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By kilax, December 10, 2009 5:16 am

The December issue of Shape* has an article titled “Eat what you want and still lose weight!” with nine somewhat tired strategies to “celebrate the season without feeling deprived – and may(be) even drop 5 pounds in the process!”

Ha. Ha ha.

Tip #8, “Keep Your Focus” is about not being preoccupied when you eat. “Give your full attention to the conversation or sit down to concentrate on the food in front of you – you’ll appreciate it more.”

Makes sense, right? But then they throw this in:

Where you sit a dinner matters too. Try snagging the chair next to your brother’s cute friend: A new study published in the journal Appetitefound that women who ate in the presence of a man consumed 358 fewer calories than when they dined with a group of women. Researchers at Canada’s McGill University say women often suppress their eating in front of a person of the opposite sex.

Okay. This struck me the wrong way. It’s all fine and dandy if this study is true. BUT, the fact that the magazine is encouraging it?! I think this is something women should get away from! They should feel comfortable eating how they really want to around men. I know the magazine is just including it as a tip, but I think they were better off sticking with “keep your focus” and “be mindful of conversation.”

And, really? I am more self-conscious around some women than men!

What do you think? Do you think the study is accurate? Do you think it’s a good tip? What are your holiday tips for not going overboard with food?

Here’s a tip that wasn’t included: become a vegan so you can’t eat anything at all during the holidays! Ha ha, I am just joking around, but it IS particularily bad at the office holiday potluck. Almost every dish has meat in it. I bring my own food from home for the parties.

Note: After I wrote this, I found an article on the same topic on The Great Fitness Expermient (she pretty much came to the same conclusion as me). I was going to do a similar poll, but decided not to since there was one up there.

*What is with all of the magazine references, Kim?! This is what happens when you have two flights in one day and are stuck in the airport for awhile!

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By kilax, November 24, 2009 5:00 am

If you don’t already read the Well blog on the New York Times, I highly recommend you do. The blog is focused on health and wellness topics and updates a few times a day. I always find the articles interesting.

Yesterday, the author linked to an interesting article called “Food, Kin and Tension at Thanksgiving.” I recommend reading it. You’ll either find it amusing, or that it hits too close to home and makes you dread the upcoming holiday meals.

The article is about all of the family drama that happens during holiday meal times – people commenting on you eating too little, people commenting on you eating too much, people sneaking stuff into your food*, people telling you to quit eating so fast, etc. The article gives specific examples, some of which I find ridiculous, like this story:

A Long Island woman, who like others interviewed for this column didn’t want to be named, said she and her family traveled 12 hours by train for a summer vacation gathering with her husband’s family. When her husband asked for seconds, the sister-in-law said there wasn’t any more food.

“There was all this food around, but she had cut us off,” the woman said. “We were just really shocked we were being told you can’t eat any more after coming all this way. We found out later she really controlled food in the household.”

Whoa! Kind of unbelievable, but then again, kind of NOT! People get weird about food, especially around the holidays! I know I felt territorial in my kitchen this past weekend (even though I love love LOVED that my grandma made breakfast).

Food is just so personal, but then again, it isn’t. Everyone pays attention to what other people are eating (makes me crazy) and a lot of people love to comment on it. That’s just the society we live in!

So, do you have any crazy family food drama like in the article?

I bet most of my family finds my vegan ways ridiculous! But, that is why we are hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas, suckas!** I have had people watch what I eat and tell me to eat more. Or eat meat. Or slow down. Or not to use margarine. Or hey, that is the wrong kind of baking powder! Don’t use that salt! What?! You eat SOY?!

Ha ha. The article has a pretty humorous solution at the very end. My solution? Grin and bear it then bitch to my husband later!

*Well, I added that one, but it’s happened to me!
**Just joking here.

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By kilax, June 27, 2009 9:13 am

Alright, it’s the big question! CourtneyInControl asked, “What made you decide you want to go vegan?”

Disclaimer: My intent is not to convert you to veganism, just to share my feelings on the subject!

I’ve been a vegetarian for over 8 years. The idea of becoming vegan (not eating milk or egg products) did not become intriguing to me until I lived in Rome, in 2006. I volunteered at an animal shelter with a lot of vegans who shared information with me about the lifestyle. I believed in the cause, as well as the health benefits of the diet, but honestly, I was NOT ready to make the change yet. I didn’t want to spend time worrying or caring about what was in  my food, especially when living in Rome! I wanted to be carefree and eat as much pasta and gelato as I could fit in in 7 months (rest assured, I accomplished that)! I didn’t want to go to the trouble of learning even more of the Italian language to read food labels, and ask waiters in Italian, “Does that have dairy or egg in it?” I was just lazy.

Since then though, I made a somewhat conscious decision to cut back on dairy and egg products. I didn’t eat them that often. When I lived by myself, I didn’t even keep those things in my apartment. BUT, I did enjoy the occasional slice of pizza, bowl of ice cream, or scrambled eggs.

Since then, I’ve constantly run across information on factory farming and animal exploitation. Honestly, I do NOT search this information out, because I cannot stomach it. If I read/see/hear something cruel, I CANNOT get it out of my mind. It makes me feel sick.

But since I kept finding myself running into this information, I did force myself to think about it, and came to the conclusion that I must use my actions to voice what I believe:

I believe that animals should not be exploited for our gain. I believe they are sentient beings, who should have the basic right of living a free life. I believe they should not be used for food, clothing, research, or entertainment, even if there is no unnecessary suffering.

