Texas Lap Band Surgeons Talk With You

The summer after my freshman year in college, I spent 6 weeks in Florence, Italy going to a local school to learn Italian.  Okay, maybe the fact that Italy is chock full’o great food and amazingly handsome men might have had something to do with my choice (after all I could have gone to the University of Iowa to study crop rotation instead).  Since staying at a hotel would have been ludicrously expensive, I rented a room from an older woman who lived near the school.

The sweet signora did not speak any English.  I spoke only  rudimentary Italian.  So the first night I was there we had a kind of stunted conversation with my dictionary open on the table.  While she cooked her meal, she tried to explain to me why she stayed so healthy and vigorous at her advanced age.  She said the key was ”mangiare tutti i colori dell’arcobaleno”.  Being as confused as you might be at that sentence, I started looking up some of the words.  I knew mangiare = eat, tutti = all, i colori = the colors, dell = of the ….. but what was arcobaleno? 

The definition of arocobaleno in my Italian/English dictionary was rainbow.   When I looked at quizically she said, “si, si! Come i fiori!” Like flowers?!? I thought.  My impression was of either a demented woman who habitually chewed on daisies in the front yard or a serious failure of communication.

But colors and flowers were what she meant.  She actually did eat some flowers (violets), but her main point was that one’s plate should be varied in color, not just one bland sea of white or beige.  I’ve thought of this again recently when discussing food choices with Band patients.  A lot of the things that are good for you are found in the colors of the rainbow: red tomatoes and strawberries, purple eggplant and onions, blueberries with all their anti-oxidants, yellow squash and all the many wonderful variations of green that you can find in the vegetable section of the grocery store.

What do you not see in a rainbow?  White and taupe.  White like rice, pasta, Wonder Bread.  Taupe like gravy, french fries and chips. 

Try this: try not eating white or taupe foods for a week.  You may substitute brown rice or whole grain bread, but don’t eat anything that is pure white or dingy taupe.  No coffee creamer, no whole milk, no mashed potatoes with butter.  No oils – except for olive (which is good for you in moderation) these are all dingy brownish taupe.  Do see how many different colors you can get on your plate.  With these simple rules, you’ll avoid lots of empty calories of high-glycemic carbs and fat and you’ll load up on taste, texture, anti-oxidants and vitamins (not to mention fiber). 

Who knows?  With all the money you save on white/taupe fast food, you might be able to take a trip to Italy someday.