's motd Friday July 2, 2010

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MIGHT AS WELL FACE IT, YOU'RE ADDICTED TO...FOOD!

Friday, 02 July 2010

At an early age, we ate what our parents or grandparents made for us. And if your folks were like mine, they'd add a dose of love to everything they made for you. And the more you ate those tasty foods, the more addicted you got to certain flavors.

The first flavor I got addicted to was salt. When I went to get a PO-Boy sandwich in the French Quarter, there was always a huge salt shaker right there on the counter. Plus, I'm telling you, they really salted all of their foods. The fried oysters, their jambalaya, their fried crab legs...all contained lots of salt. (And boy, were they ever good!) Back home at the dinner table, we practiced that great American family ritual, the passing of the salt shaker. Ladies first...so my mother shook the salt before passing it on to my father. Then my older brother, Lenny, would get his turn before the salt finally made it to my spot at the table. That was fine with me because I kept it right there next to my plate. (You know, in case anything I was eating needing "re-salting!")

The next flavor my taste buds learned to loved was grease, that is...fat! There was always fresh butter in the fridge and we kept a can of lard in the kitchen, too. We fried everything, even vegetables, sometimes. Did you ever have fried green beans? (Believe me, you'd never go back to the "naked" ones.) Once a week, my father would make us fried green tomatoes. (They're a southern delicacy, you know.) And when we went out to eat and I perused the menu, I always looked for the "F" word...as in fried! Now, not that I needed another flavor to be addicted to but there is one more. (And you knew this was coming.) I was addicted to...sweets! I know we've talked about this one before but oh yes, there were always cakes, candies and cookies in the pantry at 926 St. Louis Street in New Orleans. There were several wonderful bakeries in the French Quarter, each of them within walking distance of our house. At the age of five, I was already eating fancy desserts like Napoleons. The Napoleon was layers and layers of buttery, thin pastry and vanilla custard topped with layers of chocolate. And there was another fancy dessert called Marie Antoinette. It was like a cherry pie, topped with caramelized pecans and candied cherries. The top of the pie was done in a latticework design so pretty, it looked as if it belonged in a museum. Uh, pass me a fork please!

But these three flavors, (we all got addicted to), can also get us in a whole lotta trouble with our weight and our health. See, if you consume too much salt, you could end up with high blood pressure. If you consume too much grease, it can clog your arteries and lead to a heart attack. And that addiction to sugar can lead to diabetes and, as a result, could even cause the loss of your eyesight. So, let me ask you, are any of these addictions worth the health problems they may cause? Well, of course they aren't!It's time to undo you addictions and put healthier flavors in your mouth. I'm talking about flavors that won't cause health problems or lead to weight gain. And how do you stop your addictions to these flavors? Well, for one thing, by not bringing the foods you're addicted to into your house and not ordering them when you eat out. I know, it's not easy to beat those addictions but...you can beat them. You beat them with hard work, determination and by learning to say...NO!Love,