I feel like cutting out dairy and eggs is one small step for me. Animals are used for more than just food. There are many ways they are exploited that I do not agree with. But I honestly cannot go on a rampage through my house throwing away all of my leather products, glue, the tires off my car, etc. I can only make small steps towards a more compassionate lifestyle.

I really want to share some of the awful things I’ve learned about animal exploitation, but I don’t want to ruin your day, if you are like me and cannot get the images out of your head, so I am going to share some links below.

Thanks for reading with an open mind.

Continue reading 'Vegan Saturday II | Why go vegan?'»

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By kilax, June 19, 2009 7:53 am

What foods are on your “will not eat” list?

I don’t want to encourage picky eating (says the vegetarian/vegan), but I am curious to find out what foods do not appeal to other people.

Besides not eating meat, dairy and eggs, I also do not eat tree nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, etc.). They give me severe headaches, so I avoid them altogether. Sometimes even the smell of them is enough to make me sick.

I avoid olives, mushrooms, and seeds, because I do not care for their taste. I will still try dishes that have these foods in them, but I am probably not going to like it if they are the main ingredient!

And brussel sprouts. We tried. We really did. I think this requires another go-around.

Side Note: Why are all of my Friday Questions about FOOD? I had two other questions in mind that were NOT food related. Hmm.

Comments (18)

By kilax, February 19, 2009 5:58 pm

On Saturday, we stopped at the Village Inn with our friends to have a hearty meal before our day of skiing. I knew I wanted a skillet. When made properly, it’s a cast iron skillet full of diced potatoes and vegetables, and topped with eggs and melted cheese – like the one in the photo but without meat. It arrives at your table hot. Delicious.

I opened up the menu, and saw that every skillet had meat in it. I chose the one closest to what I wanted, “The Original Ultimate Skillet Meal,” and asked the waiter to make it without the meat (ham, bacon AND sausage) and without mushrooms. Steven decided he wanted the exact same thing, but without onions as well (he was getting over a very bad stomach virus, and the last thing he needed was onions in his food).

The waiter wasn’t too happy with us. Let me preface this by saying that when we greeted him and asked how he was, he said “we’re really busy.” Okay. So we made our decisions quickly and said please and thank you.

The waiter gave us a really dirty look when we asked for modifications to the menu. Then he told us that they “really can’t change orders like that” and “there are lots of other options – you need to look over the entire menu and see if there is something else you want.”

Um… what?

He told us that, then quickly took our friends orders, all of our menus, and left.

I sat there wondering how I was supposed to look for something different to eat without a menu. I wondered if he was going to come back and tell me I had to choose something else to eat. I also wondered if I should be ashamed or pissed off. I was definitely a little bit of both.

I am WELL AWARE of how much I inconvenience EVERYONE by being a vegetarian. I feel awful when someone invites me over for dinner and I feel like I have to warn them that I am a vegetarian. I hate it that we couldn’t have Caesar salad in Denver because the dressing had anchovies in it and I didn’t want to eat it. I feel horrible when we have to make sure the restaurant has something that Steven and I can eat before we all go there.

I hate that some people who eat meat automatically assume that I think I am better than them. I don’t. Honestly – I don’t give a shit what you eat.

But apparently, some people do care what I eat. And not in a considerate way. And I’m not just talking about the waiter.

I’m not going to change. This is who I am. I shouldn’t have to feel ashamed to make requests, especially at a “restaurant.”

But I did feel ashamed. Ashamed, uneasy and embarrassed, sitting there with our friends. Of course, if it would have been just me and Steven, I would probably have talked to a manager or left. Instead, we sat there worrying about how our meal was going to come out.

We got what we ordered. It didn’t taste that good, and I had lost my appetite.

The waiter came back with the check and tried to redeem himself by saying the people in the kitchen don’t speak English that well. If that was his excuse, why didn’t he just say that in the beginning?

I don’t know why I am still thinking about this on Thursday. Probably because I am still embarrassed about the whole thing. I feel like it was unnecessary for the waiter to act that way… but it still makes ME feel bad. It makes me feel bad for asking for something to be modified.

Maybe I am asking too much. Or maybe I should just stay out of Village Inn and all the other restaurants that give me grief.

Comments (17)

By kilax, September 11, 2008 12:49 pm

When people find out that Steven and I are vegetarians, or when it comes up in conversation, a very typical response is, “I’m practically a vegetarian myself! I rarely eat meat!”

It gets so old.

I understand why people say it – they’re trying to relate to us. They’re trying to make us feel welcome. They’re trying to make us comfortable. They’re trying to make us like them. I appreciate all of this.

But – when I’ve seen you wolf down an entire plate of ribs / 10 pieces of bacon / a huge steak / half of a Thanksgiving turkey, I know you are not “practically a vegetarian.” Especially if I’ve never seen you eat a meal without meat in it.

This all sounds judgmental. But, it all honesty, I don’t give a crap who eats meat and who doesn’t (although I do notice). I dated Steven for 3 years before he became a vegetarian, and it never bothered me. I even made cold cut meat sandwiches for him to take to work. And we served prime rib at our wedding (with a vegetarian option, of course).

If you don’t bother me about not eating meat, why the hell should I bother you? Unless you’re shoving your meat dish in my face, harassing me, I don’t give a crap.

A few weekends ago, we met a friend of my uncle while having dinner at my Grandma’s. The friend’s response to finding out we’re vegetarian was surprisingly refreshing:

“I think I would just die if I couldn’t eat meat!”

Side Note: Even though it’s been 7 years since the 9/11 attacks, I still get a huge lump in my throat when I see the photos/videos. I guess some things hurt for a lifetime.