I constantly hear people tell me about wonderful dishes they’ve tasted or amazing restaurants they’ve gone to. During these discussions, I’ll hear the people tell me, “It’s to Die for!” I’ve always wondered to myself why anyone would want to die for anything, especially food?
Most of my clients come to me to improve their health. They want to reduce their weight, lower their cholesterol, and/or control their blood sugars. People want to live longer, live healthier, and live happier. Therefore, I say, “This food is to LIVE for,” as I bite into a delicious dish or scrumptious cuisine.
Let’s continue to re-vamp the way we define our health and our outlook on life. Let us tell others in a positive, healthier view how fabulous food can be. It’s like viewing the glass as half full as well as figuring out that some food can truly turn on certain happy hormones such as our dopamine or serotonin levels and bring us to a state of utterly, glorious living. From now on, I focus on food I can LIVE for and enjoy these brilliant moments that take my breath away and quench my taste buds in an ecstatic sense of being.
Here is a list of my top 5 foods around the world that I LIVE for. These are some foods that I continue to think about, even when I’m not in the area, because when I did eat them, they brought me to that place that was pure heaven on earth. (These foods are in no particular order)
1. The famous Burritos from San Francisco. I enjoy El Castillito, Guadalajara, and El Farolito. They weigh about a pound and are filled with all the Latin love one can think of.
2. Cheese steaks from Natale’s, New Jersey. YES! New Jersey has the most amazing cheese steaks. I have to put my props on the love from the Italian stallions.
3. Pizza from New York City. Almost all the pizza places in the different neighborhoods make the signature thin-crust New York style pizza that one cannot find anywhere else in the world.
4. Shwarma’s from Malaga, Spain. I was there in 1999-2000 and I still think about those breathtaking Mediterranean sandwiches. I dream about the day I can go back to have one again.
5. Cannoli’s and Red Velvet Whoopies from Mike’s Pastry in Boston. I am not much of a sweet tooth person. However, when I tasted this cannoli, my body tingled and my endorphins were running wild. The desserts in this shop are truly worth living for.
Now what are you going to LIVE for?
By Sarah Koszyk, MA, RDN