Eating Is A Sport?

While I may not be able to eat 49 glazed donuts in 8 minutes like competitive eater Eric Booker.....yes, there is such a thing as competitive eating....I can put away some serious food on a good (or bad depending on how you look at it) day. I'd have to say the worst situations for an eater like myself seem to have always revolved around all-you-can-eat buffets....such as Brazilian restaurants or Sizzler (do they even exist anymore?) and also BBQs. The all-you-can-eat is a no brainer....but the BBQ is a slow, progressive eating frenzy. Laughing, drinking and eating yourself half to death. Isn't it great?

First its the picking at this and that, chips, dips, vegetables, salads (potato, egg, chicken, tuna...basically the artery cloggers full of mayo) and then comes the meat. Juicy red meat, sausages, chicken with BBQ slathered all over it. I'm actually getting hungry as I write this...incredible! Don't forget the dessert of some sort...some jello, whipped cream topped dish, or a pie, or a cake...don't forget the ice cream...it is summer after all.

Basically I've just recently realized that my favorite summer pastime, the big BBQ, is killing me on the inside and fattening me up on the outside. The upside however is that I don't have to stop the eating frenzy....just change some foods and use some moderation on things I know I shouldn't be training for competitive eating with....like cake, ice cream and pies. Although Peach Pie is grrrreat! Oh...the beer too...maybe moderation wouldn't kill me once in a while.

Eating hummus (Carrie's new enemy since it turns the breath into a weapon) with vegetables instead of chips and dips, eating garden or mesclun salad with Carrie's incredible olive oil, garlic and vinegar dressing instead of my favorite potato salad and just taking to time talk to my friends instead of trying to beat them to the biggest piece of steak would be better. Fish, chicken and even pork tenderloin all seem to make me just as full and just as happy when put on my plate...and they're better for me than the greasy sausages or dripping burgers.

So to recap...a healthy BBQ is a good BBQ (although some stuff should be enjoyed once in awhile) and moderation is the key. Unless you're Eric Booker....then moderation is out of the question. If at the next BBQ and you aren't sure if you can possibly resist the temptation...simply grab a nice big fold of fat from your belly and remember why you aren't hovering over the grill for seconds...or thirds.