We Are What We Eat
April 17, 2006
Lately, I’ve started to be seriously cautious about what I eat. I have to admit (and please don’t hate me), but I’ve never really been on a diet. I’ve always been pretty fit, slim and comfortable with my weight and body image. BUT, like my friend warned me, once I hit the big 3-0, my metabolism changed and even I could feel a change in my body! Getting back in shape after the holidays wasn’t so easy anymore, and of course, those goodies on my lower belly haven’t left me for years. I’ve never been a junk-food lover, thanks to my Japanese mother and her well-balanced healthy cooking, but I do have some sinful favorites that I just cannot resist. One of them, happens to be barbecue potato chips (kettled chips are my FAV! ).
Anyone who knows me know that food is my passion. Growing up in France, there’s nothing more rewarding than eating great food with great company. And because of my unique situation in Miami, the foodnetwork channel became my best friend and definitely my cultural culinary experience. I’ve learned so many great tricks through Rachel Ray, Giada De Laurentiis, etc… But all these great cooking skills and abundant repertoire lead to some hefty added pounds on my husband and me. And being a dancer and a future modeling job on the way, I had to get back in shape, and fast!!
Like any woman anticipating the summer beaches, I absolutely panicked! I had been working on losing a couple of pounds and building up a more efficient body for months, but nothing seemed to be working. So I decided to start yoga along with some pilates, and kept walking any chance I got. But although exercise is great, I realized that without altering how you eat, it’s really difficult to reach any substantial result. At least from my perspective, I was in need to find healthy menus and eating habits that I could stick to.
We are truly what we eat because what we put in our mouth becomes the fuel for our body to function. What we eat is usually passed on from families and cultures, and maybe from our eating habits we’ve adapted over the course of our adult lives. There’s lots of fad diets like Atkins and South Beach that people jump on, but isn’t natural, good quality food with balance and moderation, the best way to go?
Organic is the definitely what we should all be eating, but it’s pricey and difficult to afford for most of us. You have to consciously make a decision and place them as top priorities but there are other ways of eating healthy, I think. One decision that I made was to cut back on my meat consumption, especially red meat. Meat is great, but it’s hard to digest and sometimes not so needed. Especially if you live in the tropics like me, fish and fruits are a lot easier on the body. I’ve also traded in some of my old Japanese tricks for the lack of protein; tofu. It’s available in most supermarkets and it’s easy to cook. You can eat it from the package or put it in stews or soups, or pan-fry it like a steak.
So next time you try to go on a diet, don’t try something you have to think hard or refrain yourself or do something absurd. How you eat is a way of life, so work with colorful ingredients, light flavors and lots of herbs. But most of all, enjoy what you eat, and don’t forget to listen to your body. It actually tells you all the necessary information you need to know.
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