A Healthy Diet Includes A Little Junk Food

I hate diets.  I really do.  While I do have the discipline to exercise regularly, that same discipline does not seem to extend to my eating habits.  The fact is, I enjoy food too much to worry about gaining a pound or two every time I digest something yummy.   But yesterday I was inspired.  I was reading the Lifestyle section of our local paper because Tuesday it is all about health.  I turned to Marilynn Preston's column, Dr. Jock, and read the headlines:  "The Mediterranean Diet:  Up close and personal".  This caught my attention because as much as I enjoy a little junk food, my main source of nutrition is of the vegetarian type.  Now this is not for an impressive reason such as it's against my religion or I'm a health nut.  The truth is, the thought of eating meat just grosses me out.  It's that simple.  The last bite of meat I ever had was when I was 17, and I can assure you, that was more than a few years ago.

So here's the thing.  I was reading Marilynn's list of what constitutes a Mediterranean Diet, and found it includes many foods that my own diet consists of.  Number one on the list is Olive Oil, something I use all the time, in just about everything I cook.  Also mentioned is fruits, veggies and legumes, all of which I love.  During the summer I can consume an entire watermelon in one day, I kid you not.  As for veggies,  I consider a big salad a perfect meal all by itself.   Non-refined carbs were also on the list, and because I don't eat meat, I don't cook it often.  I do, however, cook with pasta, rice, bulgur wheat and couscous.  Goat cheese made the list as well, and I happen to keep a tub of Feta in my frig just to pull out and snack on because I find it very tasty.  Apparently the Mediterranean folks also enjoy snacking on nuts, which is just one more thing we have in common.  There were a few more items, but you get the point.

So in many ways, I have healthy eating habits.  The question is, if the Mediterranean Diet is considered by many to be the "healthiest diet in the world", and I eat a very similar diet, then how come some of my pants are still hard to zip without a good bit of struggling?   I'd say it's probably that perhaps the Mediterranean Diet does not include potato chips, pastries and chocolate, all favorites of mine along with the healthy stuff. 

I like sweets just enough to keep from fitting into that one size smaller than my current one.  In my younger days, walking and yoga would have been enough to stay at one weight.  What am I saying?  In my younger days, not exercise at all would have been enough to stay at one weight because that is the magical way the body's metabolism operates when we are young.   Anyway, I suppose I can consider myself a somewhat healthy eater.  Now if only I could bid farewell to chocolate, sweets, chips....... 

Probably not going to happen.