It falls upon us to find a balance between pleasure and practice, between joy and pragmatism. In short, there are two very different ways of addressing the question, but both work in concert to ensure that we're not totally destroyed by our dietary decisions. On the one hand, we must find a way to eat "right" that doesn't cause us so much gustatory pain that we abandon the path and on the other, we must find a way to delight our senses periodically. These two strategies define how we overcome our instinctual desires and win better health.
Back when the US began examining and experimenting with odd dietary theories (think John Harvey Kellogg), the variety of food and the way to prepare them became greatly disjointed from what common folks ate. Let's face it, you can advocate vegetarianism and an ascetic diety all you want, but most folks are just interested in getting fed, and if possible, WELL fed. We still see these odd strains of diet and belief in the form of the raw-food movement amongst others. And while I'd love to say that there is a diet that is a panacea, the truth of the matter is that you'll eat what you can tolerate, preferring what you like, and desiring that which you believe you cannot have. Hey, like me, you're human and that's NOT a bad thing, no matter what some may tell you.
So, how do you reconcile your desires?
As mentioned before, you focus on making your daily intake as balanced as possible without becoming overwhelmed or disappointed. Watching your balance of macro-nutrients per meal, to ensure that you're getting what you need is a GREAT place to start. While there are various recommended ratios of fat, protein, and carbohydrates depending on various theories, including the famous Atkins Diet, I've become a fan of the 40/40/20 ratio (protein/carbs/fat) advocated by kinetix. I've found that, for me, if I follow the ratios and the grazing nature of the program, I'm rarely hungry and I've already lost over 35lbs. Actually, it generally is hard to eat the last meal of the day and I don't feel like eating much throughout the day. I'm sure that there are other alternatives to the 40/40/20 ratio that may work for you, but I'll throw my hat in for the 40/40/20 ratio.
The biggest "aha!" moment for me was the realization that we've become SO tolerant of dietary fat that our ratios are ALL whacked out. Grain-fed beef is almost impossible to balance due to that intense marbling that we've grow to desire so much. It DOES make eating red meat difficult, though not impossible. However, with some creativity and skill, you can eat almost everything you always ate, albeit with recipe modification. So far, the only food that has truly eluded me are cookies, but I won't give up the fight so easily. Check back in a few days to see if I finally conquer that beastie!
The other part of the balanced diet is knowing when you DON'T need balance. You even need to moderate your moderation! In the kinetix way of eating, you have 19 balanced meal targets a week and two "free targets." The reason this is good is that these are two five-hour periods where you can eat whatever you want, period. If you wanted to consume an entire side of beef, you could (good LUCK!). After a few weeks on the program, you begin to self-moderate here as well, not because you're somehow more virtuous, but you find yourself eating less in general. However, as you settle in, you'll find that you want to make free targets special. After all, if you're gonna eat only two free targets a week, why waste them? You miss steak? Hmmm...have at it! You have a desire for a saturnalian feast? Enjoy!
There is one other part of this dietary method you should know: it's NOT about perfection. It's the journey that counts, not the destination (yes, I can babble in cliches with the best of 'em!). The truth is, we all screw up. Moreover, sometimes it isn't even a screw up. I wantonly chose to eat unbalanced from the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving until Sunday night afterward. I did have some balanced meals in there, but I wasn't very careful. I'm even sure I gained some weight. However, come Monday morning, I was back on track and back to exercising. And though I disappointed myself a little, I didn't freak out or get dispirited. It was a silly expedition into unbalanced eating and now I'm back.
So, why does this work for me? Because eating balanced meals is not all that onerous, though it does take some effort in the beginning to learn the ratios and adapt. I have my whimsy in the form of free targets. I'm not hungry. It all works.
In fact, just for fun, I'm going to prove to you that you CAN eat a balanced meal that is pretty darn close to what you'd like. I now present the newest recipe to come out of this balanced mindset:
Ranch Chicken Salad
- 8 Tablespoons Light Ranch Dressing
- 20oz raw chicken breast
- 1 cup each: diced red pepper, diced onion, diced cucumber, broccoli florets, grated carrots, grapes cut in half
- 2 cups Romaine lettuce (can be doubled if desired without affecting balance)
- 2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
- Cook chicken until just done, roughly 5 minutes on a side at medium-high heat
- Allow chicken to rest while assembling the rest of the ingredients
- In a large bowl, add ranch dressing to bottom
- Dice chicken breast into bite-sized pieces
- Add all remaining ingredients except croutons and toss
- Portion out six portions for a K3 salad, or four portions for a K4 salad, adding croutons at the end so they don't get mushy
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