"Diet is DIE with a T" - garfield the cat

Well, it's been two weeks since my doctor gave me the big speech. I've had to make some drastic changes - going to the gym, regular exercise and the biggest one, changing my diet. I still refuse to "go on a diet." That just doesn't work, and it sounds like failure just by the nature of it. So, in altering my diet, I decided to just concentrate more on the foods that I like that are healthy - deemphasizing those that are not so good. I like most fruits and vegetables, and "grainy" foods anyway. I'm trying to cut out processed sugars and concentrate on more whole foods. Grocery shopping sure has changed. I read labels a lot more. And I can't do the "big grocery shop" like I used to because fresh fruits & vegetables don't have the shelf life I'm used to with other things.

It hasn't been too bad so far. The only thing that has been really hard has been chips. I could live on chips and salsa. Chips and sour cream. Chips and butter. Just kidding. No chips and butter. But, I have been trying some alternatives - like different whole grain or baked chips. Some are good, some are bad. It cracks me up to read all the different suggestions from some of the magazines and sites that say things like, instead of Doritos, substitute apple slices with peanut butter. Are they for real? Have they never had Doritos? While I'm sure I would LOVE apple slices with peanut butter, it's not a substitute for the ol' nacho cheesey crunchy goodness. It's also been a little more expensive. I can't believe that it costs almost $5 for a loaf of good sprouted grain bread (and that's only gonna get worse - but that's another topic for another time). I bought a bunch of grains and whole flours and I'm breaking out the old bread maker for some experimentation. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

Bill and I have had the argument about the cost of food. I say it's cheaper to be fat. He doesn't really believe it so much. Well, I think he's beginning to. Fresh and healthy stuff is just more expensive. I say, it's cheaper to feed a family of four for 20 bucks at McD's or Taco Hell than buying something healthy. "They can make a big salad for 20 bucks." But they're not buying salads at McDonald's. Besides, if healthy food was cheaper, then most poor (American) people wouldn't be fat. No judgment, just fact. His point is that it's cheaper in the long run because you don't have as many medical expenses. But I think most people are just too short sighted to think that far ahead when making everyday decisions.

Speaking of American diets, I had a conversation with my friend Patricia about that recently. She was talking about how in Europe, they don't pasteurize their milks and cheeses, and it doesn't seem to be a problem. Here, we load EVERYTHING with chemicals. Since I'm reading more labels, I notice that a lot more. I haven't figured out the balance, but I think if the ingredient list is too long, it's a bad sign. So, stick to the short and sweet. Well, not so much the sweet anymore. ;)