And so I say, pffffffft! It's time we bust all the paradigms....put to bed the images that sit snugly in our mind's eye...including a few others which I've adopted as my own over the years. The other side of the coin, so to speak. Let's take a look, shall we?
1. Lunch should be consumed incidentally and with minimal attention, while working feverishly at one's desk.
2. Lunch should consist of minimal content and nourishment, saving as many calories as possible for dinner, the clear and present favorite of mealtimes, and not only because wine is permitted.
3. Lunch should be avoided if possible because, like breakfast, once you eat it, you'll be hungry the rest of the day.
4. You don't really HAVE to eat lunch. It's really more of a guideline.
Sense an eating disorder? Yeah, me too. I think it's safe to say I represent the ladies who DON'T lunch. I have to wonder where this began, this obsession with food...what to eat and what not to eat, when to and when not to eat, what to avoid and how much guilt need be endured when I don't. Who did this to me? And why? I suppose none of this is nearly as important as my health at the moment. I'm 49 years old and the joys of menopause packed an extra 20 pounds on me over a period of months. I have a ten year old perfect child and a husband. I have a handful of gifts about which I have great passion that fit nicely into career categories. I figure if I play my cards right, I've got another 50 years. And I gotta think that playing my cards right somehow involves eating...in a generally healthy manner...and with some regularity.
And so it begins. The journey of self-discovery and great health. And for me, it begins with lunch......consumed at a decent interval between breakfast and dinner. This of course assumes that I eat breakfast. We'll tackle that one later.
Ever think that maybe we think way too much about what we eat, and when we eat it? Now bear with me for a possible paradigm shift. Observe your dog for a day. What do you feed him? I feed Daisy a cup of kibble in the morning and a cup of kibble in the evening. Same kibble twice a day every day of her life. I thought about that one day, and I realized that I get into trouble because I think too much about what I eat. I have too many options. I get into trouble because there's very little regularity to my eating habits, so I decided to change that. And no, I don't eat dogfood now, but I rarely alternate my breakfast choice because I found the perfect formula to ensure that I'm not hungry before lunch. And lunch is a focus on nutrition and energy not taste with very little variety...and I never miss it. By afternoon, I'm rarely hungry the rest of the day, and it's easier to avoid going off the deep end when I have real choices for dinner. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant. The idea of eating the same foods with any regularity has long been bashed and held as an example of BAD eating habits. You know, variety is the spice of life. Whatever, people. As it turns out, we're all different, and eating "success" means very different things to each of us. And despite my general food snobbery and thorough enjoyment of truly fabulous consumables, I am comfortable with the foods that I eat with great regularity. Simple salads, fruit, peanut butter, cheese, pasta, legumes, and lots of water.
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