healthy appetite

I was originally going to do a post about pumpkin pie today (which is probably the best thing about Thanksgiving IMO) but after reading Gene's recent post at Eat, Drink, Man* I decided to take a little detour from my usual food blogging to talk about staying healthy.

Let's face it - as food bloggers, most of us tend to cook or eat foods that are often considered "unhealthy" for the sake of our blogs. Foods that are fried, high in fat/cholesterol, filled with sugar, finished with butter... They're all delicious but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that eating these on a daily basis have negative consequences to your health.

I get this question all the time: "What do you eat? Is it stuff like you have on the blog everyday?" The answer is...NO. While some things on my blog are pretty healthy (like this carne asada), the rest...not so much (see bone marrows). If I ate stuff like bone marrow on a daily basis, I'd be back to my old self - overweight, unfit and a walking disease.

 (en papillote fish is another healthy way to enjoy delicious food)

That's right folks, I used to be one of those fat kids. Going into my freshman year of college, I was double digits too heavy and eating some of the unhealthiest things you could imagine. It wasn't until sophomore year when I realized that I needed to change my self-destructive ways if I wanted to stay healthy for the rest of my life. I started to take into consideration what and how much I was eating and started to exercise. Long story short, I traded in my keg for packs, became fit and gained a healthy appetite while maintaining my love for food. So what do I eat when I'm not eating the stuff I make for the blog?

It usually varies but this is my go to - simply roasted chicken breast with a side of vegetable and grains. The vegetable of the day really depends on what I have in the fridge (and how lazy I am) and the grain's usually rice or couscous. This could be boring and it certainly was until I learned more about cooking but there are simple and healthy ways to improve the flavor of these seemingly plain items.

For the couscous, instead of using water and finishing it with butter, I use low sodium chicken stock, swap the butter for a little extra-virgin olive oil and finish the couscous with lemon juice or white wine vinegar and add chopped cilantro or parsley. It's healthier for you and it tastes better than your plain couscous. As for the vegetables, it's usually green peas, a romaine salad (plain or with a lemon vinaigrette) or steamed broccoli/carrots. Worst case scenario, I always have kimchi on hand.

Eating healthy doesn't have to be boring - you just need to think of creative ways to make your meals exciting. There's nothing wrong with indulging in your favorite foods in moderation and gluttony can be okay as long as it's only on rare and special occasions. Life (as well as cooking) is about balance and moderation. Develop a consistent exercise program, be conscious of what and how much you eat, drink alcohol in moderation, quit smoking and live each day with a positive attitude to stay in good health. Trust me- it'll save you a LOT of money on drugs in the long-run.

* Gene is a local Atlanta food blogger who I really admire and respect. Phenomenal writing/storytelling, great recipes and beautiful photographs - overall an inspiring and kickass food journal. If it wasn't for Eat, Drink, Man I would've never discovered or met other Atlanta bloggers out there. Thanks again G