Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Hitting the Sauce

Okay, quickly, in this 5-A-Day mission, I have discovered that there are 2 different kinds of hungry. One is “I’m empty. Feed me.” Which happens regularly (one would hope), and can be managed better with whole foods and a bit of fiber (that regular thing again). Which is pretty intuitive. It is the simple “better choices” choice.

The other kind of hungry is the “My blood sugar is in the toilet, and I’m either going to go cannibal or eat the nearest available King-Sized Snickers. I don’t care which.” And this one usually is accompanied by bitchy or weepy (at least for me, your results may vary). And this kind of hungry may or may not coincide with the first one.

So, here’s where the veggie thing gets complicated, and a lot counter-intuitive in my mind. If you’re eating veggies for snack, they don’t have a lot of sticking power, blood sugar-wise. They are crash and burn food at best, and calorie poor at the worst. You know what makes that calorie burn slow down? Butter. Or cheese sauce. Or hamburger. Fat. Protein. Hell, even ranch dressing.

But here’s the thing. I’ve been trained to think that veggies don’t count if they’re drenched in fatty goodness. "Broccoli in cheese sauce" is really just "cheese sauce". The broccoli just becomes a convenient delivery mechanism. It’s the same kind of magical thinking I do when I’m being unhealthy. Bad food magic – broken cookies have no calories (they all fall out). Good food magic – carrots with butter lose all their nutrients. I suppose I have to admit that both are wrong. No magical thinking!

So, maybe a little butter isn’t a bad thing. A little!! I’m not going all Paula Deen or anything. That woman is out of hand (bless her heart). I can do moderation. (Stop smirking! I can!) Drizzles. Sprinkles. Pats. Portion control. And who knows? With a little sauce, I might just find myself LIKING this veggie thing. Maybe. Don’t want to get all crazy or anything. Maybe just liking.

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