An American Girl

Jump to Comments

Hi ladies- I hope you all had fabulous days off.  I spent my entire day on the couch watching trashy tv with one of my girlfriends- it was fantastic.  I got hungry around noon and had lunch- a flat out wrap with lettuce, 1 slice 2% cheese, and 3 pieces of Tofurky, with an orange.

I also had some other random snacks throughout the day:  more Starbursts (not pictured), carrots, and an apple.

McKenzie also brought these delicious cookies from Firehook Bakery- I had about half of one total.  They were to die for!

Despite the lethargy all day, I was hungry for dinner pretty early!  I made myself a huge salad with lite Caesar dressing and a Gardenburger on a sandwich thin.

Dessert was a little plain yogurt with chocolate syrup.  Yogurt is the PERFECT dessert- you can make it sweet, but you also don’t feel the need to keep on eating it.  Fantastic!

I came across this article in Marie Clare today and it really struck a chord with me.  I couldn’t agree more!  I really get sick and tired of hearing people talk about how unhealthy and sloppy Americans are.  America is a country of pluralism, and that only represents some of us- usually in pretty specific areas of the country. 

I think of many of my friends- we are all in our mid-twenties and finally over the adolescent confusion of how to deal with our bodies and the unhealthy habits of college students.  We all have jobs that we are just as committed to as our social lives.  We are all very busy- and yes, we are not as committed to relaxation as Europeans, but we do take care of ourselves!  Mirelle Guiliano scoffs at gyms, but most of my friends go every day, and it is not the torture chamber it is made out to be.  Exercise, at the gym or outside, is a wonderful stress reliever and we look forward to it every day.  And none of my friends come home and eat frozen pizza each night- even if they don’t have the time or the patience to make coq au vin from scratch and enjoy it with a glass of wine, we are perfectly happy and content zapping a veggie burger or grilling up some chicken breasts.  And not all Americans reach for McDonalds when they are pressed for time- I, and many people I know, eat brown rice sushi, whole wheat pizza, and frozen Kashi entrees in a pinch.

Americans embrace the opportunities given to them and the freedom of choice they have in everything from voting in Presidential elections to choosing whether they want Salvadorean, Thai, or Greek food on date night.  We can choose to live in a city where we can walk everywhere, or we can choose driving in the suburbs and supplementing with yoga classes, group sports, and weight lifting.  American women know how look amazing in the simplest clothes with the cleanest lines- JCrew and Ralph Lauren fit all of us- those with extra weight around the middle and those without it. 

The fat American stereotype is not one that I embrace- all I have to do is look to you readers and your blogs, or look to other role models like Michelle Obama.  You can bet your last dollar she goes to the gym regularly and doesn’t give her kids KFC every night. 

So on inauguration eve, I want to toast to you healthy American girls who are showing the world that natural peanut butter sandwiches and Tofurky, Michael Kors and Bobbi Brown all contribute to our distinctively American glow. 

12 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized