's motd Monday March 21, 2011

[Guest guest]

FRIEND OR FOE?

Monday, 21 March 2011

At a very young age, food became

"my friend". And I'm telling you, I took this friend

of mine with me everywhere. If I had to run an errand

for my parents, I'd always take a candy bar along with

me. (That way, I was not "alone".) And I always

stopped at a market in the French Quarter to buy a

snack to nibble on as I walked to school. Food was

with me at the movie theatre. After I bought my

ticket, I couldn't wait to head for the concession

counter to load up on popcorn, my box of Milk Duds and

a big-old cup of ice-cold Coca-Cola. I'm telling you,

when I was with my friend, food, I felt secure.

But as I gained more and more weight, my attitude

began to change. I started thinking of food as "my

enemy." I mean, how could something so delicious do

what it was doing to my body? Food was making me

fat.

And after declaring it my enemy,

I'd do terrible things to my food in an effort not to

eat it. For instance, I'd sprinkle so much black

pepper on my food that I couldn't eat it.

Or I'd drown the food on my plate with salt. Now it

was ruined! Then I'd throw the whole plate of food

out as I declared...I hate you!

How about you? I have to tell you, after all of these

years struggling with your weight, food should be your

friend nor foe. It's time for you to have a

whole new understanding of what food means for your

body, your weight and your health. Food is

supposed to nourish you. It has a purpose and

that is to keep your body strong and healthy. Now

this new understanding of food is going to take you a

little bit of time to put into practice. Hey, it took

me a while.

Today, before I prepare a meal for

myself, I think about what my body needs opposed to

what my taste buds love. I eat fresh fruits and

vegetables so that the fiber in those foods can

help me stay "regular". And I eat fiber-rich foods

because they're loaded with vitamins my body needs to

stay strong. It's also important to eat lean

proteins. Protein helps build strong bones and

muscles. Low-fat diary products will help

your bones and muscle, too. I also eat healthy

fats, like the ones you get from olive oil and

avocados. And then there are smart carbs

like the sweet potatoes and yams we talked about last

week.

When you think about the foods you eat that will

nourish and take good care of your body, you'll begin

to have a taste for them...the right foods.

And when you begin building a library of healthy

recipes, you'll better appreciate how good healthy

foods can taste while, at the same time, nourishing

your body. Now there's a good deal!

If you want to learn how to eat the healthiest of

foods, then you should go to my store and get

yourself a Foodmover. The Foodmover will teach

you all about the right size portions you should be

eating from the six major food groups everyday.

And oh yeah, just so you know, I brought this message

to you today because...that's what friends are

for!

Love,