So it begins...

I've been meaning to do a blog for a while, but last night I was inspired to start writing for two very specific reasons:

1. I forced my very patient husband to finish watching "Julie and Julia," starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, with me. I had seen the first half on our cruise in December, and since I wanted to know how it ended, I rented it again. Since Blockbuster has quietly rescinded its promise of no late fees and the big DD (Due Date) was fast approaching, I knew that I had to know what happened to Julia Child and her faithful, decades-later follower, Julie Powell. I was not so impressed with the movie's ending, but I liked the idea of sharing my cooking experiences with friends and family through a blog like Julie's.

2. I was reading from "Self" magazine, a publication I used to like but now sort of hate because of its dieting undertones, and I learned about a registered dietitian who has blogged everything she eats for the last four years. She includes pictures and everything. Though the thought of agonizing over EVERY meal (and sharing each bite with the world) sounds a little involved, I thought it might be helpful to share the day-to-day trials and tribulations of an RD who is trying her best to take care of herself...whether that means experimenting with new, locally grown veggies or enjoying a really good slice of cheesecake, slowly and mindfully, when a big craving hits. I think people need to know that it's not easy for anyone, even so-called experts, but trying and learning is the best we can do. (Plus, I was a little annoyed that she, like most conventionally-trained RDs, was advocating eating 3 servings of low- or non-fat dairy daily, when I think pasteurized, low-fat dairy can be rather inflammatory to the system. More on that later.)

It's not just about cooking and healthy, natural foods, though; I myself have struggled with balancing being healthy but not bordering on crazy-about-food. As a dietetics student, I was your classic restrictive eater. I actually thought everyone should be constantly counting calories and obsessing over the scale. How did you know how much to eat if you didn't count and measure? Furthermore, how in the hell did people who just ate "normal" foods stay healthfully thin without even trying, while the rest of us slaved at the gym and agonized over each morsel eaten? Then, like in a movie where the clouds open up and the sun finally starts shining through, I heard about Intuitive Eating. What a novel idea, right? Eat when you're hungry? (What if you get hungry when it's not "time"?) Oh, and this stop when you're comfortably full jazz was interesting. (What if there's still food on my plate?) The hardest part was respecting the "eat the foods you truly enjoy" part. (Aren't cookies evil?)

I had the pleasure and honor of working with Dr. Carol Koprowski, a nutrition professor at USC and an Intuitive Eating convert herself, who introduced me to Elyse Resch. Elyse co-authored "Intuitive Eating" with Evelyn Tribole after years of recommending "conventional" weight loss approaches that just didn't work. Almost simultaneously, I was connected with a physician at USC who specialized in pediatric endocrinology and was looking for an RD to help co-author a guided imagery study utilizing Intuitive Eating concepts. Turns out it was Dr. Marc Weigensberg...Elyse Resch's husband. The universe could not have been more obvious, right? This was the direction I was supposed to go. I had to become an IE convert.

I had more bumps and bruises along the path of getting where I am today, especially in rejecting a lot of conventional nutrition and health recommendations due to my own experience and dissatisfaction, but I will leave those for another time.

As for now, I wish you happy, healthy eating and a few moments of time today to just be...

*M*