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Eating too much fast food isn’t good for us. I don’t think I even have to argue that point, as the perils of a diet that consists mostly of heavily-processed fast food are well-known. The low prices these restaurants offer are a refuge for cash-strapped consumers during a recession, but if we order off a dollar menu for the rest of our lives we are going to face problems in this country that are bigger than our bellies, such as overcrowded hospitals and rising health care costs. The low-fat, healthy-living trend is a welcome alternative to the typical American fast food lifestyle, but is it really the answer to our food woes? I don’t think so. While it is sometimes gratifying to eat a meal for the sake of health alone, I don’t know many people who can keep that up for an extended period of time. Eventually they get hungry and they head for the fridge for something they can sink their teeth into. To be fair, there is some low-fat, organic food out there that is delicious and very good for you, but it costs a fortune, and I don’t know too many people who can afford to spend $500 per week on groceries. What we can do as a society is collectively shift our focus away from these two dietary extremes and start eating real food again. Real food got lost somewhere between the fast food craze and the health food craze. By “real food” I mean roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and peas and carrots. I mean fresh ingredients and bold flavors. I mean the kind of food you could eat for the rest of your life, the kind of food I serve in my restaurant. It’s tasty, it’s good for you and it carries a moderate price tag. You can feel good about what you’re putting in your body and you won’t be bored or unsatisfied. That’s the kind of diet we need to move toward, one that we can live with long-term. Here are a few tips on how to make this kind of diet work for you: Use spices and herbs: The right spice combination can make even the most bland foods taste good. Experiment with different spice blends and you might actually look forward to that side of steamed vegetables. Find healthy take-out restaurants in your area: When you don’t have the time to cook, you don’t want to rely on a fast food sandwich to keep you going. Scout out local take-out restaurants that use fresh ingredients and slow-cook their food. Eat a variety of foods, including dessert: I always thought it was funny that the old four food groups chart had a picture of an ice cream carton on it, as if I should dash for the fridge and wolf down some cookies n’ cream if I didn’t have my three servings of dairy yet. But I do think rewarding yourself with dessert, or some other indulgence, is a healthy part of a balanced diet. Choose foods that satisfy you: Being full is not the same as being satisfied. Choose foods at mealtime that will keep you going, so you don’t find your hand in a bag of cookies an hour later. Don’t skip meals: Your metabolism suffers from missing a meal and it makes it easy to justify eating twice as much as normal at your next meal. I think most Americans are like me: they want to be healthy, but they want to eat too. We need to encourage a healthy diet in this country that has broad appeal across a variety of socio-economic classes. The best way to do that is to start eating real food again. John Gennaro is the owner of Zamba Chicken, a South American fusion barbecue restaurant based in Westfield New Jersey, with franchises expanding throughout the state in 2009. He can be reached through his website, www.zambachicken.com www.HealthNewsDigest.com Top of Page 
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