Is It Really Time for Dinner?

This evening I was frustrated because my husband and I arrived home from a weekend trip, and I had nothing planned for supper.

I immediately reached for one of my cookbooks for using fresh produce, but I was coming up with nothing that appealed to me. Why was that? I'm telling everyone to eat whole foods as much as possible, and I was flaking out on them!

Then I realized something. I wasn't that hungry.

That was a pivotal moment. I remembered that I had a large breakfast (eggs benedict with spinach) as we traveled back from Colorado Springs to Grand Junction; and then we each had an avocado, tomato and cheese sandwich, along with with apple slices and almonds, mid-afternoon. No wonder I had no appetite for a full dinner meal.

So I drove to the store and picked up some prepared chicken noodle soup from the deli area, and a few small squares of jalapeno corn bread. I heated the soup, cut a couple of slices of  the cornbread for the side, and we were set.

The soup portions weren't large; about a cup and a half for each of us, but it was plenty.

Here's the take-away.

We are so conditioned to eating full meals in the evening that it may feel strange not to do it.

True enough, the soup wasn't prepared in my kitchen, and neither was the corn bread. Had I prepared a meal of fresh, whole foods, I probably would have served up larger portions, along with some pasta.

But quite often, "less is more," and ideally we're better off putting less food into our stomachs in the evening; and eating more earlier in the day.

Think about it. We probably spend more on stocking up for dinner in the evening than for any other meal.

Less food at night could mean a lot more savings on your grocery bill!

A World View of Food

I've noticed over the past few years that there have been a number of international viewers of this blog.

As you've seen, I am passionate about sharing how good food can empower our lives in so many ways; by making us healthier, more focused, and less wasteful of our time, our energy and our money. It's the one area of our lives we can exercise some control.

Whole foods and clean water is the currency of the future; it's where our true wealth lies. If you've read my blogs, you see that my main message is that healthy eating is affordable health care.

I invite comments from my readers, particularly those beyond our borders, to share with me how they view food and how people relate to it within their own cultures.

I truly believe we can simplify and enrich our lives by simplifying our eating habits.

How do you see it? I'd like to know ~

Eating Is a "Mind" Thing

For those who are "single minded," I'm convinced that life "flows" and that food has its proper place.

Whole foods get by-passed as conduits to good health when our attention is divided. In those situations, it is all too easy to mindlessly go about our day, yanked from one distraction to another, and not a clue of what foods we've eaten, or how much.

It's easy to feel bad about the whole thing when we can't seem to keep the promises we make to ourselves.

But when we're on different "channels" or energy frequencies, our choices are simply going to be different. The higher the frequency, the better the choices. The lower the frequency; well, we're talking a McDonald's whopper with fries.

To put it differently, a higher frequency would be a positive frame of mind. Negative thoughts put you on a lower frequency. Positive thoughts lead to better choices. Negative thoughts do you no favors.

Unfortunately, when negative thoughts kick in, it's very difficult to control the emotions. And the more stressed we are, the stronger and more frequent the negative thoughts and emotions. As a result we feel out of control, and emotional eating directs our food choices.

What to do?

The solution is "mindfulness." Paying attention. Focusing.

So much easier said than done when we feel so responsible for how things turn out. That misguided belief puts us in a mode of constantly responding to what's outside of us, rather than being directed from the inside.

The only way to change that is to pay attention to what we're feeling and what we're doing in this very moment.

Contemplate that while you enjoy an apple!

A Garden Can Be Your Financial Life Boat

I heard a news commentator today say that more than 37 million Americans can't find full time work.

They're struggling, and it doesn't appear that there's any solution in site at the national level. We owe too much money. On paper, we're fiscally bankrupt.

If people haven't read about it, they feel it. We are living in a time of inevitable transition, and in our guts we know we're in for a rocky ride.

But if we step outside and look around, we know that our true equity isn't on paper. It's us, and our ability to be resourceful.

If we think of what we really need, it's good food, and that can be as close as our own backyards. You can grow food in an area about the size of the bed of a pick-up truck.

