Get Cookin': Tackling the Food Pyramid

Have you taken a look at the food pyramid lately? Quick, get me a glass of water (one of the required eight, by the way), my throat is parched from contemplating all those unappetizing pictures of grains and dried beans. Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes I think I have to grow bunny ears and spend my life scampering through Mr. McGregor’s garden in search of all that produce I’m supposed to eat every day.

Yes, we need dietary guidelines because we have too many nutritionally deficient, sugar- and fat-enriched convenience foods out there tempting a busy, hassled, hungry populace. As a nation we are putting ourselves at risk by eating too much of the terrific abundance we enjoy. But presentation is everything. If you have a hard time thinking of the food you love in terms of RDA’s, recommended servings, fat grams, and total calories, play a little head game with yourself. A rose by any other name and all that. If you need a little boost in committing to a healthy-eating program.