Everyone is on a diet, it seems.  It’s an annual ritual for most Americans to start a diet the minute after the New Year’s Eve kiss and the dropping of the ball in Times Square.

Nothing wrong with a diet, per se, but why is it so hard for everyone to keep up the good resolve and actually lose the weight and get fit?

Here’s what I think.  Diets often put us off balance.  We don’t plan for our food.  We get hungry and irritable.  We set goals that are too high.  We don’t plan for a plateau.  We don’t know that diets are only part of the equation.

I’m a runner – marathons and more.  Last summer I did a 50 mile run.  For most people, that’s just nuts.  For me, it’s a must.

As a runner, though, I have to pay a lot of attention to nutrition or my body will shut down.  And, along the way I’ve discovered that balance is the most important thing.  So, now I have protein, I have carbs and I have lots of liquids.  Lots of water, because my brain needs water as do the rest of my systems.

There’s something about carbs that can be very comforting.  Our bodies like the feel of carbs and the energy that we can absorb.  But, like everything, balance is the key.

So, if you’re officially on a diet this month, look at curbing your carbs rather than cutting them completely.  There are lots of ways to do that, but none better than low-carb flatbreads that can be filled with great roasted veggies, cheeses, roasted red-peppers for awesome flavor, wonderful herbs and spices, a little EVOO and balsamic and your tastebuds, and your body, will love you.  It’s easy, it’s simple…love those carbs…a little at a time.

Here’s to your fitness in 2009!

Ed Mafoud, www.damascusbakery.com

Soundoff about your diet and send me a comment…

Welcome to Artisan Breads, our new blog about the many aspects of Artisan Breads.  We are Damascus Bakery and we’ve been baking Artisan Breads for three generations of the Mafoud family.  Currently my brother, David, and me, Ed, are running the company and love that the American consumer has embraced flatbreads, pitas, paninis and more as a way of healthy eating.

In this blog, we invite you to give us your perspective on healthy lifestyles, nutritional concerns, recipes and ideas for using Artisan Breads and your “love stories” (feedback and testimonials) about these breads.

So, here’s a recipe to get you started:

 A Taste of Tuscany

4 Damascus Bakery Sun-Dried Tomato Wraps

2 Cups – Chopped Spinach

1 Cup – Ricotta Cheese

½ Cup – Pine Nuts

1 Cup – Mushrooms, chopped

Balsamic Vinegar

Salt

 

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

Sauté Pine Nuts in butter.  Mix Spinach, Ricotta Cheese, Mushrooms,

Pine Nuts and pinch of Salt until blended.

Separate into 4 equal portions.

Spoon portions onto wrap, rolling up into a sandwich and adding more

as you roll.

Brush Balsamic Vinegar over wraps.

Bake in oven for 4 – 5 minutes.

Serve warm.

Enjoy!

I hope you will come back and visit our blog soon.  And, leave a comment.  We’d love to have a conversation with you about Artisan Breads and how wonderful they can be as a part of your lifestyle.

Ed Mafoud

www.damascusbakery.com