Not Too Much

Step away from the buffet line for the 3rd time.  Although I say this in jest, it is truly not just the buffet line that is the problem.  It is the average portion size at just about any restaurant (well at least for the most part.  This doesn’t include the restaurants where-- those who can afford it--pay $100 to 200 per plate.  Ironic isn’t it....things that make you go hmmm.  But I digress).  Listening to body cues and knowing when you are full is key, and in fact may take some time if you are used to overeating.  Perhaps, we should follow the Japanese health principle of “hara hachi bu,” meaning eat until you are 80% full.   Although, perhaps only a zen master can sense his or her body to that exact percentage, the bottom line is to not stuff yourself (Ahhhh the nostalgia of my long-lost days at Carrabbas and Ruby Tuesdays).  “Hara hachi bu!”   

Mostly Plants

I know for some of you, Bugs Bunny popped into your mind.  I in fact remember making fun of the girl who always had baby carrots in her lunch in high school, and I think of this memory every time I pull out mine now.  Now I understand why Bugs Bunny was happy all the time ;-)  But what I have learned, is the plant category includes a host of yummy foods other than carrots and grass, but of course you have to know how to spice them up.  Fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, beans, nuts, and whole grains can all be prepared to give you a gustatory orgasm if you or another person knows what they are doing.

Eat Real (NOT a Chemistry Experiment!)

“Yeah I eat real, I’m not eating plastic am I!”  In truth, REAL food doesn’t include the thousands of edible food-like substances that adorn the average supermarket shelf.  And REAL food doesn’t need a health claim or a chemical dictionary to help you pronounce the ingredients in them.  The food industry has a sly and deceptive way of marketing their products as real when in fact they are far from it.  REAL real food is instead often times simple and recognizable (food like hummus would be a good example of an exception) and as close to its natural form as possible.  If it says that it’s a “fruit” bar, you should at least see a seed or something remotely resembling components of the fruit. Unfortunately “fruit” snacks in the shapes of fruit don’t cut it.   My people, it’s time to EAT REAL!