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Healthy Eating, Food Pyramids, and other stuff:  My personal food goals.

How many different Food Pyramids are there? (3 that I found quickly)

How many times have they been changed updated? 

How many diets and diet books are currently being touted as the 'one that works'? And how many of these same diets are coming around for the second and third times?

If one really worked wouldn't that kind of be it?

And the big question, why are we living in the age of Nicole Kidman (a bit skinny, don't you think?) when we would much rather just be living healthily, regardless of 'dress size' (An aside - has anyone other than me noticed that clothing is getting larger? When I was in college and weighed 97 pounds at 5'6" (no dieting) I wore a size 5. There was no such thing as a size 1 but, according to the current numbering scheme, that is what I would have been wearing.   After 10 years of not shopping in the U.S. I find that although my weight is the same my clothing size has gone down 1 or even 2 sizes. Does wonders for my self-esteem - that is the point isn't it? Back to food)

While living in Andorra I was in a 'Walking Group' that went on mountain hikes every Monday.  Naturally, healthy living was a favorite topic.  Naturally, there were some strange ideas. 

After being instructed on how to 'Eat Right for my Blood Type' (no chocolate - are you crazy?); told that I should drink vinegar every day; that milk (and, therefore, cheese) was the equivalent of poison for an adult; and to eat salt but never drink water while hiking in the mountains in summer heat (!), I decided to ignore the hype and know-it-all advice and come up with my personal plan.  It's very simple, and since I incorporate it into my weekly menus I thought I would share:

Breakfast:   High fiber cereal with 2% milk (no skim here) and fruit or fresh juice

Lunch:        Vanilla yogurt with fresh fruit in summer
                   Bowl of homemade vegetable soup in winter
                   for a change anytime: half of a sandwich on whole grain bread
Snack:        Fruit or a biscuit with peanut butter

Dinner:      You know the menus, but this is what I work towards eating every week:

• spinach
• legumes - red or white kidney beans, lentils, chick peas, etc
• brown rice
• seasonal vegetables
• canned tomatoes or tomato sauce
• pasta - preferably whole grain
• oats in some form (Highland oatcake with peanut butter for a snack
• eggs
• fish
• red wine - but this one is every day
• dark chocolate - oops, this is a snack - but I do feel it's important (she pontificates)
  

These are my goals, but I deviate freely - and enjoy it when I do!

Where did I come up with my list?  Bits and pieces of information over the years that made sense.  I'd be happy to share but too much information for now.

Oh, my mantra "All things in moderation.... including moderation"....which, of course, makes the occasional '2 large pieces of double chocolate chunk (dark) fudge brownies in one sitting' perfectly acceptable....as long as it is very, very occasional....