You may be asking why a thumping great picture of a cream tea is sitting on a healthy eating site? Well, it is in the interest of balance.
I’ve just read a blog by one of my heroes, Judith Wills. Apart from her many books, she also writes for the Saga website on food and health issues. Her latest entitled ‘Nutritional nightmare that’s heaven on a plate’ extolls the virtues of actually enjoying something that in no way can be called healthy. Read it here.
Her holiday in the West Country exposed her to the local delicacy of ‘cream teas’. This woman is a self-proclaimed health writer with an impressive pedigree; she knows what healthy eating is all about. However during her holiday she filled her boots and her waist line.
Importantly she was happy to do so, for a limited time. And that is what be healthy eating is all about. It is not about obsessing over calories and indulging in huge amounts of punishing self-denial. It is about a balanced, sensible and human attitude toward food and health. We know where food obsessions can lead…………….
I admire her bravery too. When you are in the healthy eating arena it is easy to fall into the trap of trying to become unrealistic about one’s own diet. I probably should ‘come out’ about my own discovery in Cornwall recently. Beer.
In the absence of a decent glass of wine, I chose beer, not my normal tipple admittedly. Unfortunately I loved it! It became acceptable to have ‘a half’ after a long morning/afternoon walk. So that converted to a daily intake. This undoubtedly contributed to my own weight gain.
However once back in harness, the beer drinking has stopped (I’m pleased to say).
Healthy eating is about knowing what to eat and choosing those options. It is not about beating ourselves up for not doing so all of the time.