I WANT A COOKIE, MOMMY!

Lets start at the beginning, a very good place to start.  When we were little foodies, it was common for a cookie to be a reward and/or pacifer.  Mommies say things like, "If you're good, you can have a cookie," or "You won't get desert unless you finish your veggies".  Hmmmm....lets analyze, shall we?  The equation looks like this: veggies = punishment whereas sugar = reward.  What child wants to suffer through their veggies?  Just gimme a cookie!!!  No wonder we're all jazzed up about the way we think about food.

Now lets think about emotions and food.  If you're stressed out, what do you want?  If you're lonely, what do you reach for?  Depressed? Treating yourself?  Celebrating?  We can justify a splurge for nearly every emotion we experience.  Stir in low blood sugar and you have yourself one hek of a disaster.

The other day I was running errands all afternoon. Before I left my house I grabbed a banana guessing  my normal lunch time would be altered on account of my chores.  I turned down a wrong street in a new neighborhood and voila...my lunch time got pushed WAY back.  I was glad my banana was sitting shot gun, it kept me from pulling over and getting fast food.  But it hit me like a TON of bricks....I'm hungry and irritated.....I WANT FOOD!!  I was angry because I could not find the store I was looking for and the minutes kept ticking away.  I was surrounded by golden arches, Taco Bell's and Burger Kings.
I nearly caved.

The thoughts racing through my head: "Get food.  Eat hot and greasy food.  Very angry, eat whatever you want."  I was looking at a possible fast food frenzy!!  I thought about my savvy foodies and kept on the straight and narrow.  It's not easy and it takes a lot of retraining.  I did reward myself with some fat-free frozen yogurt AFTER I had a spinach and veggie salad.  I'm an advocate for rewards, but I'm savvy about them.


With education, dedication and a commitment to being a savvy foodie it is possible to resist temptations.  It takes awhile to retrain the brain.  I have to think about food in a different way and stop letting sugar be a reward.  It's a treat, sure.  But my reward comes from never having to think maternity pants are the only comfy pants again!!  WHOOP!

Quit your diet!!

Do you ever remember a time when you were NOT 'on a diet'?  I have heard of the few random people out there who are trying to put weight on, but for the rest of us mere mortals...we're always watching what we eat.

With the exception of the occasional weekend cheat feast or a Holiday free-for-all, if you're reading my blog chances are you've considered yourself to be 'on a diet'.  My definition of a savvy foodie: a smart-minded individual making good choices about the food they put in their mouth.  Guess what else I define as being savvy...diet free foodies!  Can I get an AMEN?!?!

The word 'diet' is a four letter word and should be banished from everyone's vocabulary.  Every time you say the word, you owe me a quarter!  Current research is proving diet products can be useless.  I hear the word and shudder.  I equate it with deprivation.  I have lots of savvy friends who say things like: "Tomorrow my diet will start" or "I'll get back on my diet after this meal".  It's heart breaking!  These words translate into failure.  Feelings of guilt usually follow.  Food is meant for us to enjoy and be nourished.  So you know what I say...to hek with it!  Who needs to feel deprived in a world that is already stressful enough.  Stop the madness and quit your diet, TODAY!

Stop being a slave to guilt.  If you want to eat a cheeseburger and fries and you're fairly convinced you'll die if you don't eat it...GO FOR IT!  There are ways to be savvy about your passion for greasy goodness.  When you get the burger and fries skip the bun, use half the ketchup, have a few french fries and eat slowly.  If you think you won't be able to resist temptation you can ruin the rest.  I tried this with a piece of pie and my grandmother nearly fainted as I poured pepper over the pie we were not going to consume.  She wasn't used to trashing uneaten food, but it certainly kept me from mindlessly consuming added calories.

Here's the thing, you have to carefully select the meals you want to splurge on.  Plan ahead!  If there's an event that you know you won't want to be as savvy as you usually are, maybe skip the greasy meals that week in preparation for the upcoming splurge.

If you order wine with dinner, don't get desert.  If you have an appetizer with your savvy spouse, perhaps you can split your dinner entree.  This takes some compromise on both parts so it's best to figure it out before hand.

A savvy foodie also knows the importance of being physically active.  If I know I'm not liking the way I'm fitting in my jeans, and I refuse to eradicate my cheeseburger, I'll make sure my butt is at the gym as much as possible.  Go to a class and stay for the full hour.  Do an activity that you know you enjoy, otherwise you'll fall off the exercise wagon.

There are ways to have the food you truly enjoy and still maintain a healthy lifestyle.  The two are not incompatible.  It simply takes some planning ahead, dedication, will power and a large pepper mill always at hand!

Here are some of the tricks this savvy foodie employs:

• Skip what you really can do without
• Plan ahead and omit some portion of the appetizer, dinner, desert and wine
• Think about your week in advance so you can plan a good cheat meal (or two) ahead of time
• If you know something is coming up, get your booty to the gym
• Eat slowly so your tummy can fill up in time with your brain to say 'STOP EATING'
• If you don't like something, for heaven's sake don't eat it
• Pack a lot of veggies into your mealS.  Veggies are rich in fiber and fill us up with yummy goodness, not just senseless calories
• QUIT YOUR DIET

Go out there a live your life!  Enjoy what you love and before you know it you'll be a savvy foodie, without even thinking about it!

One life

This song by James Morrison really got me thinking.  We only have one life.  It's such a simple idea but yet many of us take it for granted.  We excuse our bad choices.  We justify procrastination.  We think 'tomorrow is another day'.  We only have this one life.  

I've heard all the cliche sayings: "Live like you're dying", "Live without regret", "Do what makes you happy" and things like "If I could only know what I do now, I'd go back to kick my younger self in the butt."  These so-called 'motivational' sayings are usual heard out of the mouths of people who have been struck with multiple struggles.  It's usually something that hits us after we face an obstacle.  We grow stronger, change our ways and perhaps we get on a savvier path.  But for so many folks, if something scares them they'll change temporarily and then slip into their old ways.  It's human nature.  

Until we actually alter our habits and believe we can do better, this is when true change happens.  If we do it for an non-organic reason, we're wasting our efforts.  We have to believe in ourselves.  It's not easy.  Easy is sitting on a couch and steering clear of challenges.  

I'm so touched when I see people prioritize their health and sincerely want better for their one life.  These folks are inspirational.  Challenges can be beautiful.  Pain is a feeling we cannot be afraid of.  It's never too late to change ourselves and make our one life even better.  Live it right!