The "Pesach Diet" Adapted for the Rest of the Year

Over the course of Passover, I subsisted on three food groups: fruit, roasted or baked chicken, and leftovers from the seder I hosted (on the second night). For the most part, it was much healthier than the cafeteria food, bagels and plain pasta I'd been eating before Passover. In addition to being more flavorful, I felt a lot better. On a typical day, I'd have about 3 servings of fruit for breakfast, fruit and matzo for lunch, and some sort of chicken with veggies for dinner, with fruit or veggie snacks.

At the end of Passover, I decided that I'm going to stop eating cafeteria food all the time, incorporate a lot more fruits and veggies into my life, and cut down on the bagels.

So when I got groceries, I decided to get as much produce as I could reasonably carry back to my apartment, along with non-meat protein sources and assorted household goods. For my own reference/self-motivation, I got:

• Produce: 4 Pink Lady apples, 3 Hass avocados, 3 mangos, snow peas
• Protein: 1 box firm tofu, breaded tilapia fillets
• Carbs: 1 polenta brick, 1 box couscous, 1 box Quaker oatmeal

I was also surprised to note how many green/eco-friendly products the local grocery store carries. While I often laugh at how Brandeis approaches environmentalism (i.e. pushing students to reduce their electricity consumption, without the university making noticeable efforts to reduce their own electric/heating/cooling costs)*, I do find myself leaning towards the plant-based/no-animal-testing/let's-give-the-dolphins-a-hug products.

* Over the summer, when it was often below 70 degrees outside and raining, all the university buildings' AC systems were set on high. Needless to say, wearing sweaters to class in July loses its charm very quickly.