What goes up must come down. We have been eating a lot of rich foods in the past few days, and are likely to resume eating rich foods next week for the New Year's celebrations.

Fact is most of our special holiday dishes are protein based, whether from meat, fish, or crustaceans. Fact is, though, that as omnivores we thrive on a well balanced diet, and that festive meals tend to be especially rich in protein, fat and sugar, while lacking what we consider the mundane basics - produce, fiber, grains. Culturally and historically, protein in whatever form was expensive because costly to provide - ergo reserved for special occasions. Same went for sugar and fat. Remember the Sunday roast? It was special. Meat was not eaten every day; nor were cakes and pastries. We used to save them and savor them.

photo courtesy www.jeanclaudesbakery.com

Things are a bit out of whack now because food has become cheap and that former frame of reference is gone. Most of us can afford all the "special" stuff, which is no longer so special. Therefore we need to reign in those cravings through self-control and activate our critical-analytical thinking skills. At the prospect of a meatless dinner my son usually says "awwww" in disappointment. But too much of the rich stuff and we feel heavy, sluggish, full.

So back to well balanced meals after the holidays for a well balanced body.