Nutritarians

Sometime last week, perhaps the week before (they all start to meld together after a while) my darling husband, read a book called Food Rules. It is an interesting read that only took up about an hour of my time. The author, whose name I can't remember, researched all the diets, meal plans, and facts on being the healthiest you, and wrote 65 rules that you should follow. *Disclaimer: the book does say that you don't have to follow all 65, but as many as is realistic. Personally, I liked Rule 43 which states, drink a glass of wine with every meal. Helllllooooo breakfast! But basically what it came down to was this, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Dan then decided that he was going to adopt this philosophy. Between telling me about the book and adopting this new food philosophy, he started to read another book. Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Furhman. It's pretty popular, I am sure you've heard about it, Dr. Oz supports it. Now this book also believes that one should, "Eat food, mostly plants." In a week, my husband, with whom I lived and eaten with for the past nine years and been with for twelve decided that he was going to become a vegetarian. This man, who I have known for so many years, who ate nothing but ground beef when we first started dating wanted to become a vegetarian. True to caveman form, at BBQs he and his friends have been known to begin chanting "MEAT!" A man, who more than once, in front of witnesses other than myself, vowed that he would never eat tofu, loathed mushrooms, abhorred cooked tomatoes, went cold turkey(no pun intended) on meat and became a vegetarian.

And so, with every meal this week, we have indulged in a giant salad before we eat anything else. Mmmmmm. I am a fan of salad, but it usually has a tasty dressing on it. Ours has had lemon or some vinegar, which is nice, but leaves your taste buds wanting something. So I went on a mission to find one of about fifteen salad dressings that Dr. Furhman suggests. So the kids and I head to Whole Foods, because if anyone is going to have this dressing, the magical and beautiful Whole Foods will. Only, they didn't have any of them. Not one! So there I am reading the backs of all of these dressings, trying to find something that will work into this extreme, aggressive, intense, vegetarianism that we are embracing. And as I am looking at these miso based dressings that are a mere 14calories per tablespoon, wondering if it tastes good, if it is worth it. Oh I don't know! Out pops a Whole Foods fairy back lit in the glow of the dairy and non-dairy food section. The middle aged kind, with giant designer glasses frames and perfectly manicured nails, hair that is coiffed at 10am because she cares to coif her hair because later she will be lunching with the ladies. You know her-- you've seen her there, too.

"OH! That salad dressing is THE BEST! It is like candy on your salad. You'll want to eat it for dessert!" Truly, this is what she said to me-- all I heard was candy and I was sold. Miso Caeser and Miso Ginger Something it is. I will take them both. She continued to rave, "Oh, you will just love it! Really, it is soooooooooooo good." Done and done. We continued on in the search for frozen artichoke hearts where WF Fairy met us again. I don't know if we happen to bump into each other or if she sought me out, but she was delighted to see me so she could tell me a little more about this FANTASTIC dressing.

By the time I arrived home, all I could think of was seeing if this salad was really worth all the acclaim. And I tell you, my salad has been reborn, add Rule 43, and vegetarianism is looking up.