Serial Skinny Culture

Healthy Lunch

Becoming one with our naturally thin self seems to be a defining quest for Americans that shows itself through expeditions of serial diet and exercising. To be completely frank, when are we not searching for the latest and greatest of savior diet methods to transform our bodies for a sense of renewal and change? A quick glance at a magazine cover will almost always reveal a monthly revelation of some celebrity's secret to losing ten pounds, which instills a newly enthused mantra: If it worked for them, I can look this amazing, too! Societal culture has always been a leading contributor in how we perceive ourselves and how to not be obsolete or out of the socially-current loop. Make no mistake, these trends have no intentions of stopping at what we should be wearing or the savviest cell phone to be using; it's even roaring its head in organic cocktails and diet cleanses.

Natural and organic food consumption has undoubtedly become a popular trend in food culture. The informed American of the 21st century made stronger attempts of integrating organic fruits and vegetables into their diets and avoiding anything that had added sugar, salt, fat, food dyes, artificial ingredients, fillers, and so on. More simply, the emphasis was all about healthy food intake so that we could ensure that the foods we were putting into our bodies were minimally processed, lacked any hormones, antibiotics, and flavorings that are not purely meant to be in the food. Restaurants and chefs really embraced this ideal, sometimes going to lengths to only purchase ingredients from local, sustainable and organic establishments. Quite respectably, this should be commendable for those of us that frequent these places because we know that we're consuming quality and healthy ingredients. But, when do we know we're crossing the line of serial healthy?

Those who seem to be health-obsessed incidentally become very image obsessed; the desire to lose weight is greatly stemmed by a desire to look better by being thinner. With the aid of celebrities choosing to promote weight-loss products, such as the Kardashian sisters with QuickTrim, we're seeing the same type of concept being emulated, but marketed by an organic brand. Bethenny Frankel, natural foods chef and author of Naturally Thin, reintroduced us to dieting, an aspect that we're all well acquainted with, but fused organic practices into her system to make this well-known configuration more of an organic-based regimen. Essentially, if we change the entire aspect of our diet from the spectrum of what we're eating and how we're eating it, Bethenny Frankel believes that we can ultimately, "unleash our skinnygirl," as she terms it. In her book Naturally Thin, Frankel tells her reader in ten rules how it is possible to change the scope of our lives in order to live healthier and naturally lose weight. She firmly believes in creating a strong relationship with our food so that nothing is particularly forbidden. If we're not making certain food items the enemy, we're certainly more prone to sticking with our routine than giving into our sinful cravings. Here is the interesting part of Frankel's gateway to becoming naturally thin: she wants us to live and eat organically, strongly advocating that wholesome food is the only way to go, but to never clean the plate. Although Frankel swears that her book frees one from a lifetime of obsessive dieting, it appears as if never finishing a meal would certainly be a lifetime commitment of doing just that.

Skinnygirl, noticeably marketed for women, has allowed them to have "healthy" relationships with their food, exercise, and now, cocktails. Clearly, the next innovative step was to bring organic ingredients into an alcoholic beverage, which Frankel successfully did through her insanely popular Skinnygirl Margarita. The average restaurant margarita contains 500 calories per serving, so Frankel was committed to creating a healthier alternative. Unlike the common bar cocktail, Skinnygirl Margarita only contains 100 calories per 4 oz. serving. This ready-to-drink beverage does not contain any preservatives, corn syrup, or dyes and instead blends the simplest of ingredients: premium Blue Agave clear tequila that is lightly sweetened with agave nectar. After the launch of Skinnygirl Margarita, it became increasingly difficult to find since this popular beverage flew off the shelves. In the business of wine and spirits, this was really the first time an organic cocktail had been marketed in the realm of hard liquor for women, contrary to low calorie beers that are more predominately consumed by men. With the launch and praise of Skinnygirl Margarita, Frankel took her Skinnygirl brand to a newer level which is evident of her recent release of the Skinnygirl cleanse.

Still religious to her practice of organic, high quality and wholesome consumption of food, Frankel recently launched Skinnygirl Daily, a form of supplements and cleanses meant to sustain weight loss and improve energy to achieve a healthier quality of life. The benefits of this cleansing system is that it is supposed to restore probiotics (beneficial bacteria) in our digestive tract to support immune function, detoxification, healthier skin, digestive issues such as bloating and regularity, absorption of nutrients, weight management, and increased energy levels. One would think that choosing a healthier lifestyle should be somewhat cost effective, but that impression is absolutely mistaken. All of Frankel's cleanses are marketed at $59.99 (sold at GNC) for just a 30 day supply. So as pivotal as incorporating these elements into your life are, it most certainly comes with a price, and not a skinny one--pun most definitely intended.

On a small scale level, we know that just purchasing organic produce is costly but by the time we've purchased the literature, started the cleanse and downed the bottle of margarita for sanity's sake, we've already spent $100, and that's just the first month. We're all diligent participators in the world of capitalistic branding, so there's no way we're going to read Naturally Thin without purchasing the other ground-breaking components to help us unleash our desired skinny image, right? This modern-day scheme clearly has its pros and cons. For Americans, we should be revisiting lessons on portion sizes because we do excel in the division of gluttony. Undeniably, there really is no rebuttal for the argument of healthy eating; we should all be embracing organic and healthier alternatives to better ourselves and bodies. The problem lies when "everything in moderation" means nothing to us and we discover that we're organically and serially consumed with the notion of becoming skinny, and no longer healthy. Diet and exercising is a personal matter, and it should be an empowering obstacle for any person to overcome, but it should never obstruct the way that we see ourselves to the point where these holistic principles outshine every aspect of our lives. There is something terribly wrong when we're encouraged to eat different types of foods throughout the day but to never finish our meals. Calorie intake is necessary in dieting but when should we leave nutrients on our plates when our bodies need it more than the trash can? By upholding the ten rules of becoming naturally thin, of course we'll be there in no time--our bodies are starved of essential nutrients and calories that it needs to, quite simply, survive.

Whether or not we choose to pursue the ten rules to become naturally thin, there are certainly measures we can take to consume healthier food. Whether it's integrating more organic foods into our diets to replenish our bodies depleted nutrients, or dining at restaurants that strive to prepare healthier meals and drinks, this can be a healthy time of rejuvenation. Pacifica Del Mar, a local seafood restaurant is very vocal in their organic involvement and support local, sustainable and organic practices which are reflective in their fresh and organic meals. Executive Chef Jeff Rosman of Terra American Bistro is a large activist in the sustainable and local food movement. Terra prides itself in its dedication to serving the freshest ingredients which starts in the kitchen and even extends to the bar in refreshing and organic cocktails. George’s California Modern also serves organic dishes and cocktails, most notably their “Bee Sting” cocktail which is made with kumquats, honey, ginger, and lemongrass.  For those curious to try a low calorie cocktail, Fleming’s of La Jolla has launched 99 calorie cocktails with a special menu called “5-6-7:” Five items for $6 until 7:00pm every day. The unleashing of one’s skinny self can officially commence but the question remains, will or will you not finish your plate?

 

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