catching up

Sorry its been so long. Apparently something is going all the way around Jacksonville, and last week it hit me square in the throat in the form of Strep. It hurt so bad I could barely eat, and that is definitely not a healthy way (or a fun way) to lose weight.

Speaking of "Healthy Way," I'm going to take this opportunity to gripe a little about American values and the way we eat. A few days ago, I went to the Town Center Mall hoping to grab some lunch before a gig. As I turned the corner right past Kay jewelers I immediately stop in my tracks, as I see one of my favorite healthy restaurants, the Healthy Way Cafe, has gone out of business.

Of course, Marble Slab Creamery, Auntie Anne's pretzels, and Maggiano's Little Italy, all within eye shot, are busy and thriving. Go figure.

It seems that our society really doesn't like healthy food. We'd rather savor the flavors of full fat, whole milk ice cream, white flour pretzels dripping with butter, and creamy, cheesy, oily Italian food. Well... yeah, that all sounds good... really good. However, to your body, nothing tastes or feels better than crisp, fresh vegetables and fruits, a bowl of brown rice, marinated, organic meats (or tofu), and seasoned vegetables.

Sure, that kind of food doesn't have all of the bells and whistles (aka, sugar and butter) as the ice cream and the pretzel, but it is more filling and offers more nutrients, and it won't make you crash or feel like you're dying of starvation an hour after you eat it.

I find it interesting that this happens right after I watch, and consequently become obsessed with, Supersize Me. We really are a nation of fast-food eaters and sugar addicts, and the closing of one of the few healthy quick-food restaurants completely proves this for me. I'm not saying that we should only eat vegetables and brown rice for the rest of our lives, but I am saying that we would be a healthier, skinnier nation if we didn't close down restaurants and cafes that offer fast, fresh, and tasty healthy food, and then line our streets with McDonald's, Arby's, and Wendy's.

It doesn't matter that Wendy's uses all white-eat chicken and garnishes their fries with sea salt. It's still soaked in oil and of questionable quality. It doesn't help that McDonald's sells salads if they are going to charge twice the price for them, and fill them with two to three times the calories of their traditional menu of Big Macs and Chicken McNuggets. Arby's isn't doing any better since their line of "Market Fresh" sandwiches have much more fat and calories than their cheesy, roast beef sandwich.

I'll give these guys a C for effort, passing them into the New Year with a warning. Shape up your food so we can shape up our bodies. Because Americans are starting to wise up. At least I thought we were until I stood in front of the empty concrete hole that used to be Healthy Way Cafe.

So my advice to you is if you find a healthy restaurant with good-for-you take out and friendly local service, go there. Keep visiting them, patronize them as often as your budget allows, and keep putting healthy foods in your body, and keeping healthy restaurants in business. Hold on to them for dear life.

For my Jacksonville friends, I'll let you know, these are the restaurants that I'm going to start to frequent a little bit more often:

Healthy Eats at the Avenues Mall
The Flame Broiler in Tapestry Park
Chipotle Mexican Grill (they use mostly organic ingredients)
Roly Poly
Nature's Table (I haven't been there yet, but after looking at their menu full of salads, wraps, paninis, and soups, this is so my next stop.)