Health Starts Here
By: Ellen Darby, Healthy Eating Specialist
I remember my mother-in-law complaining about a certain restaurant that my father-in-law loved to regularly frequent. Her oft repeated complaint was, “The portions are too big.”
This was about forty years ago (wait, oh no, how could ANYTHING be forty years ago???!!!???).
Anyway, I remember being bewildered by her comments. My mother-in-law was a truly wonderful woman – very kind and loving and soft spoken. Though I would have challenged someone else on this statement, I never would have considered telling her my take on the subject which was:
It is so clear that if the portions are too big, the obvious action is to take home a doggy bag. Simple!!!
Forty years later, I have a totally different take on this and now completely understand what my mother-in-law was talking about. Having developed into a serious food-a-holic (that’s a whole other story!), I am a meal-finisher. If I’m served a large plate of food, I will inevitably win the clean-plate-star-on-the-forehead award. With that in mind, I steer very clear of buffets. I avoid restaurants that serve huge portions. I truly love restaurants that serve good, clean food in moderately sized portions. (OK, the other extreme is a Japanese restaurant I ate at in New York City that is extraordinarily expensive and though the plates are works of art, they are TINY and after we left the restaurant, I was dying to go out to EAT!)
So along the lines of this subject, I am posting a link to an article from the Orlando Sentinal about the link between eating in restaurants and obesity.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/health/os-restaurants-obesity-20110704,0,7133186.story
And another frightening article about obesity in kids from the Daily Telegraph:
But back to the subject of restaurants . . . and my mother-in-law’s dilemma . . . I do understand now and try to stay away from restaurants that serve oversized portions. I thought I had solved the over-indulging problem at all restaurants by intending on asking for a “to-go” box at the beginning of the meal (even at restaurants with regularly-sized portions). But . . . you know what they say about intentions! That has not happened yet!
I do believe I’ve just come up with the ultimate solution: healthy, plant-strong home-cooked meals!
Have a great weekend!
ellen
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