It's all about percepetion

Everything that we do on a daily basis is affected by perception whether it's how someone else perceives it or how we perceive it personally. My perception of many things has changed of late but most particularly, my perception of our eating habits and what we eat has tracked in an entirely new direction. I don't chastise my friends or relatives that have taken the "healthy" road of soy and tofu or VEGAN but I have to say that I honestly just never understood why in the world you would give up so many incredible foods to eat something that pretty much tasted worse than dried out cardboard. For numerous reasons I have been forced to drastically alter my lifestyle and eating habits. All of the things that I took for granted in my fridge or at the grocery store...or Dairy Queen have pretty much been eliminated. Absolutely forbidden are the all-time greats like breads, cookies, mayo, salad dressing, BBQ sauce, any vinegar products or fermented foods, wine/beer/alcohol, cheeses, smoked/dried/pickled/cured/processed meats, sugar, citrus fruits and anything in a can are just a few things that are not allowed to pass my lips. Also eliminated are most spices unless they are completely fresh. What is left in my diet is the simplest form of food with no spice, sauce, or added anything...not even butter. Thank god for George Foreman!!! At first I thought that I would starve...or would rather starve! I lost a few pounds before figured out the new rotational menu but I have to say that the fresh whole foods I am consuming taste INCREDIBLE now. I bought some unsalted almonds the other day, normally would have hated them, and they were like caviar! I had fresh turkey seasoned with lemongrass...DELICIOUS! After a little over a week on this new eating regime I honestly can't believe on incredible everything tastes. I suppose if I were stranded on a deserted island and somebody dropped a bag of dog chow I would think that tasted like something prepared by Guy Fierri as well. My point is that we are so accustomed to dressing up our food with sauces, spices and various other additives and adornments that we have lost the ability to really taste the basic food that we are eating. My perception of what foods taste like has entirely changed. Oh, don't get me wrong. When this diet is over I am going to spend a night in Omaha eating the most incredible sauce-covered, smoked, processed mountain of carbs that I can sink my teeth into! Then I will wash it down with the cheapest bottle of wine that they serve!!! But when it is all said and done I have to admit that I have a great new respect for the people that choose to take the better road of health. I hold my greasy ketchup covered rare burger up to you!!!