Diet? What Diet?

As the new year turns, it seems everyone is (supposed to be) thinking about "Diet". The TV spots are rampant now: "Just take this pill and the fat will melt away" or "all you have to do is to eat what's delivered to your doorstep", etc. etc... I am not denying any effectiveness of them. I personally resorted to the Slim-Fast in the past when I needed to reduce the weight quickly. The point, though, is to use any method you find suitable and then, when successful, modify your habit to maintain.

I'm talking about the long-run here. Do you really want to continue taking the magic pill? Or only eat what comes to you for the rest of your life? Not me. I want to know what I am putting in my body. I buy an 'ingredient', and avoid the precooked food as much as I can. I also want to eat what tastes good to my palate. Since I arrived here in the US, I often find the flavoring of the food too- everything: Too sweet, too salty, too bland. But if I cook, I can definitely take care of that department and every meal becomes a satisfaction. Even when it did not taste as I imagined; in fact I love those surprises.

My diet is to eat in moderation. Sure I indulge time to time; I'm not an ascetic after all. But when I feel the need to balance/cleanse my system, I cook up a batch of vegetable soup. This tomato-flavored soup keeps in the fridge for days, and makes an excellent base for variety of quick meal. A friend of mine sent me the recipe, entitled "Fat-Burning Soup", a long ago. Those days we were experimenting with occasional "fried green tomatoes" recipe - boy, were we fearless.

The ingredients: 6 large green onions, 1 bunch scallions, 2 green peppers, 1 28-oz can tomatoes (whole or crushed), 1 bunch celery, 1/2 head of cabbage, 1 can V-8 juice, 1 package Lipton or Knorr Onion Soup Mix. Chop all vegetables, combine all the ingredients in a large stockpot. Add enough water to cover. Cook until the vegetables are tender.

This is perfect to eat at night, when you came home hungry but don't want to fill up your belly with regular meal. I guess some people eat cereal. I eat this soup. The onions boost the immune system. The tomatoes supply lycopene. The cabbage is supposedly good for restoring the digestion system. I would feel better and lighter in a few days: I swear by it.

There are so much more to talk stemming from this subject. So stay tuned.

Ku Cake