Not Enough?

Americans have been brain washed. Perhaps sight washed is a better term. We only think there is enough food if the plate is piled high or the bowl is brimming over. Anything less than that seems, well, not enough. I've taken to using salad plates for lunch and dinner entrees as a way to help my mind believe there is a whole plate of food there waiting to be consumed. And, in fact, there is.

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to hear Dr. Joel Fuhrman speak as part of my program at IIN. Dr. Fuhrman told the audience the body can only really process 400 calories at any one meal. Any excess calories are unnecessary and are stored or eliminated. I have been thinking about a 400-calorie per meal eating plan (I did not say diet!) and have been considering what I could eat to hit that benchmark.

This evening, I wandered to the local Whole Foods to buy tilapia for dinner and the recipe called for 4 ounces of fish per person. I asked for 8 ounces of fish (dinner for two) and the fishmonger promptly weighed and wrapped the fillets. I brought them home to prepare and when I opened the package it seemed like not enough food. I then perused one of my favorite calorie counting sites, FitDay, and it tells me a 4 ounce tilapia fillet is 109 calories. By the time the fish is wrapped in the luscious marinade it will be up to 218 calories. With the sauteed spinach on the side and a few slices of whole wheat baguette (with some healthy olive oil, previously mentioned risks notwithstanding), the total dinner will amount to just below 400 calories.

All of this to say, I think we have fooled and/or trained our bodies to consume far more food that we actually need (and, if you think cooking a healthy meal like this dinner is time consuming, rest assured it took me far longer to write this blog).

Spend some time and re-think your food. And, use little plates. Bon Appetit!