the Mediterranean diet. But look at it. It promotes exercise, plant-based foods like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts and seeds. You use olive and canola oil, herbs and spices, focus on poultry and fish but are allowed red meat a few times a month and even promotes red wine. Because it's not really limiting certain things other than processed junk. It's promoting the healthy, whole, real foods. An old school way of eating. 

But I do think Weight Watchers and others are OK as well if it's a way of eating that works for you. See if you said the Weight Watchers method or Weight Watchers way, it sounds different than the Weight Watchers Diet. But "diet" is not a satanic word!! lol! And at the end of the day these diets are just a way of eating laid out very specifically. And there are those with certain health issues that can benefit from such a thing. Eliminating things can help those people. The thing I don't like is "get it fast" schemes or plans, "diet" foods, people not eating the fats and lowering their calories too much and then eating processed junk in place of better tasting and better for you foods. A diet that is too strict is not going to be something you can stick with for long. Most of us need variety. That is why finding that balance I talked about yesterday is so important. I very rarely eat pasta. But I enjoyed yesterday. Now I don't have a craving for it and probably won't for awhile. 

I love food. I love cooking. I love flavors. I think it is one of the greatest pleasures in life and making it a chore or looking at food as a negative thing is so sad to me! As Julia Child says "The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook". She lived to be 91 eating and enjoying food. That is something to think about! :) 

Have a great day everyone. Look up a new recipe and experiment. I love Cooking Light for those recipes. 

God Bless, 
Tami