Healthy Eating for the Fat Bottomed

We may make the rockin' world go 'round, but big butts make jeans hard to get into. Trust me, I know.

Let's face it, we writers spend the vast majority of our time sitting. And sitting pretty much all day everyday is not good for the waistline, but it's also not good for health in general. We need to make sure that we put as much effort into the well-being of our bodies as we do our WIPs.

I am by no means the first writer out in the blogosphere to address this fact.

You guys might have already heard about Jamie's (Mithril Wisdom) Zombie Fitness Fridays.

Or how about Vic Caswell's (Hairnets and Hopes) Round to Well-Rounded Challenge?

These are great things to get involved in because, honestly, doing something as a group is so much easier than going it alone. In fact, I signed up for Vic's challenge last week. There's a facebook group and everything.

Now, you guys might remember the post I had last week in which I mentioned daily migraines I'd been getting for about a month. After a lot of guessing and testing theories, I came to the conclusion that I have a sensitivity to gluten. And boy did you readers come through for me! I'm still combing through all the information you shared. But I've pretty much come to the conclusion that today's "wheat" is bad for everyone. So, a lot of the recipes I share with you will reflect this fact.

I know, I know.

Eating healthy means eating bland, gross things and the end to ever enjoying food again, right?

Wrong!!

Eating healthy (at least to me*) means eating REAL. Real food is better than fake food. And yes, there's fake food out there. It's called "processed." And there's certain variations and extents to processed food, but a good rule of thumb is that if it comes in a box, it's fake (or at least has a significant portion of fake** products mixed all in with the real stuff--this is not good). Your body can't process "processed" food (see what I did there? See???? :P) as well as real food. So yeah, there may technically be less fat, but that's because your body can't digest it in the first place. Or there may be less cholesterol but that's because the real food comes from an animal and the fake food comes from a lab.

Also, I think there's way too much emphasis put on calories and fat nowadays. We're giving up food that is jam-packed with nutrients because there's a little more fat in it than its lab-produced counterpart. Instead of obsessing about just one component of good health, we should make sure that whatever is going into our mouths is the best for us.

Since starting my diet, I haven't had to do any type of portion control. I merely eat until I am no longer hungry. And I'm still losing weight.

Also, I like having control over what I eat. This is why things like weight watchers, etc. don't really work for me. I'm pretty experimental in my cooking and having someone tell me what to make pretty much ends the diet.

So the first recipe I have to share with you is something I found online and tweaked to my liking. Remember that any recipe you see can (and should) be tweaked to suit your personal tastes. Also, recipes tend to be good bases for other recipes. So I may use strawberries in the following, but you should think of other types of fruits you can use instead to add variety to your meals.

Strawberry Vinaigrette 


1 1/3 Cup fresh or frozen strawberries, chopped
   1/3 Cup chicken broth (not bullion cubes--way too much MSG)
      2 Tablespoons sugar
   1-2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar (depending on preference)
2 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
      2 teaspoons of your favorite gourmet mustard (can be dijon, if you like. I shop at Aldi and like to use their Deutsche Kuche, Mild Mustard with Herbs)***

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Put in an airtight container.

Remember that this vinaigrette does not have preservatives in it and should be consumed within a couple of weeks.


I use this salad dressing on pretty much every salad I make, but my favorite salad (lately) has included romaine lettuce, spinach, sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, sliced almonds, goat cheese, and chicken. And I know what you may be thinking. That to be on a diet you have to eat salad all the time. You really don't. I just happen to like salads. And that's the key. You eat what you like, but you make sure it's the healthiest it can be.

Enjoy!!

*I am by no means an expert on the subject of food, nor do I have "Dr" in front of my name or a nifty science related diploma hanging on my wall. But I HAVE done a lot of research on the subject. I've read quite a few books by people who do have those things and I've also put my research into practice. But please do your own research as well. I certainly don't want to be accused of leading someone astray. :)


**fake meaning there had to be some type of scientific manipulation to produce the end product, rather than just picking something out of the ground, or from a tree, or out of the water, etc.


***Whatever ingredients you do choose to use, just make sure there's no MSG or high-fructose corn syrup (or wheat, if you are gluten intolerant)


EDIT:

I forgot to add that when you eat, you SHOULD make sure there is some type of healthy fat with your meal. Fat helps your body absorb nutrients.