The joy of eating

In the midst of all my discouragement, I had a glimmer of light just now. Surprisingly, it came as I sit here watching Dr. Oz, just having finished dinner.

On today's show, three women want to get in shape for their high school reunion. Twenty years after graduating, they've all gained about 50-70 lbs. They showed clips of what they eat in a day and their lifestyles and I found myself feeling better... no, not necessarily that I am better than them (I have been in their position, as recently as three months ago), but because I realized what a joy it is to eat well.

Do not get me wrong, I still love all the processed crap I grew up on, I just avoid it as much as possible, in favour of fresh foods, even if they are fatty. For example, thanks to a recipe my friend gave me today, my veal was delicious and simple. I didn't make it exactly as described, but check out this site if you want some good recipes: http://www.750g.com/fiche_de_cuisine.2.123.3431.htm

I made my veal with a sauce made of plain yogurt, Dijon, yellow curry, salt, pepper and lemon juice. It took all of 5 minutes to make and was fantastic. I now have another piece for tomorrow's lunch. As my side, I made a mixed greens salad with roughly my regular dressing (balsamic, olive oil, pepper, chopped garlic, lemon juice and Dijon) and avocado, pine nuts and small tomatoes. This meal was amazing, and yet it was so basic. It's all about the freshness.

It took me years to acquire a taste for non-processed foods, and now I find eating such a pleasure. It's so easy to overeat on unhealthy food, yet so easy to be satisfied with healthy food. I still struggle with some foods in particular, like the quantity of baguette I am capable of eating in one sitting - which is why I never buy it haha - but overall I don't have to feel guilty about eating because when I indulge in something, I know that overall I am doing well and I am getting all the things I need to stay in good health.

So for all those people who have, like me, gained lots of weight over the years and now need to struggle to get rid of it, you should be warned that you may once again fall in love with eating as opposed to punishing yourself for indulging in processed foods...