Mike Moser "I Say" Published Oct. 14, 2005

Next week we'll deal with depression

If I had my choice I would eat breakfast for lunch and supper ... and would compromise with popcorn for breakfast. Once a week I actually have breakfast for breakfast when I meet with the Crossville Breakfast Rotary Club on Tuesday mornings.

It is a great bunch of guys and gals who don't take themselves real serious and enjoy socializing and learning about the community through weekly speakers. And the meeting is centered around my favorite meal, breakfast.

Now some like Rob Patton will go for a bowl of cereal. "Dr. Rey" Olaechea will have fruit or just a cup of coffee. Burrell Harris will have a light combination of both. But not me. I go for the gravy.

Gravy on my scrambled eggs. Gravy on my biscuits. Gravy on my sausage. Oh, yeah, there were two pieces of sausage this morning. And two small containers of orange juice.

I noticed the nice lady standing at the end of my table but did not readily recognize her. If I had seen her name tag I would have immediately known I should hide my plate but by the time I found out who she was, it was too late.

Busted!

Our speaker this week was CMC's certified diabetes educator Linda Oakes-Brown. Most recently she has been busy as the diabetes program coordinator for one of CMC's newest progams, Diabetes Outpatient Education.

She can be found most days at the CMC Wellness Complex where she teaches others how to eat low fat and healthy foods. She also helps plan and implement nutritional programs.
Gulp.

Suddenly the thought of killing off my gravy-smothered scrambled eggs with greasy sausage on the side turned cold as the ice water in my glass.

Her presentation was very interesting and truly educational. Did you know you can personalize your diet these days and still stay within recommended servings under today's Food Guide Pyramid?

Most of us remember being drilled on the Basic Four food groups of healthy eating that was launched in 1956. I can remember making posters for school projects depicting what was represented in each of the Basic Four.

In 1992 the Food Guide was launched and in April 2005 MyPyramid, a new guidance system for longer, better and healthier lives, was launched.

All along the way fad diets have come and gone and while some work for some people, the lasting results are nearly the same.

Linda promotes a very simple and easy theory which makes sense - calories going in and calories going out - and if there is not a balance in that equation, then you might be in danger of gaining weight.

"There is nothing new about dieting," Linda told us. No matter if you are trying the South Beach or Atkins or Weight Watchers, it all boils down to what you take in versus what you are burning up or using.

Thinking about taking up Linda's invitation to investigate a better life? You can find her at the CMC Wellness Center.

You can also go online at MyPyramid.gov and learn some fascinating things about food charts, diets and recipes to help you as you cut back your intake.

Meanwhile, I stared in shame at my empty plate. It is disheartening, the thought of breaking up this long-time affair I have had with breakfast gravy. I wonder if next week's speaker is going to talk on coping with depression. I may need to hear that one as well.

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Mike Moser is the editor of the Crossville Chronicle. His column is published periodically on Fridays.