Fat is good

For those of you who know me well, know that I don't do "fat free." I will not eat anything that says, "Low Fat, Low Sodium, Fat Free, etc." When I see something like that written on the label, to me it says, "Hey, I don't taste as good as I should."

I love to eat. I love food. I enjoy eating out and I always order dessert. For me, eating is a pleasure. I spend quite a bit of time planning meals and there is nothing like sitting down to a delicious, tasty meal. I don't cook with anything low fat. I admit, this may not be the healthiest way of eating, but it is sure enjoyable.

I have always had the philosophy that as long as you don't eat too much of really good tasting food, you'll be okay. Why skimp on the amount of fat? Instead, don't eat as much. Why deprive your tastebuds? As long as you use a little self control, I think everything comes out in the wash.

A few weeks ago, I saw a lady on Oprah who had written a book titled, French Women Don't Get Fat. This intrigued me so I watched the segment where the author described her experience with food. She grew up in France but spent some time here in the United States. When she returned to France, she had gained some weight. This bothered her so she went to a doctor. He explained that the key or secret to eating is leave out guilt and deprivation. I liked the sound of this.

She went on to say that French women eat whatever they want...and get this, they don't feel bad about it! Instead, they use moderation. If they want a cookie, they eat one. But, they don't eat the whole batch!

This makes sense to me. Think about it. If you know you can't have something, doesn't it make you want it even more? So, the way Americans diet, is very silly. We deprive ourselves of yummy things, so we can try to stay slender. But what do we when all we have been eating is fruits and veggies when there is a big fat, greasy pizza sitting in front of us? We eat more than we should because it tastes sooo good!

I know everyone is different. All of our bodies work differently. Different things work for all of us. But just think about something, when was the last time you met a fat French woman?