Some thoughts about the food I eat

There are several criteria that I have for foods that I'm eating right now and some principles that I have always had.  Here they are (in part, because I don't feel like typing forever right now):

•  I don't believe in "fake desserts."  I don't want to eat low fat cheesecake or sugar free cookies.  I want to eat real fat and real sugar and white flour.  I would rather not eat dessert than eat something that doesn't taste as good just because it's low calorie.  That said, I am not opposed to desserts that happen to be lighter or lower in sugar, IN GENERAL, than say, a slab of rich chocolate cake a la mode.

• I don't believe in "fake food that is named after other food to try and trick you that it is, in fact, the other food."  Eggplant lasagne made without noodles is NOT lasagne.  It's eggplant layered with sauce and cheese.  Chocolate mousse made with avocado and tofu is not chocolate mousse.  It might be a whipped chocolate dessert of some kind, but it is NOT chocolate mousse.  You get the idea... Again, I would rather not eat food like this than eat it to try and "fake myself out."  

• I really love Splenda.  I put it in my coffee, on my strawberries, and in my oatmeal.  Someday, it will probably give me cancer or make me spawn a second head.  It isn't natural or organic.  I won't bake with it because the properties I like about it do not make up for the fact that it makes things soggy, doesn't react very well with flour, and is generally lacking in all of the things sugar can do except be sweet.  It might, however, be the only processed food that I will never give up. 

• That said, I like recipes that feature all of its ingredients in the best way possible with minimal butter, cream, assorted fats and excess starch/white flour.  I like all of that stuff very much, but (with this lifestyle change) in great limitation.  And when I do cook with those things, watch out!

• I am actually trying to limit the amount of sugar, animal fat, processed foods and caffeine in my daily life.  I would add alcohol to that list too, but I don't drink much or often as it is.  I also don't drink anything carbonated, so that helps too.

• I eat meat of all kinds.  period.

• If I'm going to cheat and eat something "bad' - e.g. full of fat or sugar - it's going to be something really good and very likely hand-made.  I won't eat bagels at Panera, but I'll definitely eat them in New York at a tiny, Jewish mom-and-pop deli (with lox and cream cheese and capers and tomatoes).  If I'm going to eat a pastry, it had better well be coming to me from a real French bakery and be crazy fresh.

• If I'm going to cheat and eat something "bad" (see above for the definition of this), it's going to be:

• 1) well-planned for ahead of time or 
• 2) so spontaneously amazing and fitting of the above description that I might die if I don't eat it

                AND

• 3) not anywhere near the last time I cheated - because otherwise that's habit forming instead of indulging a craving/seizing the culinary moment.

That's all I've got for now on this, but I'm sure to think of more.