I wrote this in my Foodbuzz profile: “Asking me about a favorite dish is like asking the Pope what his favorite cathedral is.”

But there are foodstuffs which loom large in my mind: Barbeque. Hot dogs. Corn dogs. Pizza. McDonald’s french fries. Fried anything, really. Krispy Kreme donuts. Bacon cheeseburgers (especially with blue cheese, please). Bacon by itself or with anything, period. Doritos.  M&M’s. Chocolate croissants. Chicken wings. Salami. Hot-fudge peanut-butter sundaes. Oreos. Macaroni & cheese, boxed or homemade. Pickles. Cookie dough. Marshmallows. Cupcakes.

I also like: Baby spinach salads with berries, goat cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette. Tofu. Beans. Brown rice. Kale. Golden Delicious apples. Asparagus. Sun-riped tomatoes with a bit of salt. Raspberries. Blueberries. Grilled salmon. Watermelon. Squash, any kind. Greens with olive oil and vinegar. Tea. Quinoa. Oatmeal. Dark chocolate. Edamame. Cherries. Sweet potatoes. Broccoli. Peas, fresh from the garden. Whole wheat bread. Almonds. Ice water with lemon.

I consider my eating habits this way. Group A is to feed my need to eat something sinfully enjoyable and be satisfied by it. I am not going to restrict myself, but I am also not going to pig out. If I can’t clean my plate, I won’t clean my plate. Group B is to feed my need to eat something good which also happens to be good for me. I try to eat this stuff on a more frequent basis. In my eyes, each group is essential to my health.

I don’t diet, I don’t restrict. I eat everything I like on a rotating basis. When I was a teen, I could put away a bag of tortilla chips. Or half a pan of brownies. I can’t quite do that anymore. I am 30, and my body knows when to tell me, “You can’t do that anymore!” With every year that passes, its been yelling more and more when I take a miss-step. When I eat a heavy lunch and my gall bladder starts misbehaving, the rest of the day’s consumption is much less. On the other hand, if I were to eat healthy food ALL THE TIME, the cravings for the baddies would kick in, with overtime. So I listen. And eat accordingly.

The key is this: I don’t eat mindlessly. I enjoy it all thoroughly. I love food so much, and to stuff it down my gullet with nary a thought about it is sacrilege. When you savor every flavor thoroughly, it imprints itself on your brain and you are satisfied until the next meal. Food is treated in an extreme fashion in this country. We are still puritans, meaning a crazed back-and-forth of sinful gluttony and virtuous restriction. Food is simple, enjoyment and nourishment. We don’t give it its proper place in our lives. We treat our appetites like bad little boys who need to go sit in the corner.

When I pass by the latest best-selling diet book in Barnes & Noble, I scoff. I can’t follow regimentation. Most diets are incomprehensible to me.

One man does stick out in my mind whom I do respect: Dr. Andrew Weil. I consider him the Santa Claus of health. Well, that is how he looks. But he offers plenty of sensible advice in his books, a look at health that is more whole-person centered than most. The focus is not just on losing weight. I have come to him first because I am seeing my health from my head down, rather than my ass up. I want to feel good. Looking good is a happy consequence.

Health is not just food. Its genetics, environment, and lifestyle factors. My parents are not obese, and I am not either. I don’t have to deal with that, whereas other people do. My parents are very healthy, with no diabetes, heart problems, and cancer. I am thankful for their health not only for them, but also for myself. I cannot judge other people for their weight or health, because its obviously more complicated than what they can control. On other hand, the things we can control should be taken care of.

Health is bigger than what we think it is. It is time you spend doing something you love. It is talking with your best friend on the phone. It is receiving a hug from your mother. It is stopping and noticing what to be grateful for. It is consciously biting into an apple and marveling at its flavor. It is being in the present. Health is a gift you care for and don’t take for granted.

Weil prescribes a diet I can’t always follow. I like barbeque too much. He emphasizes variety, fresh and unprocessed foods, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Distribution of calories should be 50-60% carbohydrates, 30% fat, and 10-20% protein. Carbs should be from whole grain sources, beans, vegetables, and nontropical fruits. Protein is less animal and more vegetable, except for fish. With fat, he emphasizes less saturated (dairy, butter, fatty meats) and more from fish, fortified eggs, soybeans, walnuts, and flax seeds. No margarine, vegetable shortening, and fried foods. Plenty of vitamins, minerals, fiber, protective phytochemicals (i.e. cancer-fighters), and water.

Yesterday, my mother made roasted rosemary chicken. Not the organic, free-range kind, mind you. Following recipes out of Weil’s Eating Well for Optimum Health, I provided all of the sides and dessert. I made these: Simple mixed-green salad with balsamic vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), sea salt and pepper. Broiled tomatoes with breadcrumbs, minced garlic, EVOO, sea salt and pepper. Porcini risotto with dried porcini mushrooms and vegetable stock. (I didn’t make the stock as he instructed. I bought a low-sodium one.)

I also made broccoli from a recipe I remembered from one of Weil’s other books. Before this recipe, I wasn’t a big broccoli fan. Simple steamed broccoli? I’ll eat it, but not with much enjoyment. That is when my inner mother comes out and dutifully instructs me, “EAT YOUR BROCCOLI!”

Weil’s broccoli is chopped up and mixed with minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Olive oil is drizzled on top. A little water is added to the bottom of the bowl. This is covered and goes into the microwave for seven minutes or so. Enough to soften, but also enough to keep some crunch. Drain off the water. Nom nom nom, I want more broccoli!

The finished plate arrived, and oh dear lord, it was delicious. All I spent for extra ingredients was $10. I made sure to pick recipes tailored to this. Eating sensibly also means spending sensibly. None of the produce was organic, sorry. I wanted to splurge on truffle oil, but didn’t. (He suggests it as an optional ingredient in the risotto.)

That wasn’t the end. An hour later, I made blueberry pie. Yes, PIE. From a health food book. No butter and much less sugar. Could this be any good?

Well, it was good. The graham cracker crust contains sesame tahini and maple syrup. That was the dubious part, but it turned out nutty and fairly yummy. But I did commit a crime: I ate it with vanilla ice cream. Oops. Noone is perfect.