My revelation or rather...re-awakening

First, let me make the point that I am no stranger to eating healthy like many of my fellow Americans. My childhood was not mired in fast food culture, potato chips and white bread. We rarely ate anywhere but home with Friday nights often reserved for veggie pizza at Godfather's. Fast food was a rare treat and usually only on long road trips in the car or with friends and their families. We ate whole wheat bread, fruits and vegetables, chicken and fish, the occasional burger. I thought white bread was for rich people never realizing until much later that my parents just didn't like it and actually spent more money on the wheat bread. Whole milk was never an option in the years I remember. In fact, the taste of whole milk was so strange to me that if it was the only thing available I watered it down and added ice. The only couple of vices my parents had were Cokes and chocolate, but in the scheme of what we ate on a daily basis those vices seemed pretty mild. As a kid I always felt I was missing out on the wonderful sugary goodness so many of my friends enjoyed. As an adult, I am grateful to my parents for feeding us better.
Living in a food rich state (Texas) with our tempting barbecue and delicious Tex Mex, it can be very easy to slip into a taste coma and forget to eat healthy. All the while hearing that nagging voice telling you to stop indulging. My five year absence from this amazing food has driven me to go a bit overboard in the past few months. I admit I have a weakness for slow smoked brisket, enchiladas, and chicken fried "anything". A major weakness. Knowing all of this is bad for me that nagging voice has been louder than ever and I have simply been ignoring it most of the time. "Give me a break, I have missed my Texas cuisine!" However, my reunion with Texas fare has finally landed on my scale and that nagging voice suddenly became the voice of reason. With that voice of reason also comes the re-awakening to the horror that is the American Food Nation. Anyone who has ever counted a calorie knows what I am talking about.
For me, my first revelation to just how frightening American food has become occurred about four years ago. Before I got pregnant with my daughter I started working out with a trainer who made me evaluate everything I put in my body. At first, it was terrible having to take stock of everything I ate and report back to him. But after I started seeing results and really noticing how the food affected my results it began to click. I became obsessed with tracking calories, fat, sugar and I watched every bit of food I put in my mouth. I scrutinized everything I ate and what everyone around me ate. When I look back I realize I had a mildly unhealthy attitude towards food during this period. But this was the first time I really took stock of what was actually in a quarter pounder or french fries or even a sub sandwich. After I became pregnant, I allowed myself to indulge a little more, mainly because I simply couldn't fight off certain cravings. But after a distressing diagnosis of gestational diabetes I was back to counting carbs and calories but still longing for some chocolate cake. Nine months of denying your body what it craves can take its toll. Once my daughter was born, I conveniently forgot all about my food revelation.
Maybe a quarter pounder with cheese isn't so bad by itself with only 500 or so calories to its credit. You can eat three a day plus dessert and stay within a 2000 calorie budget. But how many of us can say we only eat the burger? Tack on a coke and fries and that 500 calorie lunch turns into 1000 or more calories. According to Calorie King you would have to jog for 114 minutes to burn off that one meal. That's insane.
Even in the face of a national food revolution and pressures on fast food chains to provide better choices we are still seeing new ways to expand our waistlines even further. My re-awakening to this fact occurred during a KFC commercial for the ultimate fast food abomination, the Double Down. The official KFC description is, "This one-of-a-kind sandwich features two thick and juicy boneless white meat chicken filets (Original Recipe® or Grilled), two pieces of bacon, two melted slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese and Colonel's Sauce. This product is so meaty, there’s no room for a bun!". My curiosity drove me to the KFC website to investigate further. At 540 calories and 32 grams of fat who can resist? Thirty two grams of fat and not even a slice of tomato to give it some redeeming value. Let the Double Down be the first on my list of foods to censure in my food mutiny. Will you join me?