For instance, I think of Swiss chard, those elephant-ear sized greens from the spinach family, but surprising pack much more nutrients. It's easy to grow, and you can cook it up in soups or pasta sauces, or saute' it in a pan along with some onions and garlic. Once it gets to your stomach, it can begin processing all that "medicine" to deliver a dose of health to your cells.(It can even survive into the winter if you cover it!)

I use this space to write about the abundance of nutrients available in fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains because I've seen the difference good food can make in a variety of health conditions. In these days of concerns over the future of health care in this country, it should be of some comfort to know that we can access a veritable pharmacy in a garden.

An Encore for Fiber

Barring any medical conditions that are aggravated by eating lots of fiber, most people would probably find that it's a silver bullet for reducing sugar cravings, becoming healthier, and, yes, losing weight.

Food journals are useful for tracking your eating patterns, just like you would track your spending. But at the end of the day, the result is the same surprise at how much you are eating ~ or spending.

But if you're focusing on fiber, all you need is to add. Basically you're just counting up the fiber grams, veritable deposits in your physical health account.

You can Google the fiber grams for various fruits, vegetables and nuts, but to simplify it for you, a 1/2 cup serving for most of them contains about 3 - 4 grams.

But if you set a goal to eat 35 to 40 grams of fiber every day, you really have to eat plenty of good stuff to reach that amount. You can't eat junk because there's little fiber in processed foods. Not only that, you WON"T eat junk if you're lasered in on getting enough fiber because you won't have enough room in your tummy!

What's not to like about that approach?

Of Food and Fiber

If you want your nutrition strategy in a word, it's "fiber."

It's a veritable "silver bullet," guaranteed to reduce cravings, shed pounds; and clear your arteries, as well as your head.

To gain such impressive results, especially if you're dealing with any of those illnesses that result from inflammation in the body, you probably need to get at least 30 to 35 grams of fiber ~ ideally, closer to 40.

That said, eating well couldn't be simpler!

That's because you have to eat a lot to get that much fiber, and you won't find it in the bad stuff! It resides in the pulp and the skins and the sinew of fruits and vegetables. Nuts and beans are also good sources of fiber.

So it's not about "going without", because once you start making regular fiber deposits in your diet, your cravings for things like sugar, fat and salt won't be as great.

Not a small part of this journey is drinking water. It's the elixir of life!

They've been telling us to drink eight glasses of water a day for as long as I can remember (which is a very long time!). There's good reason. Water helps to flush out all the toxins that break loose from your liver as you eat these very cleansing foods.

The good news is you don't have to be a cook, or follow a bunch of recipes.

A meal can be as simple as cooking up some rice, and spooning some sauteed veggies over it. Or you can prepare a baked potato, but instead of adding butter and sour cream, top it with some steamed broccoli (diced), a little sauteed onion, some shredded cheddar cheese, and some black beans. Add a dollap of Greek yogurt, and you're ready to dine!

And you don't need much protein in the way of meat. A portion the size of a deck of cards is plenty, and you don't need to eat it every day.

Fiber is a great investment for your health. It's not expensive, and it can make a huge difference in how you feel.

Think of it as "affordable health care"!

Children Are Watching

Besides the benefits to my own health, probably the most unforeseen benefit of my efforts to eat well has been its effect on my granddaughters.

They've spent a lot of time with me since they were babies, and they've watched me as I've prepared food for the table. I guess I always heard that example was stronger than words, but now I know it.

(Had I "gotten it" earlier as a parent, I would have spent far less time preaching to my kids about how I thought things should be.)

My oldest granddaughter pays attention to what she eats. My daughter tells me when they visit Texas Roadhouse or a McDonald's, she's more apt to order a salad. Her younger sister, on the other hand, enjoys a wider range of foods, some good and some not so good, but at least she notices.

That's what mindful eating is all about. Just noticing.

So when you load up your grocery cart, consider what you're putting in there.

Your kids are watching.