Today is Fat Tuesday, the last day of Mardi Gras. While Mardi Gras may provoke visions of bare-chested females, drunken debauchery, and glittering beads strewn about the streets of the French Quarter, many may not know the history behind the madness. In the 1700s, the New Orleans elite attended masked balls for entertainment. In contrast, during the 1800s, much of the partying done among the people took place in the streets and neared riot-like proportions.

The madness created a need for an implementation of secret societies to help organize the chaos that surrounded the revelry. Mardi Gras continued to grow in size and in 1872, a faux king of the carnival, the Rex, was created to formally welcome the Grand Duke of Russia. To this day, there is still a Rex chosen each year to be king of the carnival.

Now that the mystery of the Rex is cleared up you may be wondering about the beads you see strewn about on Bourbon Street.

The colors purple, green and gold signify justice, faith and power, respectively. As for the requirements to receive the beads?

Sorry guys, contrary to popular belief, a woman does not have to be outrageously exposed to attain them.

In keeping with the popular traditions of Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday motivates some Christians to rid their refrigerators of meats, fats, eggs and alcohol in preparation for Lent.

Personally, I can relate to the restrictions. During both freshman and sophomore years, I attended the Mardi Gras-themed dinners in the dining commons.

My friends and I, adorned with festive masks, ate until the possibility of exploding was imminent.

For the next few days, we would waddle around in pain cursing the gods of Mardi Gras.

I can assure you I will enjoy my meal today without guilt, pain or gluttony.

Such indulgence brings up an important point.

It is paramount to realize that one day won't ruin your healthy plans for the entire week, as a severe restriction of certain foods may cause a binge to occur later on.

Knowing this, a good strategy would be to pick one "guilty pleasure" food and enjoy it.

One of the most famous foods at Mardi Gras is King Cake, a perfect example of a pleasure food.

Originally, King Cake was baked to honor the three wise men that brought gifts to baby Jesus.

To this day, inside each King Cake is a little plastic baby. It is said that whoever receives the baby will have good luck and must hold the next party.

The menu at Mardi Gras also offers many tasty treats that are less decadent.

Other foods common during the festivities include catfish, red beans and rice, Cajun-grilled corn, and bourbon chicken.

Many of these foods are fairly low in fat and are relatively good sources of protein.

Since protein is needed for nearly everything from muscle structure and enzyme function to fluid balance and immunity these foods are a great way to get into the festivities without widening your waistline.

So tonight for dinner indulge yourself in a little New Orleans-themed treat. Remember that indulging every once in a while won't send you to dieter's hell.

Nor will it cause your refrigerator walls to crumble; just make sure it doesn't become an everyday occurrence.

Don't feel guilty about letting a little loose tonight; after all it is Fat Tuesday and that Lenten denial is right around the corner.