All's Well Who Eats Well

By Roary Mac Pherson

Many of us see the Christmas season as an opportunity to indulge ourselves in the food and drink department. By now, those of us who overdid the holiday celebrations are likely feeling it - carrying around more pounds, but with less energy. No wonder so many New Year's resolutions involve getting back on track in terms of a healthy diet.

Eating healthy food is vital to enjoying a great life. It's simple - the healthier you are, the better you feel about yourself and your surroundings.

I doubt any of us intentionally try to be unhealthy. But at certain times in our lives - holidays being a perfect example - it's easy to make the wrong decisions regarding what we eat. Often these decisions can spiral into a pattern that's difficult to break.

I understand this first hand. I used to weigh 377 pounds with no sign of stopping, and the reasons why boiled down to three main things: not getting enough exercise, making unhealthy decisions, and eating the wrong foods.

I wanted to be healthier, so I took it upon myself to change what I could control. First, I started to do exercises at a regular time every day, and kept myself from making excuses not to be active by telling myself over and over again how healthy exercise is for me. That took some convincing, but eventually it worked.

Next, I started thinking about the eating decisions I was making; for instance, having a prime rib dinner at 10 p.m. Instead, I decided it made more sense to have a big meal earlier in the day, when I had more time to digest it and even work off some of it. So now if I'm having prime rib I have it before 6 p.m.

Finally, I began to eat the right foods. No more take-out or fast food for me. I also decreased my portion sizes on proteins and increased my vegetable and fruit intake. Besides this, my new healthy eating strategy includes two things I never do: I never skip a meal (especially breakfast), and I never deprive myself of anything because if you stop yourself from having some particular "bad" food, you will crave it more.

Once I made these simple changes in my lifestyle, I started to see the weight come off. To date I have lost 140 pounds, and I'm keeping it off.

Here is a recipe for a delicious, heart-smart dish that will make you feel satisfied without filling you with empty calories. Better still, prawns are rich in those lovely omega-3 oils that are so good for us. Eat well and live long! Poached Prawns and Herbed Goat Cheese with Organic Tomatoes


   2 jumbo prawns (poached in water, vinegar and lemon juice)
   2 oz goat cheese blended with fresh herbs
   6 slices tomato
   1 oz balsamic vinaigrette
   1 pinch sea salt
   1 pinch black pepper

Peel and de-vein the prawns, then poach them for two minutes in a solution of water, vinegar and lemon juice. Once the prawns turn pink they are cooked. Remove the prawns from the liquid and season with the salt and the pepper.

Arrange tomatoes on a plate and drizzle with the balsamic vinaigrette. Place the goat cheese on top and then the prawns.

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