Write Snacks

The September 2006 print edition of Cooking Light magazine has a neat feature article by Dorothy Foltz-Gray on how certain foods may help improve brain function. The accompanying recipes surprised me, too -- who knew caramel apple upside-down cake was a mind booster?

Food has become a major pain in my ass over the last year. I'm lucky in that I don't have to battle an allergy as Marjorie does, but health concerns and the meds I'm on have totally changed my diet. But even before I went on the Diet from Hell, I was careful what I ate just before writing time. Plenty of foods can mess with my ability to write (like anything cooked, fried, or that contains dairy or animal products.)

I don't snack while I'm writing, although I always have a cup of tea on the desk. On my long morning break, I grab a whole wheat something and some fresh fruit that's light: bananas, table grapes (any color), apples (Granny Smiths), dried cranberries, raisins, and peach or pear slices. These are also good to eat outside on the porch, which is where I usually spend my AM breaks.

For my afternoon break I hit the protein and veggies: soy nuts, sunflower seeds, celery and carrot sticks, or if I'm really hungry, a whole wheat wrap with chopped chicken, diced onion and salad greens. I had to give up granola and cereal bars but I make my own trail mix, which is almost as good. If I have to write new material in the evening, something I try not to do, I'll make a big but light salad for dinner with dark green leafy greens, dried fruit bits, chopped walnuts or pecans and top it off with balsamic vinaigrette. If I eat a traditional dinner with the family I go for much smaller portions; I can't write on a full stomach.

I try to be cheerful about it, but reading all the labels, trying new alternative foods and finding diet-acceptable dishes at restaurants is exhausting. I rarely eat out anymore because even when it sounds okay, I don't know what goes into the dish. The wrong ingredients in something as blase as salad dressing can really screw up my meds.

Giving up ice cream, cake, chocolate (sob) chips, pie, and 99% of all meat for the whole-grain bark and twigs regime wasn't much fun for me, either, but gain came with the pain. Six months of suffering through faithfully sticking to this low-fat, low-cholesterol diet brought my bad numbers down forty-one points and my good numbers up twenty-nine. Naturally I'm still sulking. Dark chocolate M&Ms in the pound bags finally made it to my area (yeah, it took that long) and I can't have any.

What healthy snacks or meals have you found that don't interfere with your writing?

Related links: Cooking Light's Alison Ashton has a great primer article on the health benefits of seven nutrients found in food.