Why write “The Healthy Gourmet”?

As I begin in earnest to write “The Healthy Gourmet”, I must strive to keep the motivation for this work in the forefront of my mind. I don’t want to write another cookbook. Or even another cookbook with healthier recipes. I want to inspire others to achieve a new level of healthiness and personal well-being. Cooking well is one aspect of my personal journey towards this goal.

A year ago this month, my wife Vicky were on vacation in the Bahamas. She earned a free vacation to Atlantis on Paradise Island through here excellent sales in her Arbonne business(http://vranck.myarbonne.com). We did have a great time, but it was not as good as it could have been. I weighed about 206 pounds, which is quite a bit more than I should weigh. I was out of shape, my back was hurting (I have a history of back injuries) and I was not happy. I was embarrassed to be in a swimsuit. All of this affected my demeanor and colored everything in my life. I had an over-abundance of stress in my life and I managed this stress, in part, through food. I didn’t overeat greatly, but I ate badly. I consumed the wrongs things and did so at the wrong time (late evening). I knew my life was out of balance, but didn’t know how to put things right again.

It wasn’t until the Christmas holidays that my journey towards fitness and better health began. While having our morning coffee, my wife and I watched an infomercial for a popular home gym. We decided then and there to purchase it and begin a life-change. We had begun to improve the manner in which we were eating by certain changes to our diet. We ate more whole grains and less refined grains for example. That morning though, I came to a conclusion: I am worth spending time, effort and money on my health. It was a “light bulb” moment. I realized that I had been short-changing myself and for no good reason. Case in point: I had wanted to add a protein shake as my morning meal for a long time, but never had. Why? I told myself it took too much time and I was always in a rush in the morning (I had an hour commute). That morning I saw how ridiculous that viewpoint was! Making a protein shake takes about 3 minutes and I could take it with me in the car. Lack of time was not an excuse and even if I had to get up earlier or leave later, I was worth the time and effort!

As my mindset began to change, I wanted to take control of my diet. I didn’t want to go on a diet, I wanted to change the way I ate.  I happen to like to cook and it was natural for me to decide to control my diet through taking on a large part of our household cooking. I also enjoy good-tasting meals so I was determined to learn to create healthy meals that did not sacrifice flavor and fun. Little by little, I discovered how easy it can be – if you know a few secrets and techniques. 

I based my meals on a few principles:

• Know what you are eating
• Use quality ingredients, not packaged “stuff” that contains artificial this and refined that
• Eating well can and should taste great
• Use organic ingredients where practical
• Good food can be quick to fix
• Simple changes can make a great difference

These are the principles, along with others, that will be covered in “The Healthy Gourmet”. I don’t want to create a diet cookbook. I want to help the readers learn to create meals that can promote better health. These principles are meant to be a lifelong habit, not a fad diet. I’ve tried diets. I hate them. Learning how to prepare healthy meals that everyone can enjoy is something I can sink my teeth into (pun intended).

Tomorrow, a year from our trip to the Bahamas, we leave for Cancun (my wife earned another trip from Arbonne). This year, I am looking forward to putting on my swimsuit and strolling through the resort. I’m 25 pounds lighter and have a waist that is about 6 belt loops slimmer. I’m not at my ultimate goal, but I’ve exceeded my original goal for this year. I did it without going on a diet. I did it while enjoying great-tasting meals. I want others to experience the type of life-change I have experienced. That’s the why of “The Healthy Gourmet”.