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I talked last week about my struggle with weight loss. The pandemic has dealt a lot of people a big blow in this regard, so at least I’m among good company. But enough is enough, and I’ve begun the long trek back up Self Improvement Mountain.
I’m still in the honeymoon phase, which is good because it allows me to get excited about insanely mundane things. But I’m trying to use that energy to find replacement foods and drinks for my more unhealthy cravings, alcohol chiefly among them. I know myself well enough that I can never fully swear off beer, but I can make some adjustments so I’m not absentmindedly packing away nearly 1,000 extra calories or more if I decide to have three or four craft beers. I went out this week and bought a bunch of different low calorie IPAs, and was planning on doing a full taste test and sharing my findings.
The problem is, though, is that sounds really boring.
The short version is that most of them tasted inoffensive but not particularly great. The Bells Light Hearted probably came the closest to tasting like the real thing, but if you’re looking for something that isn’t just your favorite light beer, they’re all more or less fine. I’m not a cicerone, and I have a hard time imagining something less valuable than me spending several hundred words trying to not say that these beers all taste thin. I respect you too much to do that, dear reader.
I’m trying my best not to turn this newsletter into a health-focused enterprise. It’s not something in which I have much expertise, but honestly I don’t really like reading about it, let alone writing about it. I’m not going to try to sell you on how cauliflower rice is sooooooooo yummy (it’s not, it just makes me want regular rice instead). I’m not going to make an incredibly cursed video explaining how you can replace your sandwich bread with bell pepper slices. I will be returning to regular service soon and posting some new recipes, but I promise you that the primary concern will be that they taste great, not that they’re a mildly healthy imitation of a dish you’d rather be eating instead. Food you will actually want to eat: That’s the Peter Berkes Promise™.
There has to be a balance. I can try to reprogram my mind and body to not want to eat or drink the many delicious things that are bad for our health, but deprivation has never been an effective method, even if you’re doing it with a smile. I’m always going to want to demolish a pizza, or eat a mountain of fries, or what have you. I’ll be grilling hot dogs and making a big pot of macaroni and cheese for my daughter’s birthday this weekend, and I have every intention of leading with my stomach that day. The simple things are still worthwhile, even if you can’t have them as much as you’d like.
I was hoping that this would lead to some grand thesis about health, cooking, and the many points of intersection therein. I’m not entirely sure one exists, though. I think everyone should do and eat what makes them happy, but I guess the string I’m trying to pull out of this is that eating healthy things can make you happy too. The feeling your body gets after several days of really good, healthy eating is hard to beat. You just shouldn’t get carried away and lose sight in the simple pleasures of the occasional indulgence, either.
God, I want pizza.
To your point with the beers, you're spot on. That lack of residual sugars in the beer- which is responsible for a considerable amount of calories, but also the "body" of a beer- just doesn't do enough for me. Personally, I would rather have 1 or 2 "regular" beers than 3 or 4 low-cal beers. Light Hearted is my favorite of those, though I haven't had Jai Low.
And I am also ready to jump make the journey up Self Improvement Mountain. I'm going to use this as motivation to do it.