Fragment: FOOD

My eating habits are not understood nor accepted by most of the people around me. Sometimes, I am proud of my ways, but other times, it gets rather annoying to have to explain myself. I've even begun considering if it is possible that I suffer from some sort of eating disorder (?!?!?!). NAH!

About 8 years ago, I decided to make some changes in my eating. After gaining the freshman 15--thanks to overeating, constant snacking, chocolate chip cookies 'a la mode' for dessert every night--and noticing the first signs of stretch marks on my thighs (due to rapid weight change), I decided to stop the consumption of soda, fried food, fast food, junk food, candy or anything artificially flavored, etc. I also started cutting my serving sizes in half. If I felt like eating 4 slices of pizza, I'd only eat 2. If I wanted a plate FULL of pasta, I'd only serve myself half of the plate. Moreover, I changed from refined sugar to brown sugar, from white rice to brown rice and from white bread to wheat bread.

I never considered this NEW way of eating to be a diet. I've heard diets are painfully hard to follow, and this change was not hard at all. Instead of using the word DIET, I thought EATING HABIT was a more appropriate term. This eating habit was not as much about cutting out foods, but more about making better choices. For example, if I had the option of french fries AND mashed potatoes at the school cafeteria, which do you think I'd now choose?

Choosing better foods made me feel healthy and good about myself, immediately, and BONUS! I started losing weight ;) I felt my body appreciative of the food I was consuming, and 'til this day, all the eating rules I invented back then, still apply:

No fried food, no junk food, no fast food? WHAT?! I get weirded out faces all the time here in the Dominican Republic, where fried plantains are a signature culinary treat, and Wendy's and McDonald's a sign of progress (?). I'm so sorry for disappointing, but I live by this philosophy now more than ever: if fried stuff make you fat and clogs your arteries, what's the point?!

I know that I've become very faithful to my eating theories and can sometimes seem radical, but I can't just take a break like some people ask me to do. At this point, my taste buds reject those foods I've left behind.

Nevertheless, over the holidays, I tried to relax a bit and ate a couple of french fries (uuuuuuu!) and even had Wendy's for dinner one night!!! I couldn't believe it; I hadn't done so in years! My brothers, my niece and my nephew were so proud of me :D --I felt nasty afterwards, tho'-- shhhhhh ;)

Here's an interesting article on fried food...a MUST read:

http://www.brighthub.com/health/diet-nutrition/articles/31154.aspx

Happy EATING!