Temptation

We live in a world full of temptations. On every corner, you'll find a McDonald's, Tim Hortons (or other donut shop), and pizza place. It is a hostile world when you are watching what you eat. My bestest girl friend in the world described "dieting" as rehab. I have to agree. When watching what you eat and trying to make better life choices, rehab sounds about right.

Emotional eating is a trap. You feel bad, so you eat. You eat, and you feel bad. Sound familiar? That rollercoaster is one ride that is not fun. We are addicted to bad food. Trying to rehabilitate your eating habits with so much access to bad food is a very hard feat.

On any given day, I walk past a McDonald's, two donut shops, Subway, and another fast food joint. I'm not including the three convenience stores and three greasy spoon/grill establishments. That is within a 10 minute walk from my house. I make that walk a few times a week. Every time I make that walk, I think "I'll stop in. Just one won't be an issue". That is when I shake my head and yell at myself for thinking that. No, one will lead to two, etc. These establishments feed on us weak people. They are contributing to the obesity epidemic that plagues North America. People can be weak, looking for a quick and easy bite, and want the convenience. They are convenient, I'll give them that. Gotta love the "eat now, think later" mentality. Makes me think of that saying "a moment on the lips, forever on the hips". So true. It takes a lot to burn off one of those "meals" that cost you almost a full day of your caloric allotment. To think, our youth are eating this junk every day.

I guess you can say "fat sells". Don't get me wrong. I love fat. That has to be the old me. You could put out a spread of food in front of me that includes fries, salad, cake, fruit salad, and a soup. I guarantee you I'd be struggling to not have at least one fry or a few crumbs of cake.

I have to learn to love salads. I don't care for salads. Like John Pinett has said in his standup act I'm Starvin'!, 'salad is promise of the meal to come'. I've never craved salad. I've never woken up thinking "I could sure go for a big salad for supper or lunch". I didn't grow up eating salad.

I grew up thinking that corn and potatoes were vegetables. Pasta was a meal, and so was rice. What a shock when I learned that corn and potato are both starches, and pasta and rice do not make a full meal. Vegetables are supposed to fit in there. Surprise, surprise. This is not healthy.

Having developed an intolerance to lactose in the past year and a bit, it has really affected what I now eat. I no longer eat pizza with cheese, or other cheese-laden foods. Cheese has always been a big part of my diet. With few lactose-free cheese options, I've eliminated a number of food choices. I guess it was for the best. No more ricotta, lasagna, pizza, etc. I just have to think of the discomfort that accompanies those foods, and it is enough to scare me off. I think it was a sign.

Learning about food everyday is both interesting and frustrating!

Lisa