Lately, I have been hungry all the time and I have finally figured out why: Too many people around me are dieting. The January health kick-off craze has had an adverse affect on me… it is just making me want to eat bad things incessantly. I love food and think of it regularly but it has become a serious distraction. I can barely work for more than fifteen minutes without fighting the urge to break off yet another piece of chocolate from the bar stashed in my drawer. The gym is crowded with three times as many people, my yoga classes are so packed we are bumping arms and I overhear people everywhere giving a rundown of their diet plans. Perhaps as a way to balance out the universe, my mind has started encouraging me to eat enough potato chips for everyone!
I recently found the newest Hands On Gourmet newsletter in my inbox which always includes a letter from one of my favorite pals and chefs, Stephen Gibbs. Since I can’t say it better myself, I will tell you what he had to say:
It’s always a difficult thing to admit to yourself when a relationship just isn’t working out. You wake up one day after all those years with “the one” to discover that you never really knew that object of desire. Ohhhh, the long painful days suffering the loss of what you believed to be a perfect match, balanced chemistry, amore! Guilt drives you to desperately try to figure out what went wrong. But in the end, you know that you just have to walk the other way and give up on all of those silly diets, right?
That’s right folks, diets. Now that it’s a New Year, lets all take a good look at what is working and what can get kicked to the curb. Think about it, low fat, no fat, reduced sugar, sugar free, organic, bio-dynamic, eat for your blood type, Atkins? I mean really!
As consumers, we’re driven to go out and buy items and eat foods that promise to makes us lean, mean and happy. Is there such a food? In my book, the only thing that can really do that is a balanced plate. We all need carbs, proteins, fat and H20 to keep our engines NASCAR approved. No one food is going to give you everything the body needs.
So eat what you damn well please and don’t feel guilty. Your body will tell you when you’ve been excessive. That’s when it’s time to take a break from the saturated fat and booze. Eat a huge plate of greens and down gallons of water and when your body gives you the green light, then dive right back in with a plate of braised meat and polenta, completed with a nice glass of Shiraz. Being a lover of food doesn’t condemn you to a life of tight britches. Go on, eat!
When you make our featured recipes, don’t skimp on anything, and you’ll see what I mean. Live a little today, and have a snappy tomorrow.
This is Chef Stephen saying – live!
Chef Stephen
P.S. I forgot to mention my resolutions: to be kinder to my fellow citizens and stop late night fridge raiding (That’s what keeps my britches tight.)
Thank you, Chef Stephen. I am with you and call for the end of diets and the beginning of committments to long-term, healthy, balanced lives. And, until everyone joins me on this bandwagon, I’ll be eating enough chips and chocolate for you all….