Food Goddess: Unhealthful food seduction

When do you fall off the wagon?

When the health-conscious friend Colleen confessed on Facebook that -- to her own disbelief -- she was buying a baconator, her like-wise salubrious “friends” cheered her ingenuity. Who else but Colleen could discover a kitchen appliance which cooked bacon so it was good for you? One commenter questioned if it was like a Foreman grill. One envisioned it more like a rice cooker that “prepared bacon to perfect crispness with no splatters.” “Leave it to you to find a way to make an easy, healthful breakfast,” wrote another. Imagine her chagrin when she sheepishly confessed that, contrary to their beliefs, a baconator was not an appliance to be trotted out for a leisurely Sunday brunch, but rather, a gluttonous fast food bacon-cheeseburger. Ranging from 610 calories and 34 grams of fat for a “single” to a whopping 1,360 calories, 91 grams of fat for a “triple” the baconator did not fall anywhere on Colleen’s typically healthful dining spectrum.

Hey, what can the goddess say? Sometimes you just gotta scratch that itch. There’s no doubt that cravings come in all shapes and sizes, and there’s no denying that downright decadent food can tempt even the most healthful eater. Certainly Colleen isn’t the first to be seduced by grease. One of the goddess’ oldest and dearest friends, a longtime vegetarian, suddenly made a pit stop at McDonald’s during a long car trip and ordered a Big Mac. To this day she can’t really explain why.