Lap Banded Meals by Betsy - Surrender to Good Health with Emerald City Salad
By: Betsy Banks
So, I've been watching Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. Yeah, I know; I'd roll my eyes, too. But still-I watch. And little by little, I find my thinking changing. Now, it must be said: I've never really subscribed to the notion of food addiction, at least not for me. I'm not a compulsive eater, and planning meals is about as obsessive as I get. Well, okay; I do log my food intake to keep track of how I'm doing. I guess some would find that obsessive. And I do regularly exercise, also with a devotion some might call obsessive. But food was not, really, an addiction for me. It was a problem, to be sure. It's definitely a problem when you eat enough food to gain too much weight. But I really believed that summed up my food issues. I believed that I was overweight because my body requires a ridiculously small amount of food. And it's quite true that I have the metabolism of a lobotomized tree slug, and can gain weight pretty much by merely thinking of refined carbohydrates.
So, it was really validating when, band in place, I discovered that my food issues disappeared. They just vanished.
But then I started watching Celebrity Rehab, and thinking about why I've had success with my band. I thought, too, about the times I've struggled. And my mind always comes back to one of the main themes of the show: surrendering.
One of the messages inherent in any 12 Step program is that addicts are powerless over their addictions, and that sobriety is achieved by surrendering. Instead of seeking the whys buried deep in childhood, addicts are encouraged to simply follow the program. Sure, insight into whys is illuminating. It can help us forgive ourselves if we stumble. But knowing why you are the way you are is not required to make changes. Surrendering is.
As I mulled this over, I came to a realization: my banded success has always hinged on surrender. At the most basic level, I surrendered to surgery; I acknowledged that though I'd done all I knew to do, I needed help. I admitted that the things I'd tried did not work-and therefore would not work post banding. I harbored no illusions that, post-banding, I would be able to eat "normally, but in smaller portions, " as so many do. Everything changed for me and thankfully, the band made it possible, tolerable even. I meticulously followed my doctor's instructions. And it worked. Food had no grip on me.
As I approached my goal, though, some perverse part of rebelled. I slacked off on journaling my intake. I succumbed to the siren song of Starbucks, inviting white mocha lattes back into my life. I told myself, "You're a success! See? You can do it your way! You don't need to surrender!"
Wrong. Just plain wrong. And here's where the addict thing comes in-when faced with consequences for these lapses, I still kept telling myself that.
A handful of months have passed, and I've come to terms, again, with the need to surrender. I plan, prepare, journal. I follow my doctor's rules-and know that I will have to, for the rest of my life.
I surrendered.
And it feels good. It feels good to surrender to good health.
As part of my recently rediscovered commitment, I'm trying out new recipes. Here is my current favorite. It can be made in advance and refrigerated for lunches; the veggies stay crunchy and delicious. The recipe comes from the PCC Market in Seattle; if you don't like one ingredient or another, substitute! There are many, many variations of this recipe.
Emerald City Salad
- 2 cups organic wild rice
- 1 bunch organic kale
- 1 bunch organic chard
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1 fennel bulb
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper to make dressing. Cook the rice in ample water. (I rinse the rice and soak in cold water overnight, then drain and cook as usual, substituting chicken or vegetable stock for the water. If making this for my low-carb self, I sometimes pare down the rice to 1 cup, or even omit.)
Drain the rice, and allow it to cool until it's no longer steaming, but is still warm. Meanwhile, remove the tough stems and ribs from the kale and chard and chop the greens into bite size pieces. Place the greens on a baking sheet, and cover them with the warm rice; allow it to cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, combine the cooled rice and greens with diced peppers, thinly sliced fennel bulb and chopped green onions. Add the dressing and toss until thoroughly combined. Chill to allow flavors to combine.
Serve cold or at room temperature.
Betsy Banks
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