The Atkins Diet

Carly here.

Joel and I are both going to have to lose some weight when we get back. While I wouldn’t trade not having to cook, I’m realized that being the main cook in the house does give you a certain control with the menu. I love vegetables. Lots of broccoli, green beans, red peppers, sweet potatoes, and even salad sometimes. I’m not a huge fan of meat, but Joel is, so I do typically incorporate it into the menu. So far, our experience with food in Kenya has broadened our horizons in this area. Carbs are our new staple.

Our meals typically include 2-3 of the following:

• spaghetti
• spaghetti casserole
• noodles with some-kind-of-sauce-that-looks-sort-of-looks-like-cheese-but-we’re-pretty-sure-it’s-not-cheese
• noodles in a casserole with peas and onions
• noodles in soup
• rice
• mashed potatoes
• cheesy potatoes (although we’re not 100% sure it is cheese)

Dessert is either banana bread or this bread dish that looks like cornbread but tastes like cake (which is an improvement, in my opinion… I’ll take cake over cornbread any day.). There is chicken or beef a few times a week, we’ll have tomatoes or green beans occasionally, and there’s almost always fresh pineapple; however, meat and fruit/veggies are the definitely the exception, not the rule.

The food that we’re eating (or the food that we’re not eating) is often the topic of conversation at mealtimes, and I realize how fortunate we are to have that kind of control over our diets. As a middle-class American citizen, I have the opportunity to choose a balanced diet, the money to buy fruits and veggies, and the education to know that I should. Carbs are cheap and fill bellies even if they aren’t the best source of nutrition. I am so thankful (and spoiled) to have the opportunity to walk through a grocery store where I have the ability to say yes and no to the foods that I do and do not want. “Picky eaters” do not exist here. People are simply thankful for the food they have.

It is only by God’s grace that I was born in a country where I have these opportunities. We have the luxury to control what we eat, and most people in the world do not. I am so thankful. Of course, I’m also looking forward to a very balanced diet once we’re stateside again :). Bring on the salad. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy being stretched both physically and spiritually by Kenyan cuisine.