Most of us keep a budget of some kind; limits keep us on track. It may be tight and to the penny, or it may be simply a rough idea of what’s available. Whether you are used to flying commercial or private, eating off paper plates or porcelain, keeping your accounts flush and staying within a budget helps to avert disaster and to achieve long-term goals for yourself and your family.
What does this have to do with food? America has been called the land of plenty. It’s like living without a budget. A biological imperative to eat what’s before us, to clean our plates, to take advantage of calories when they present themselves, has turned us into the land of obesity. As far as food goes, living without a budget means eating whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want, in whatever sized amounts you want. A prescription for trouble.
We need a way out, but there’s a problem — who wants to keep a calorie budget? Not I! I’m not interested in counting calories; there are much more interesting things in my head than keeping track of the calorie content of my food. Like enjoying the color and taste of my food, and enjoying the company of my friends and family!
Where there’s a identified problem, there’s often a solution. And here it is: There’s no need to count calories. Just eat more vegetables. And fruit and beans. Eating more of these foods has the net effect of increasing your intake of nourishing foods that are high in fiber and phytonutrients. This will provide two important benefits. The first is that you will consume more phytonutrients and fiber, both of which have extraordinarily beneficial effects for your overall health. And the second is that it’s very difficult to stuff a bran muffin into your mouth if it’s already filled with a peach or green beans. So there you have it.
Increasing your veggie intake puts me in mind of someone who, instead of counting pennies, simply happens to enjoy many activities that don’t require a significant outlay of cash. Like hiking, or gathering to watch a movie on the couch with a bucket of homemade popcorn for all to share. Cruising garage sales and flea markets instead of buying new. Dividing plants with neighbors instead of purchasing more exotic specimens from an on-line nursery. These aren’t hardships; they are strategies for a healthy life. And so it is when you choose to eat more vegetables, fruits, and beans.