Friday food - change is good

I've spent the last six weeks trying to change the way I eat, trying to change my bad eating habits, trying to change what I do around the whole idea of food. Now, this isn't particularly easy, especially since I'm a foodie. I LOVE food, I LOVE great food, and a whole lot of great food - even now in the world of healthy eating - isn't all that healthy.

But I'm discovering ways to eat great food and eat well at the same time.

I started out hating quinoa, and it's still not my favorite of these new-fangled (okay, ancient) grains, but I've figured out a way to cook and eat it that's bearable. And I'm collecting recipes from friends - just got one from a friend with oranges in it, that was very good, and I'm going to try that this week.

I also discovered whole wheat couscous, which I love unreservedly and cook it often, alternating it with brown rice. I almost never eat white bread, and seldom eat even whole wheat bread, getting my carbs from other things than bread. That's not always possible in my complicatedly scheduled life, but I'm getting better at it.

I'm totally 100% focused on fruits and vegetables, eating them as often as I can and in as many different ways as I can - raw, cooked, in salads, in quinoa, couscous and rice. When I'm out at dinner, I order something vegetable heavy and rarely eat red meat - though I admit I still love pork and have a hard time resisting it.

I'm committed to this for the long term - if I have a bad day or a bad week, I hop right back on the good food wagon. For me, it's about learning to make good choices. If I've a craving, I try and have something healthy - fat-free popcorn, a piece of fruit, a salad - rather than some fat-laden meal that I would have had even six weeks ago.

And this blog is part of my commitment. It's in writing so I have to stick to it. So thanks for being part of my ongoing conversion.

Kate