Inner Peace Through Food
by Cindy Sue Blair
The banquet table was overflowing with delectable food samples from
the deli department in the grocery store. It was the yearly sampling
event, the perfect opportunity to try a variety of tasty tidbits.
Two young women, fresh from their weekend workout at the gym,
approached the table. It was lunchtime and the woman in pink had a look of
anticipation on her face while the woman in green lagged behind her
friend, a frown marring her appearance.
Miss Pink requested the full plate which included small samples of
BBQ beef, cheese potatoes and two different pasta salads while Miss Green
declined to try anything. When Miss Pink encouraged her friend to at least
try the cheese potatoes, Miss Green angrily accused her of trying to ruin
her diet. She hadn’t eaten all day and if she ate anything now she would
just get hungry and binge when she went home.
Are you afraid of food or your response to it? Using fear and anxiety
as a foundation for your lifestyle is like building your home with
termite-riddled wooden support beams. Eventually the structure will come
crashing down upon you.
Negative eating habits are the termites destroying your attempts to
build a healthy lifestyle. To prevent the roof falling in on your life,
take a moment to contemplate one of the most stress causing bad food
habits, skipping meals.
If the young woman at the sample table had started her day with
breakfast, she could have enjoyed her trip to the grocery store. Instead
her hunger caused stress not only for her but also for her friend who bore
the brunt of her anger.
If your busy lifestyle makes it easy to skip meals, start a new habit
of always have a snack bar on hand. Make it a priority on your grocery
list. Stop letting your mind overrule your body’s common sense and use it
instead to make wise food choices for your body.
Experience the bounty of life when you tap into the powerful
triumvirate of your mind, body and soul with simple yet effective
lifestyle changes.
Cindy Sue Blair is an internationally
syndicated columnist. Her articles appear in publications throughout US,
Canada and Europe.
© Cindy Sue Blair 2010
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Inner Peace Through Food
by Cindy Sue Blair The day was long, difficult
and my patience was sorely tried. Walking out the door, I left the business
day behind but irritation was my companion on the drive home. My "companion"
muttered that I deserved a treat, just look at the stress I had endured.
Visions of tasty delicacies danced in my head.
It would only take a quick stop at the store to indulge the voice of stress.
After all I deserved it.
I made the mad dash into the store for that
fat-laden, sugar-rich, high-cholesterol, sodium-laced goody. It took only
moments to indulge myself. I should have felt wonderful as all the stress of
the day slid off my shoulders.
Unfortunately the reality was that the stress I
was trying to dissipate never left. My shoulder muscles still ached, my head
hurt and now I had added guilt to the emotional cocktail that I was mixing.
Obviously it was time to rethink my food choices.
What do I deserve? I deserve to feel good about
myself emotionally, mentally and physically. Since turning to food in times
of stress was my worst habit it was time to change it into my best habit.
It began as baby steps. To the uninitiated the
changes were almost imperceptible yet every action I took made me feel
better about myself. It felt good to treat myself to a new lifestyle, one
that I had always deserved.
Years have passed, I have lost a considerable
amount of weight and gained a more peaceful perspective on life. I have even
discovered how to indulge my taste for pizza. Check out the recipe in the
column to the right, courtesy of my husband, the family chef.
Here's to eating your way to inner peace.
Cindy Sue Blair is an internationally
syndicated columnist. Her articles appear in publications throughout US,
Canada and Europe.
© Cindy Sue Blair 2010
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Cooking with Tom
by Tom Blair That hard granular cheese known as
Parmesan is associated with Italian cooking because it was developed by
Benedictine monks more than 800 years ago in the Po Valley of Northern
Italy. The cheese was hand made in the monasteries and enjoyed locally.
It wasn’t until the early 20th century that
modern transportation and production facilities made this unique delicacy
available to the rest of the world.
Enjoy a bowl of Pizza Soup with the old-world flavor of
Parmesan.
Pizza Soup
Ingredients:
1) 2-3 oz. package of crumbled bacon bits
1) 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
2) 10.5 oz. cans condensed tomato soup
1 /2 tsp. garlic powder
1 /2 tsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 /2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese (optional)
1. Add all the ingredients except for the mozzarella cheese to a large
saucepan.
2. Bring soup to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir
occasionally.
3. Serve in soup bowl and top with mozzarella cheese. Makes about 4-6
servings.
© Tom Blair 2010
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