Balance of Food

Can baconnaise be part of the balance?

Jon Stewart, a sharp critic of processed food, combined his classic foil, Jimmy Dean's pancake-wrapped sausage on a stick, with the taste of Baconnaise, an actual product from the makers of Bacon Salt.

Stewart was commenting on the Bobby Jindal Republican response to President Obama's speech Tuesday night. When Jindal told the story about the huge variety of food in American grocery store shelves (as opposed to India where Jindal's parents are from), Stewart's analogy included Baconnaise and the pancake/sausage/stick. The implication was that Americans eat too much crappy, processed food, and plenty of it can be found in American grocery stores.

So can you utilize Baconnaise and still find balance? Sure, within moderation. Plus it's not clear (until I see the label) that there is bacon in the Baconnaise. There may be bacon flavor without using bacon.

I don't know for sure, but in one of the reviews on the Bacon Salt guys blog, the words "vegetarian-friendly" are mentioned. This implies there is no bacon.

Enjoy Fat Tuesday, but not too much

Taking the week off to do more research. More on the results from my doctor to see what I need to do to get into better shape.

But perhaps, one day might not be so bad. After all, today is Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. The day is designed to let it all hang out before sacrificing during the Lenten season.

Laissez le bon temps rouler!! Enjoy Fat Tuesday (ponchkes anyone?), but go easy on Wednesday.

Is it better to eat alone to stay fit?

This doesn't seem like the best topic, coming days after Valentine's Day. But sometimes the strain of being in a couple does negatively affect one's willpower.

Often, couples do help and encourage each other. But when one partner is in good shape and the other one struggles, there can be resentment.

Vegetarian/non-vegetarian couples have issues. One eats potato chips while the other tries to avoid them. When you're alone, you can control what food comes in the house. In a couple, you don't always have that luxury.

The Washington Post article along with an accompanying online chat dealt with couples with different eating needs. Couples were highlighted where one ate much healthier than the other, and the subsequent issues involved.

The article didn't talk about diet and temptations, since this was for their food section. But the startling differences within the couples do point out that this easily applies to couples concerned with dietary issues.

I have the advantage/disadvantage of being alone at the moment (aawwwww). I can see clear advantages in the alone strategy: I can control what is in the house, with no outward temptations. I can set the dinner agenda. I can stay more disciplined.

But when I have been in a couple, and things are going well, eating for two is a lot more fun. You are more encouraged to cook, and more encouraged to try new things that can add fun and nutrition to eating. When you are tempted to slip, you get reminded that you should take better care of yourself.

When a couple is doing well, having a partner can help you do better. When a couple isn't doing well, nutrition sometimes goes out the window. When I was at the end of my then engagement, I gained a bit of weight from the stress, and when we broke up, I lost that weight pretty quickly.

So perhaps, the key is to be happy, single or otherwise.

What are your experiences? Is it better to stay committed to a eating program if you are committed to someone special? Let us know in the comments section below.

Overcoming fear of cooking and eating scallops

One of my goals for 2009 was to cook scallops. If you've cooked scallops, this might seem a silly goal. But it was a big deal for me.

Unlike most people I know, my exposure to seafood has been limited. I was served salmon cakes (which I didn't like) as a child, but not actually salmon. Most of the fish we ate came in stick form; clams were fried in a restaurant.

Seafood has been a weakness for me. But its healthy attributes can't be ignored, especially if having seafood can reduce my meat intake.

Even in catching up to the world of seafood (crab legs, raw oysters, smoked salmon jerky), scallops was always something I would hear about or see in a recipe on television. I also got tired of being asked whether I like scallops, and thinking if I gave an honest answer, I'd be laughed at. "They're okay" was a sufficient, yet bland lie.

The first thing I discovered was how expensive scallops are. They were on sale for $10/pound. I could get nice steaks for cheaper than that, but this wasn't about red meat; this was about scallops.

I got just under 1/3 pound, the average size of meat/fish you were supposed to have. The two scallops looked lonely on the tray I got all wrapped up.

From cooking shows and a few online recipes, I knew to sear the scallops for a couple of minutes on each side. I decided to try something simple as to not mask the taste of the scallops. I've been obsessed with sesame seeds lately, so I coated them in toasted sesame seeds and went to sear them.

Four minutes later, they were ready. I wasn't fearful, a comforting sign. Staring at them on the plate, they didn't take up much space, so I hoped they were worth $3.

They didn't really have much taste to them, but the texture was good (regular readers know how important texture is to me).

While there wasn't much flavor, it would seem that scallops can be adapted to sauces and flexible to go with a number of combinations. The next step would be trying them in a restaurant, though I don't have a rushed timetable for doing so.

Overcoming fear might seem odd for a grown person, but childhood trauma at trying new things has led me to being someone with more fear than on average.

The more seafood I eat, the better off my health will be (short of frying them). The less afraid I am of seafood, the easier it will be to eat it. Some of that fear is cooking them, too; growing up, I learned to cook meat and chicken, but not seafood. 

Trying more nutritious food might not be fearful for you, but if it is, know you have an ally. Over time, I hope to get better and have that show in my waistline. Scallops are now on the list of things I will eat. 

Are fast food substitutions worth the hassle?

Though we are in the middle of one of the worst winters in recent memories, spring will eventually come and travel will be back in the plan. And there is also getting outside more, so the chances increase for a meal on the run, often when options are fleeting.

If you end up in a fast food place, and really are trying to be good, what do you do? Go for the salad? Eat a little of what you like? Get the chicken instead of the beef?

Traditions can go on, even if we cut down on their foods

Special occasions call for special foods. We all associate certain foods with certain events. But if they are special happenings, are they still special without the food?

I performed an unintentional experiment this past week with two different "special" events: my birthday and Super Bowl Sunday. I tend to associate certain foods with each event, and do look forward to making those a part of those special days.

My long-time birthday tradition, dating back to childhood, is to have whatever I wanted to eat on my birthday. The spotlight was on Long John Silver's. It's possible you went "bleech" to that last sentence. Understandable.

The nearest LJS growing up was about 25 miles away, so it was very rare when we could go. So by asking for it for my birthday, I had to get it. Again, it's an association thing.

In my adult years, I lived near a Long John Silver's. And so I have continued the tradition, even in the last few years, as I started to eat much better. After all, having a treat once in a great while is fine.

This year went as normal. And the recent trend, patterning previous trends, is to not eat so well throughout the day. I had breakfast (French fries) as normal. And as good as the LJS tasted, I was dragging a bit during and after lunch. I did move around more than a normal birthday, which could account for some sluggishness. But I wasn't feeling great, and it had something to do with what I ate.

Some of the discomfort stems from not doing so well overall. I've gained a little weight, and I can tell it's making a negative difference. And so the day wasn't as enjoyable as it was on paper.

Contrast that with Super Bowl Sunday. Feeling a little burned-out, I couldn't jump in full force into the typical SBS feast. I looked at steaks, nacho chips, and garlic bread, I just couldn't do it. Had no enthusiasm for going nuts.