Day One of the Whole Foods Project: A Quick Check-In

Hi ladies! Thanks for all the encouragement on the "reforming the diet" plan. I loved the comments over at www.youlookfab.com and will definitely look into Mark Bittman, Jean. Thank you!

Today was Day One and it started with a trip to Whole Foods. A quarter watermelon, two cantalope, white nectarines, turnips, parsnips, beets, rutabaga, roasting chicken, a loaf of good bread from their bakery sliced for sandwiches, turkey (from an actual turkey breast), and some grilled veggies from the deli (insanely expensive - won't do that again!!). Here was my menu today:

Breakfast - one slice Ezekiel bread, one slice mozzarella, toasted. Coffee and half and half.

Snack - banana

Lunch - grilled veggies over brown rice (you can get delish microwaveable frozen brown rice at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's), individual container of Emmi raspberry yogurt (from Switzerland - divine)

Snack - watermelon

Dinner - salad greens, can of Cento Spanish tuna, canned corn, balsamic vinegar

Everything I ate was scrumptious. The canned tuna from Spain is expensive but tastes incredible. The balsamic was high-quality from Zingerman's in Ann Arbor. The yogurt? You have to try Emmi! It comes in grown-up flavors like apricot and pink grapefruit.

Part of my theory is quality over quantity and that is working super well. I'll never forget the tomatoes on the vine, served with a tiny dish of sea salt, that was on the table of a restaurant in Nice, France. That tomato was positively bursting with tomato-ness and that is what I'm seeking in all my foods. And that is why Europeans aren't as heavy as Americans, I am convinced. Their foods are so flavorful that they are immensely satisfying. Plus, they are eaten socially, at a dinner table. You do not walk down the street eating in Europe. Here? We eat everywhere. It's all wrong!!

Of all the meals today, breakfast was only so-so, but avoiding sugar this morning worked for me - the protein kept me from being hungry until 11, which is pretty good, because I get up early.

Luckily, wine is a whole food because I'm about to treat myself to a glass! More about the diet as I progress tomorrow!