On the Run

Healing Power of Mexican Food

Well, I've been at the "Body for Life" style of eating and exercising for about 2 weeks now. One of the most enticing things about this diet plan is that it offers a free day. Literally, a no-holds-barred license to eat whatever my gluttonous heart desires one day a week. The other 6 days, I am ingesting whole wheat, protein & vegetables at an alarming rate.

So it was with great pleasure that 4 friends and I celebrated a birthday at Hacienda Colorado on Saturday night. Outdoor dining by the fire pit, chips and queso, margaritas, the loco sundae...need I say more? Of course I don't because you all know that it was amazing. Enchiladas actually make you feel better. After eating healthy for a few weeks, it was definitely more psychological than physical.

Which is ironic. Researchers conduct all these elaborate studies on vegetables to convince us that they are healthy. That is really their only chance because there's no way that anyone would eat broccoli to "feel good" or unwind after a rough day. No, that is the sacred duty of double-chocolate brownies and chicken quesadillas.

If we didn't know the vitamin and mineral advantages to vegetables there's no chance we'd voluntarily eat them. Some might argue our taste buds have been trained to adore the refined sugars and enriched flours of the Industrial Age, but personally, I can't believe the cavemen wouldn't have chosen them if they had the chance.

I have never known anyone on a diet who cherishes her days eating healthy more than the days where a glob or two of cookie dough slides down their throat.

So this week on my free day I'll be celebrating my Dad's birthday...with a corner piece of Costco carrot cake (with cream cheese frosting and apricot filling) along with whichever other mentally healthy foods I please.