Indulging in Jazz Fest

I live in New Orleans and have attended the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival for many years. Everyone goes to the festival for the music of course, but they also go for the food. I can remember years ago how I too loved the food at Jazz Fest. Most of the dishes are loaded with flavo, herbs and spices, the standards that have made New Orleans cuisine loved by so many. Over the years though, and especially when the weather is hot I have had a difficult time eating festival food. I think the reason is, oddly enough, the same reason it tastes so good…it’s fried, or breaded, is saucy and spicy. That food no longer sits well in my stomach, especially when the weather is hot, and its hard to find healthy options at the festival.

In my style of eating I practice the 80/20 rule. I try to eat 80% really healthy food and 20% thoughtfully chosen but a bit more indulgent foods. I decided to employ that rule at the festival and over the course of the weekend, thinking that I could keep things balanced. Ha, who was I kidding? To be fair I also attended a couple of parties that weekend and there was lots around to eat and drink. By the time the weekend was over I had gained 5 pounds.

Lucky for me, I did not see this as a disaster. I have learned through studying nutrition how to dial things back and I don’t see a 5 pound gain as something I can’t easily overcome anymore. If I get the right nutrients into my body, change can literally happen in a couple of days. Plus, I know that a lot of what is going on is probably fluid related, due to the high salt content in the food, so I’ll also be sure to drink lots of water in the next few days to help flush the toxins out.

That said, I’d like to encourage to you also adopt the 80/20 rule for eating. It will make a huge difference in how you look and more importantly, how you feel.

Fast-forward to 1 week later.

So…my plan was to drink fresh juices and smoothies to flush my body of any toxins that may be present. Eat small meals but include nutrient dense foods and drink about 2 quarts of water each day.

I’m back down to where I was before Jazz Fest and I feel great.