Just my take...

​God, family, food.  Yep, and in that order!  As a self proclaimed culinary health foodie, I have seen and tasted up close and personal food trends and health fads that have come and gone.  Trendy diets, detoxes, and cleanses too.  And yes I've tried a few in my day- a vegetable soup flush here, and 'grade B' maple syrup lemonade cleanse there.  And indeed for that moment once completed (not even going to describe the level of mood swings when you begin these food hiatus'), you're pounds lighter and your attitude is on cloud 9!!  .....then you eat...and it all goes to hell in a hand-basket.  In most instances you gain back not only what you initially lost, but a few more ponds that you've found along the way!  Here's my point- unless you plan on eating that magic weight loss soup or only sipping on that spicy lemonade for the rest of your life, all you lost is coming back, and with a vengeance!   

My thought process: A skinny person is not necessarily to be assumed 'healthy', nor is a thicker individual necessarily 'unhealthy'.  Once you get the mindset to make 'healthy' not only your priority but your way of life, i.e., lifestyle, a much satisfied and health-ful person you will be.

Out of all the food fads throughout my lifetime, one tidbit seems to always prevail- plan-tbased is best.  No, this does not necessarily mean all the world should ONLY eat grass for the rest of their lives.  However, making plants primary and animal protein the smaller portion on your plate, is not at all a bad thing.  Salads are not the only dishes to be enjoyed within a plant-based lifestyle.  Roasted seasonal vegetables have taken over as a more tastier option when eating from the earth.  Various beans/legumes, and even veggies taking the place of certain grain carbs such as rice and pasta, are heavily on the climb as the more tastier and beneficial choice.  And yes, salads are a one bowl traditional go-to for vegan, vegetarian, plant-based grazers alike, but the salads of today are created thoughtfully 'outside the box' where in most cases lettuce is either a very small ingredient if included at all.  

If a more gradual approach is what you're seeking, there's an option for that as well.  There are loads of veggie 'meat' substitutes out there for those transitioning desiring a more textured vegetable replacement.  However, be mindful that just because it's not meat doesn't mean it's better.  In all things consumed and applied to your body, check the labels.  Make sure your meat-subs are free from GMOs, too many ingredients with more than 8 letters (lol!), and are artificial anything!  I'm not going to bash the product lines that are guilty of providing such ingredients for the sake of taste, but I will acknowledge my top two (2) favs:

1. Gardein
2. Quorn

Both of these product lines have taken a seat in the responsible chair and have freed their meat substitutes from alot of the garbage still found in their competitors, that are also easy on the purse-strings.   And they taste AMAZING!!!  A few more on my list are the Beyond Meat, Field Roast, and Sweet Earth brands.  These brands are just as responsible from what I've experienced but tend to be a bit pricier.  Other contenders I favor from time to time are the daiya cheese line, LightLife, and Tofurky.  I just need to research a bit more on their make-ups, but they do taste great as well.  But don't just take my word for it, go out and research for your culinary health!


And that's my take!