Good Food is for Dancing.

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." 
— Virginia Woolf

I have a new habit.
It's simple and happy.

The tricky thing about habits is that they don't appear overnight. This one didn't either. It took some time, a few wrong turns, and one particularly memorable lunch.

But now it's here to stay.

Let me tell you how it happened. It was a busy day, a long time ago. I picked up my daughters from school and the moment they got in the car, they begged for fast food.

Normally, I'm pretty straightforward about these things, but that day I had my reasons to give in. I'll give you three.

• the mom guilt...I had errands to run, and fast food would buy off the mom-guilt for dragging these poor girls along.
• a tough day... My morning had been rough. And I wouldn't mind stuffing myself with empty carbs and sugar highs…
• the scent ... I hate to admit it, but fast food smells really, really good. I'm convinced there's a patented make-me-hungry spray involved.

So I said yes, and off we went.

Let's Dance

Fast Food

Three Colors

We ordered the whole deal: soda, junk, and more junk. We talked, laughed, and within 7 minutes (it truly was fast food) devoured it all. 

We looked from the greasy wrappers to each other, and felt drained, sluggish, and miserable.

Have you ever noticed how certain food does that to you?
While other food gives you energy in abundance, and makes you want to dance. 

A little cha-cha after lunch.

Dancing was the last thing on our minds, after this food extravaganza. We needed a nap! That's the short of it.

The longer version is this, that our bodies are impressive machines, performing at high standards and with remarkable intensity. 

Fearfully and wonderfully made...
(as David wrote in Psalm 139)

They carry us trough long days, think deep thoughts, lift heavy things, nourish every cell while breathing in and out... I'm telling you nothing new.

But when cravings hit, I easily forget that I should find a more deserving fuel for this hard-working body.

However, junk and processed food is readily available. In the busyness of life, it often feels like the solution. After all, good food needs preparation, planning, and a little extra time. And who has that? 

I do, actually. 

Beyond my cravings, I know my body is a finely tuned instrument, amd I do have a few extra minutes to honor it with real, honest food.

And that brings me back to my habit.

One habit and two tips. 

Tip One, in the supermarket.

Shop the perimeter.

There you'll find the produce section, dairy, meat, bakery. The real food.

The middle aisles are where the packaged goods live—powders, processed food with the most additives, ingredients with names you can't pronounce.

Start at the produce; fill your cart with fruits, vegetables, dates, nuts, and build from there.

Tip Two, three colors.

For every meal, three colors.

Looking at fast food, there's only one color family. Brownish yellow. 

When you have a minimum of three colors on your plate, chances are you've covered a variety of nutrients ánd your macronutrients too.

For example, in the morning I eat Greek yogurt (white — protein), fruit (yellow or red — carbohydrates), and seeds (green or brown — healthy fats).

Lunch might be a salad (green — fiber and good carbs), with an egg or chicken (protein), and a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice (healthy fats).

And so on.
You get the picture. Three colors.

Writing all this makes me hungry. I know it would take less than a minute to grab a bag of chips — and maybe ten minutes to make a proper salad. It's all that stands between sluggish and steady. Between beige and color…

So next time when you crave something, or when you open the fridge, join me in this habit, by asking yourself the question:

Will this food make me want to dance?
Or will this food make me want to nap? 

After all, good food is for dancing.

And yes, I did make a salad. Even timed it… 8 minutes. Butter lettuce, dressed with lemon juice and olive oil, pickled red onions, sliced of apple, mozzarella balls, and a little edible flower from the thyme that grows in my backyard. (Permission to skip...now i am just showing off). 

Three colors. Actually more.

And then I cha-cha-cha-ed. It was that good.

Questions: 

1. Next time when you crave something, read a menu in the restaurant, or when you open  your fridge, ask yourself these questions:

   Will this food make me want to dance? Or will this food make we want to take a nap?

2. Write down a few quick ideas for three colors for your breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Et voila, you just made yourself a healthy mealplan. (a plan is a huge part of healthy eating) 

3. In what other ways can you honor and nourish your 'fearfully and wonderfully made' self? (Think holistically; body, soul, mind.) 

4. Shall we dance?

For another colorful meal, try my Black Bean Soup