MODERATION

Everything good in moderation...
There was a wonderful Community Gathering talk at the Seattle Indian Health Board on Traditional Indian Health Medicine.
One of the attendees talked about the high rate of diabetes in our respective communities and shouted passionately how we need to “get off that bread”, “fried bread” she emphasized... much to the collective amusement of the audience.

Indeed the fried bread that I tasted right after that talk brought me right back to my childhood and was reminiscent of the sweetness of the beignets that mom made in Congo or the doughnuts that I thoroughly enjoyed when I first arrived in the U.S.A.. a whooping 20 + years ago!! Noting that several other cultures have equivalents from fried dough twist Youtiao (China) to Cicerchiata (Italy),you may therefore understand exactly what I am talking about.

Nowadays however, anything remotely dipped in oil, let alone fried, is frown upon and considered bad, fattening, cholesterol building or plain EVIL! 

So what has changed? I say our relationship with food.
For one the quality of the dough (highly processed), the type of the sugar (high glycemic index), the number of servings (need I say more), the serving portions (extra large), the size of the plates (have increased over the years) and most importantly what happens before or after the ingestion of fried bread (food coma).

Equally important, we as a culture don’t move as much and as intentionally as we did 20 years ago. For instance, my daily activities revolve around sitting at my computer to conduct research, read, learn and sitting in my car for getting from point A to point B and sitting when I have meeting and sitting when I meditate...In short, my caloric intake exceeds the amount of energy I expand on a daily basis, unless I exercise and move.

I cherish the experience of the soft sweetness of the layer of powdered sugar on the landing on my tongue. The exhilarating feeling of sweetness tickles my taste buds and the subsequent wonderful sense of satiety as the beignet settles in my stomach. Food should be enjoyed in communion with gratitude and thankfulness. The beignets do so by taking me back to those childhood moments that I cherish. They are the perfect metaphors for reliving the rich simplicity that I experienced back then.

However my awareness about nutrition and food quality today have empowered me. 
I know that;
MULTIPLE SERVINGS OF SUGAR/FAT/CARBOHYDRATE + SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE ==> increased risk of cardiovascular diseases!

MY LESSON: I make the best out of my food and give my wholesome best at my next power walk, jog or dance workout...without regrets. We should not be afraid of food but rather be smart consumers. Everything good but in moderation.