Food epiphany?
 

Have you had any "This is what it's all about" moments with healthy food? Something wonderful that made you feel like life on a diet is all worthwhile?

I got some strawberries yesterday. I am not particularly fond of them, but ya gotta eat something, right? Anyway, the particular berries I got were to-die-for. In all my life I have never had such wonderful strawberries. I could eat chicken breast and lettuce for the rest of my life if I could have more of those wonderful berries.

I had one the other day when I ate some grapes my mama had given me. These grapes were nice and cold, so juicy....*drools*

Ha, all the time! Fresh blackberries and greek yogurt, baked in the oven sweet potato, whole grain bread with natural peanut butter, roasted cherry tomatoes with a little sea salt... Chicken and lettuce are fine and have their place - but my diet mainly consists of the healthy foods I love.

I love strawberries, too! With some yogurt, perhaps a teaspoon of maple syrup. Yummmm!!

I don't know whether this counts as a food epiphany, but the time that I realized I could be satisfied, without having to be stuffed and without eating everything, was wonderful.

Jay

I love lettuce. I got the tastiest, most beautiful butter lettuce from the farmer's market last week. I ate almost all of it myself and enjoyed every bit. :devil:

My food epiphany was more general than that. I simply realized one day that it's ok to be hungry. That I wouldn't die, the world wouldn't end, and everything would still be okay if I felt hungry now and then. Now, I don't even remember exactly why I used to fear it so much.

Discovering fruit for actual food was a great thing for me. When my body was cleared and I took a bite of a fresh peach, it was probably the most wonderful thing I've eaten. It was like everything good there was I was eating. XD

Mine was when I realised that I actually PREFER the food I'm eating now. When we go on holidays I get withdrawal symptoms and cravings for fresh veggies and fruit. I can't wait to get home again to find all of the wonderful foods that I am used to that you just can't seem to find when you are holidaying in a busy city.

I also rejoiced when I realised that I could actually TASTE and enjoy the flavours in natural foods, rather than wanting them to be smothered in sauces or whatever.

I still can't rejoice in plain water though, and I'm waiting for that epiphany to reach me one day.

Zelma

I'm with Zelma and Glory. I really and truly LOVE everything that I'm eating now. I couldn't stay on plan for as long as I have had that not been the case. Healthy food IS good and delicious. It doesn't have to be smothered in oil and butter in order to taste good. Roasting vegetables brings out all their wonderful flavors. Parsley, lemon and garlic is a perfect seasoning for salmon. Basil is great herb, used on chicken breast or fish.

As far as berries go, they're fantastic. I had a great bunch of strawberries this week. And the raspberries have been phenomenal as well. The blueberries also. That has been a great treat for me this week. So much better then cookies. :)

Pretty soon, we're going strawberry picking a couple of miles from my house.

Oh, and we live across the street from a blueberry orchard- the big blueberries that grow on vines. How lucky are we?

We also live down the street from a farm that sells sweet corn on the cob, peas, zucchini and squash. I can't wait to get farm fresh veggies soon!

My gosh you gals have lost a lot of weight! Congratulations. Loved your responses. Don't get me wrong, I also like lettuce and chicken breast. Some people get tired of the chicken, but to me, it is a blank slate to color as I please.

We must be twins separated at birth---I love every food you mentioned here. Also, I completely agree: Over the years, I've acquired a taste for healthy, delicious foods. My main problem is that I tend to eat too much of the healthy stuff, and I still like the bad stuff too!:devil:

I discovered this as well. In fact, I really enjoy eating a meal when I'm good and hungry before eating it. I definitely enjoy my food more if I allow myself to get hungry before eating it.

I agree with almost everything that's been said here. It was a real epiphany to me when I realized how GOOD whole, nutritious food is when you are actually a bit hungry. Who knew?!? I used to eat crap and never let myself get hungry - and I thought I liked food then. It's 1000% better when you're eating high quality, healthy foods and waiting until you're actually hungry to eat them.

Yesterday, for example, I had the sweetest, juiciest orange - I bit into it and the flavor just burst in my mouth. It was amazing!

Veggies and fruit are all I want to eat these days. I keep the apples and oranges in the fridge so they're cold and juicy when I bite into them. Just writing about them is making my mouth water.

I eat salads almost every day with my favorite olive oil and various vinegars. The past two weeks, I've been on a Raisin Bran kick. Don't know why. Usually it's not my first choice.

Once in a blue moon, I drive the 45 minutes to a lovely, huge, upscale grocer. The produce department is fabulous. I enter the first aisle and just absorb the fresh atmosphere. So much amazing food to discover!

An upscale grocery sounds like a real treat. We have Trader Joe's a couple of hours away. I, too, love the greek style yogurt that they sell. I have strained the low-fat Mountain High brand that I can get at my local store and find that pretty good, too.

In the next few days, we are going to a "Pick it yourself" place to get peaches and whatever else they have. I am so looking forward to it!

We had a neighborhood get-together at our house this weekend. I ate a few things that weren't exactly what you would call "clean". I found that I really didn't enjoy the food like I thought I would - like someone mentioned, I wanted the "good" stuff.

We get our water from a well out in the desert ('cause that's where we live). We also have a stand-alone ice machine which is continually producing fresh, odorfree ice. Even a glass of ice water can be an epiphany!

Have you ever tried Fage yogurt? I'm addicted to this stuff. I eat the 2% version. It's 130 calories of pure heaven.

Hm, haven't heard of it, lynnm39. Where do you find it? What part of the country are you in?

Jay

I haven't tried the FAGE, but I am going to next time I go to TJ's. I was shocked by the price and decided to try the house brand first.

I live in the northeast, and I can always find Fage at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. Now, even my local ACME has started carrying it.