I read an article the other day that started me thinking- which led to a little experiment...
The premise of the article is that the majority of Americans have weight issues due to a couple of factors:
1. We eat too much, too fast.
2. We consume a lot of processed, fat free, "psuedo food"
3. we don't get enough exercise.
In the article, it chronicled the eating habits of an average American woman and an average Frenchwoman, then had them trade places. Guess what- though she was consuming full fat cheeses, dessert, etc. the American lost weight on the Frenchwoman's diet and the Frechwoman gained on the American's. Some stragtegies put forth were to do the following:
1. eat real meals, with courses (especially a salad course) of fresh seasonal foods. Have a glass of wine. Enjoy the meal and eat slowly, at the table. No between meal snacking.
2. skip the processed, fat free, "psuedo food" in favor of the real deal. The idea being that you will consume less as it is more satisfying.
So.... I decided to try a little experiment myself. Instead of my usual routine, I've been eating this way the last week- I don't know if I have lost anything- but I'm eating a LOT less (even with my cardio intensive workouts).
A good example was yesterday :
Breakfast:
1 crumpet with real butter and some strawberry preserves, 2% milk (sorry- I just can't stomache the "real" real thing- it tastes weird to me!)
Lunch:
A palm of the hand sized chunck of whole wheat french bread and fontina cheese and an apple.
Dinner:
salad of feild greens, cherry tomaotes, cucumber, kalamata olives with a bit of olive oil; beef ravioli (like 3 raviolis are all I can eat!) with marinara sacue and parmesan, a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.
No snacks, tea and water to drink. Now, contrast this to my usual, protien shake breakfast, Lean Cuisine lunch and chicken or something dinner with a mid morning and mid afternoon snack. Eating the "usual" way I am ALWAYS hungry. I haven't been hungry betwen meals, and I could probably have an even smaller portion at dinner.
So what do you guys think? Is this nuts? I'd love to hear some opinions from non-Americans too!
Thanks,
Heather
The premise of the article is that the majority of Americans have weight issues due to a couple of factors:
1. We eat too much, too fast.
2. We consume a lot of processed, fat free, "psuedo food"
3. we don't get enough exercise.
In the article, it chronicled the eating habits of an average American woman and an average Frenchwoman, then had them trade places. Guess what- though she was consuming full fat cheeses, dessert, etc. the American lost weight on the Frenchwoman's diet and the Frechwoman gained on the American's. Some stragtegies put forth were to do the following:
1. eat real meals, with courses (especially a salad course) of fresh seasonal foods. Have a glass of wine. Enjoy the meal and eat slowly, at the table. No between meal snacking.
2. skip the processed, fat free, "psuedo food" in favor of the real deal. The idea being that you will consume less as it is more satisfying.
So.... I decided to try a little experiment myself. Instead of my usual routine, I've been eating this way the last week- I don't know if I have lost anything- but I'm eating a LOT less (even with my cardio intensive workouts).
A good example was yesterday :
Breakfast:
1 crumpet with real butter and some strawberry preserves, 2% milk (sorry- I just can't stomache the "real" real thing- it tastes weird to me!)
Lunch:
A palm of the hand sized chunck of whole wheat french bread and fontina cheese and an apple.
Dinner:
salad of feild greens, cherry tomaotes, cucumber, kalamata olives with a bit of olive oil; beef ravioli (like 3 raviolis are all I can eat!) with marinara sacue and parmesan, a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.
No snacks, tea and water to drink. Now, contrast this to my usual, protien shake breakfast, Lean Cuisine lunch and chicken or something dinner with a mid morning and mid afternoon snack. Eating the "usual" way I am ALWAYS hungry. I haven't been hungry betwen meals, and I could probably have an even smaller portion at dinner.
So what do you guys think? Is this nuts? I'd love to hear some opinions from non-Americans too!
Thanks,
Heather
I like the idea of eliminating processed food.
