Meat And Potatoes or Chicken and Cauliflower Rice?

I’m ok with eating a lot of vegetable and having rice and beans. I never was much of a meat person–I eat it but I’m really picky–white meat only, not a lot of fat, no skin–I interrogate it like an enemy of the state. It occurred to me one day that my poor husband has not been eating any meat other than ground turkey and rotisserie chicken this last year. Mostly because it’s expensive and were were trying to save money. This poor carnivore was probably dying though so I went to the market and got some chicken and a steak for him. He had 2 full days of meatful bliss before I gave him soup and salad for dinner again.

He recently said that he’s amazed I can make him eat such healthy things that he actually enjoys–buffalo cauliflower, cauliflower rice, butternut squash soup—which makes me feel really good because:
1. Those things are cheaper than meat and,
2. We’re eating healthy and I don’t have to make a separate meal just for him!

But recently he got steak and potatoes because sometimes you just have to splurge and let a man have a steak.

It’s interesting how you can have such a large volume of vegetables and fruits that equal the same calories as the bad stuff:

Not sure of the source of this picture. Can’t believe it’s the same amount of calories!

 

This is insane–same amount of calories and sodium but with one meal you will be hungry in 2 hours and the other you won’t be able to eat all of it in one sitting! And this just reinforces the fact that it is the quality and macro breakdown of the food we eat that really DOES matter.
Americans eat a meal that is equivalent to a whole days worth of food and, if we do this enough, our bodies get used to it and need more and more. Once you train your body to eat just enough to fill you, you end up eating smaller portions than you would before and there’s less overeating of the bad stuff.

A few years ago I did a cleanse-type diet that went back to basics–I eliminated alcohol, bread, coffee and sugar (ABCS) for 2 weeks. Disclosure: I didn’t really cut the coffee since my 8am coffee indicated I was at work and it was the only joy I got for a second, but after the two weeks was up, I went to put sugar in my coffee and I hated the taste. I haven’t added sugar to my coffee since about 2012. And if you really think about it, sugar is so damn processed and it’s something your body actually starts craving when you eat/drink it often enough, (cookies, cakes, sodas, etc) and then you need it. It IS addictive. But once you cut it out, you’re very aware of how much sugar things have—That’s like when ex-smokers say smoke bothers them after quitting or that they have a better sense of smell. We become so much more aware when we DON’T have something and sometimes it ends up being better for us.

It’s all about making small changes. If you’re used to eating the Burger King meal every day, start cutting it down to only twice a week. If you have 3 cans of soda a day, cut it down to one until you can eliminate it altogether. Do I still eat ice cream and pizza? Hell yeah I do! But I try not to eat the whole pint or 4 slices and limit that to once or twice a week. But mostly, it’s because my stomach has shrunk down and I can’t do 4 slices of pizza anymore. Man , I really love pizza….

Moderation is the key to everything. And sometimes, all it takes is a small step. Like taking sugar out of your coffee.