I used to work for a large investment company. I was the supervising editor in a production department that had five men and 35 women. I might have been the supervisor but the 34 other women seemed to be supervising me when it came to lunch. It's not what you think. They never made any negative comments about my meals. It was just the opposite. They supervised everything that went into my mouth because they knew that I ate healthy and they wanted me to show them how it was done.
"Sharon," they'd ask, "which is healthier to eat? A bagel or a corn muffin?" "A bagel," I'd answer. I really didn't know but when you say something with conviction people think you know what you're talking about.
Each afternoon I left my office at 1:00 PM. I went to the nearest deli and filled a container with lettuce, tomatoes, and a few cucumbers. For dessert and snacking, I bought some fresh fruit from the fruit cart on the corner: bananas, grapes, and a couple of apples. "What's for lunch today?" they'd ask while peering into my plate. I guess they didn't know what lettuce looked like. While they were staring at the cucumbers like it was some kind of mystery food, my fruit slowly disappeared. Fruit they knew.
Just because I didn't eat hamburgers and pizza on a daily basis, they thought that I knew all there was to know about healthy food. The fact is, I always liked salads better than meat. Meat and I don't agree with each other. Give me pasta any day of the week.
Most people have a misconception about healthy eating. They think that it means visiting the health food store three times a week and buying strange sounding expensive foods like: mung beans, sprouts, and things like that. I used to think that way too until I realized that I naturally ate nutritious food. All right, all right, you caught me. I do enjoy my cookies also, and none of that low fat stuff either. When I want cookies, I go for the real thing. But basically, I do prefer salads, fresh fruit, and pasta.
It really doesn't take much work, time, money, or energy to start a different, healthier way of eating. The easiest way is to be aware of what you eat. Consider eating salads, pasta, and fruit. It might start to sound somewhat appealing, especially on hot summer days. I'm not saying you should stop eating ice cream or cake, what would you ever do at birthday parties? All I'm suggesting is that when you're trying to plan your weekly menus, think of cutting down on meat. Hey, there is nothing wrong with a hamburger or steak every now and then, just not on a daily basis. And instead of ice cream for a snack, try frozen yogurt. It's very tasty and it comes in chocolate.
It's not hard to be a health food guru. All you have to do is change your way of eating a little. You might start to feel better and people will look at you in a different light.
