Changes

"Eat close to the source. The healthiest food doesn't come in a wrapper."
Quote by Terri Trespicio

I always try to schedule my annual medical exams around the time of my birthday, simply because that way it's easier to remember when they are due. My list seems endless right now with many appointments to meet:

1. well woman exam-----done
2. mammogram----done
3. bone density test----scheduled
4. annual eye exam----need to schedule
5. dental exam----done, but need a follow up

I recently read of someone who does not join the masses in making well intended new years resolutions but, rather, acknowledges and initiates lifestyle changes on her birthday each year. That sounds like a grand idea to me, and since the big 53 is just around the corner, I suppose I should give a little thought to some changes I could benefit from. Believe me, I won't have to ponder long before having quite a lengthy list before me!

As all southern girls know, especially those of us who are known to be wonderful cooks, as we mature, maintaining our desireable weight can be quite a difficult feat. We make biscuits, but it doesn't just end there. We slather them with REAL butter and delectable homemade preserves...and, of course, bacon or a little left over spiral sliced ham is a must have to go along with it. We make cornbread and sweet tea almost daily, prefer fried over baked, broiled or boiled, and we make the best gravies and sauces you'eve ever tasted. We have good intentions of eating more vegetables and less meat, but.......we just have to have a little bacon grease in the pot of beans 'less someone thinks they're 'missing something!' Holidays finds our tables groaning beneath the weight of the buffet. And birthdays? You'll never find a pound cake with fresh fruit on the side in our kitchen! No siree. We make scratch cakes full of butter, sugar and eggs. Red Velvet, Italian Cream, Better than Sex, Triple Fudge and Humingbird cakes, just to name a few. Layer cakes. Loaded with finger licking cream cheese icing to go along with that scoop (or 2!) of the phenomenal, Texas's own, Bluebell Ice Cream. Indeed, a southern kitchen is one of the best places this side of heaven!

But the truth is this: God has provided us with all that we need to maintain our bodies in optimum condition, and with a little creativity, we can prepare some marvelous meals using His provisions. If we take small steps and try to eat food as close to its natural state as possible, we are doing our bodies a favor. Example: the Bible speaks of 'fish on the fire', not crispy fried fish laden with tartar sauce. Olive oil can replace Crisco oil. Herbs---basil, rosemary, thyme---can substitute for what's missing when we cut down on the salt. We can actually make a gourmet fish entree when we prepare it in this manner. After eating wheat bread for the past 20 years I can't imagine switching to white bread. And If you haven't tried stevia, oh my, you're missing out on a marvelous herb. A little pinch of stevia in your coffee or tea is every bit as sweet as sugar...with ZERO calories. And it's cheap, too. I always have a little patch of it growing in my herb garden, along with various mints, chives, garlic, sage, thyme and marjoram. I know the right things to do, but I must discipline myself to enforce the change. That, with about 30 minutes of walking or cycling each day sounds like a good resolution, however, it will be such a huge change from my current life style that I don't think I will be able to implement another change anytime soon....