BIRTHDAY WISH

Today is my birthday and I can make any wish I want… so, there it is.  I wish all my family and friends would …. 

 

*** BAN BIRTHDAY CAKES ***

 

I know, I know, another very unpopular wish and probably very unrealistic… or, is it?

Some 20 years ago, my husband proclaimed a ban on birthday cakes at work.  This was hardly out of character.  As a family physician, he was concerned not only about his patients' health, but also about the health of all of his employees, friends and family members.  Just as he banned Girls Scout cookies, double-cheese & pepperoni pizza, cheeseburgers and soda from our home, he started to ban birthday cakes from our workplace.  There was some grumbling, but with about 50 birthdays to celebrate here and there, the sum of the calories his staff would ingest was just astronomical.  Besides, as a health corps, we needed to show a good example to our community.

Since then, there has been almost no birthday cake in my life.  Is that to say that we don't celebrate?  Absolutely not!  Here are a few healthy ways to mark the passing of another year.

1 - Take the day off and do something active with your partner.  For us, it was going sailing or boating or fishing or windsurfing. 

2 - Make a dinner date with friends.  We'd pick a nice restaurant, with healthy choices on the menu ("Healthy Dining in Orange County" as reference book).  

3 - Invite friends who have great conversation skills.  This is something I learned in South America, where "La Charla" is more important than the food.  Talk more, eat less.

4 - Instead of cake, celebrate with fruit-based dishes: a crown of baked apples or peaches, cups of raspberry parfait, frozen lime granita (in the fruit), banana flambé, jelloed fruit salad crowns, etc… 

5 - For the kids, we started replacing the traditional birthday cake by the birthday pizza, giant candle and all…

To this date, I haven't heard anybody complain.