Editor’s Note: Finding your Balance at Mardi Gras

In this issue, we’ve got healthy recipes and it’s also Mardi Gras time and, in the past, those two things have not necessarily gone together for me: healthy and Mardi Gras. No, Mardi Gras was always prime time for junk food and excess. When we went to a parade, we’d bring an ice chest full of mainly processed food to keep us fueled for hours and hours of festivities. There would be mini muffalettas, giant bags of Cheetos and Oreos along with way more snacks than the law should allow. That was part of all the fun.

Fast forward to today and Mardi Gras isn’t so much fat Tuesday anymore — more like a lean Tuesday for me. I don’t know if age has caught up with me or I’m just being more careful about what I eat, but healthy foods and Mardi Gras are an easy mix for me now. I’m just as happy nibbling on fruit while watching a parade and not feeling sluggish after, the way I used to. If I go to a friend’s house for a Carnival party, I find myself reaching for healthy choices because generally they are also delicious choices. It’s not like I’m suffering and relegated to only gnawing on a plain carrot stick. Now there’s likely a bowl of delicious hummus next to those carrot sticks and that works for me.

The same goes for drinking. In my college days, the ice chest that was filled with the junk of my youth became filled with booze. We drank our calories at parades for many years. But today, I’m about two years alcohol-free and enjoy lots of zero-proof options at parades and my body thanks me later.

I’m not saying I won’t have a piece of king cake or a handful of Cheetos this Carnival season. But I’ve discovered a balance and thanks to all of the delicious “healthy” food and tasty zero-proof drinks that abound, it’s not a sacrifice at all.

The healthy recipes highlighted in this issue also don’t require a sacrifice of flavor or enjoyment. With a few small tweaks, a traditional dish can become more healthful. Baking instead of frying, adding more vegetables to replace bread crumbs or skipping the side of pasta can make a big difference.

This Mardi Gras, here’s hoping that you enjoy yourself and find whatever balance works best for you to pass a good time.