The Real Food Diet

Gluten-Free, Raw, Flexitarian, Pescetarian, Fruitarian, Vegetarian, Vegan, Paleo, Zone, Blood Type, Atkins, South Beach, Macrobiotic, Low-Glycemic, “French Women Don’t Get Fat,” Mediterranean…EEESH!  When did eating food (or hosting a dinner party, for that matter) get so complicated?  In the western world, we are so entirely bombarded messages from our friends, coaches, trainers, newspaper reporters, etc about which diet can best optimize our health that it can be immobilizing.  And while we jump from one regimen to another, it’s easy to lose sight of both what our body is telling us and what an absolute privilege it is to have choices at all.

After trying some of these plans over the years (and I may try them again for future posts), the place I’ve landed is definitely the simplest: real food.  This is my wellfesto guidepost, and I feel confident that I can stick to it because it can include any diet du jour (for example, I don’t exclude, but I try not to eat too much gluten, dairy, sugar).  It also means I can find something to eat almost anywhere and anytime (the holidays are all about real food).  Diet Coke has been hard to give up, and I’m sure I’ll still eat a Dorito here and there…but for the most part, I can picture each of ingredients in the food I eat.  And although this way of eating is not low cholesterol or low fat, I feel healthy and balanced and clean.  Here’s a simple “real food” dinner I made last night (this one is a staple in our house):

• Salmon filets, brushed with olive oil, salt and pepper
• Spinach, sautéed in garlic and olive oil
• Quinoa
• Mustard cream sauce (shallots, mustard, lemon, olive oil, heavy cream)

I just topped the quinoa with the spinach, followed by the salmon, followed by a small drizzle of the sauce.  This meal was so quick, so easy, and so REAL.  And looking at the laundry list of diets, I could have invited a gluten-free, flexitarian, pescetarian, low-glycemic, and/or mediterranean eating friend over!  What’s on your holiday table, and how much of it is real food?  Do you have a real food recipe to share?