In Praise of Plenty

I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving. We did. It was just our little family at home, together for the holiday. I cooked the full spread. I brined a big old turkey (best turkey I've ever made), I made homemade rolls, made the crust for the pies, tried some new recipes, and did all the old traditions. I was in the kitchen literally the whole day, but had a great time and wouldn't have done anything differently. Scott and I had fun shopping together on Black Friday, we even met up with some friends and had breakfast together after the shopping extravaganza. All in all good times!!

Everyone knows I loved my life in Houston, right? One of the things I really liked there was my gym. It sounds dumb, but it's true. I loved Lifetime Fitness. They put out this magazine that I like more than any other fitness magazine out there. Thankfully, I still get it. They take fitness to another level. They have had this 6 part series of articles on fitness at a cellular level. There was this particular article on stress that I found oh so interesting and I'm really trying hard to incorporate into my life. Especially since, from Thanksgiving-Christmas I have insomnia. It's not the first year this has happened, and it probably won't be the last. Come about 3 or 4 AM I'm awake...laying there. I have been turning on my light to read for a while, hoping I'll fall back asleep. Poor Scott.

BUT, it's this article that I kept saying "oh this is good" to Scott to while I read it. It's called In Praise of Plenty. It pretty much sums up how I look at food. Cathrine Guthrie starts the article out, by talking about how more and more Americans are over weight (no news flash there), but she points out that a lot of Americans have stopped viewing food as a pleasurable experience, it's become something that many fear and restrict. It's funny how the grocery store offers more than 40,000 different food types, but many of those are lacking in nutritional value. She outlines a five step guide (are you ready?):

Step 1: Prioritize Plants. Yep, eat more fruits and vegetables. We aren't getting enough, and we need more. They are full of bulk, and you fill fuller when you eat more. When you just eat less, you set your brain up to fail. You look at your empty plate, and you are left feeling deprived. Not good.

Step 2: Seek Hormonal Balance. According to some, obesity is related to insulin. If you eat the majority of your calories from refined carbohydrates, your insulin spikes. However, if you are eating foods rich in complex carbs (foods like vegetables, whole grains, legumes) they produce a steady flow of insulin. The higher the insulin levels, the more fat you accumulate.

Step 3: Enjoy Variety. If you eat a wide variety of foods, not only will your taste buds be happier and you will crave foods less, but your nutritional needs are more likely to be met.

Step 4: Adopt a Traditional Diet. The author of the articles points out that back in our Grandmother's day everybody got along just fine on a diet of whole foods. "Your great-grandmother's approach to eating probably didn't involve a lot of reduced-fat or low- cal diet foods, nor did it include a lot of drive thru fare or precessed snacks."

Step 5: Eat Mindfully. We need to tune into the food we are eating. We should sit down, at the table and enjoy family meals more. "When food becomes an aesthetic experience, the brain and gut align and the body feels more nourished."

Anyway, that's just a brief overview, if you find this info at all interesting go check out that article in full detail. Happy eating.