No Food Police!

Well, thank God there is no food police out there to dictate what you should and shouldn't eat for Thanksgiving! For the first time, our extended family was unavailable to celebrate with us on the actual day, so my husband, Jeff, and I decided to do something unique. We had a Mexican feast! I come from a long line of traditions being of Italian decendant, and we even honored the word "tradition" especially when it came to eating and food. Every Thanksgiving of my life entails eating a traditional turkey-like meal with all the fixings. So this was quite fun to deviate from tradition and eat something completely different. Jeff and I had a really good time cooking together. We balanced the calories by choosing low-fat cheeses, low-fat sour cream for our enchilada sauce and skinless chicken breast. The chips we ate with our Mexican meal were baked and the beans were naturally fat-free. Overall, it was a pretty balanced meal and was even enjoyed by our 2 young children.

This "food police" thought process reminds me of when I meet with many of my clients that skip breakfast daily. They do so simply because they don't like traditional breakfast food. In the U.S., we have regulations on food safety and labeling guidelines on food labels, but we don't have a regulatory agency that tells us that you must eat what the majority of people consider as breakfast food when it's breakfast, and you must eat traditional lunch and dinner food. This sounds silly when we actually think about it, but what crazy food rules do you find yourself obeying without realizing it? Think about it because it may be keeping you from meeting a healthy lifestyle goal. If one of your goals is to eat breakfast on a daily basis and you don't like the traditional breakfast fare, grab something you will eat. It may be a tuna sandwich and a salad or maybe even some of last night's dinner. Great! The bigger goal is to aim for choosing a variety of nutrient-rich foods as much as possible, and keeping your calories spaced throughout the day. This provides much flexibility. Hey, this gives me an idea for tonight's dinner....spinach and tomato omelette, anyone??