by Rob Hueniken on Thursday, February 18, 2010
|
Sandwich in a bowl :
Tuna, cucumber and
two types of peppers.
Sure it’s a salad but I
got it at a sandwich bar.
Just ask for a bowl
instead of bread ! |
Unlike other “diets”, the Paleo diet is actually a food lifestyle connecting us to our strong and healthy ancestors. As you can tell from its other names, the Stone-age diet and the Hunter-gatherer diet, the Paleo diet isn’t chock full of bread, cereal or deep-fried anything.
“Going Paleo” means eating the great foods that were available before agriculture and livestock turned humans from lean, fit people into slow-moving eating machines.
Rich in meats, vegetables, fruit and nuts, the Paleo diet provides both strength and nutrition. And because it’s a complete and filling way to eat, it isn’t a “diet” that leaves you aching for your next cheat. |
I started going Paleo a month ago, on the advice of my fitness trainer. He loaned me a good book, called “The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Food You Were Designed to Eat“. The key words in that title are “Eating the Food You Were Designed to Eat“. It’s a phrase the sugar/salt/fat merchants will never be able to claim.
It’s a refreshing change that has me feeling good, and appreciating good food.
Over the past month I’ve had a lot of successes:
• I’ve learned there are lots of tasty and satisfying ways to serve meat and veggies.
• I’ve discovered it is easier than I thought to leave the blandness of potatoes, bread and rice behind.
• I’ve found that not only salad bars but sandwich shops are fun places. Ask for a bowl instead of bread!
• I’ve rediscovered how delicious fruit is, all by itself.
And without even trying I’ve lost 6 of the many extra pounds I’ve been carrying around.
Yes, I am happy to be going Paleo !
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Paleo,
Paleo diet,
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weight loss
by Rob Hueniken on Saturday, October 3, 2009
The finishing moment of many pleasant restaurant meals is having a fortune cookie. Dropped off with the cheque, fortune cookies are a final treat, and usually a source of optimistic wisdom. So it surprised me when I opened my fortune cookie to find this message: “You may be hungry soon: order a takeout now.”
At first I thought that the cookie writer was expanding upon an old joke about Chinese food burning off quickly, but then I read it again.
Yes, I would be hungry soon — not “may be hungry soon”. I would want something to eat, and I would get something to eat. It might not be takeout food from this restaurant that I would eat, but I would definitely be eating again, and soon.
The marketing machine of North America knows full well [even though they are always hungry] that eating is a major source of profit in the world.
With the triple power-house of sugar, fat and salt, the food industries tempt our tongues with textures and our eyes with scenes of happy, shared moments — much to the detriment of our stomachs and our health. In an entertainment-focused society it is not surprising that the marketing machine would be churning out food as a source of pleasure and spending.
Most people can’t even say they actually experience hunger, because hunger has an element of duration. We are never hungry for long here in the land of enormous meals and endless snack food.
Like most people, I love eating, and I love sharing meals with family and friends. But what I don’t like is the continuous eating pressure beamed at us via TV, radio, print ads and now fortune cookies.
We all know that food is essential for our health, and good food in good quantities can help us be healthy.
I think the writer of this fortune cookie inadvertently crossed a line and opened a Pandora’s box of awareness for me. He helped me see just how relentless and widespread eating pressure is in our society.
It has made me aware, and I will be watching food ads now with more care and attention.
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Tagged as:
Entertainment,
Food,
fortune cookie,
healthy,
hunger,
hungry,
Life,
lifestyle,
marketing,
People,
Personal,
snacking
by Rob Hueniken on Monday, September 14, 2009
There is no place like home, and no smell as inviting and soothing as a home-cooked meal. My great fortune is having a Mom who shows love through her cooking, and she loves us a lot!
This past weekend my wonderfully extended family made the drive to visit my Mom and Dad — an experience that I always look forward to. Sure, there might be a question or two I’d rather not think about, or a medical status that I wish were different, but smoothing it all into a loving and joyful haze is the smell of my Mom’s cooking.
There might be a lot wrong with both me and the world, but when I am immersed in the smell of my Mom’s meatloaf, gravy and pear cake I find my cares evaporating like steam off the potatoes.
A few years ago my Mom and I sat down and wrote out some of her recipes. Over the next month I tested them out, and convinced myself that I could indeed make her cherry crumb cake.
But what I cannot duplicate is the spirit of my parents’ home — its unique blend of humor, hospitality and comfort. And because of that I treasure each time I get to experience it.
This past week I worked side by side in my own kitchen with my daughter, going over my own standard recipes so that she can make them when she is on her own. We made spaghetti with meat sauce, which millions of people make every day. But in our family there is a special ingredient — though not a secret ingredient. It is my Mom’s homemade pear jam — a taste of the spirit of home.
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Tagged as:
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home,
Life,
lifestyle,
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People,
Personal,
spaghetti
