Hope everyone's doing awesome!
My post today is about a primary facet of a person's every day life that they have to do, if they don't do anything else.
That's right, eating.
We all eat in a lot of different ways, according to the food that is available, how readily it's available, how much is available. This means that the food I get in Trinidad & Tobago is different from what someone in New Zealand gets. Food being readily available in every town with supermarkets in appropriate strategic locations etc. Finally, how much food is available, there are so many people living around the world even in 1st world countries that are in poverty, that they don't have the money or the resources to buy or grow their own food and limited food is available in the country they are in.
An easy Google search comes up with an oldish article but still very relevant to the point being made here. Extreme Poverty Facts This post however, is not going to be an advocate for charity or improving the world around us.
Eating done right. Let's have a stab at putting together some thoughts and perspectives on this important facet of a person's life. Everyone's upbringing would obviously be different, eating habits vary amazingly from person to person.
Breakfast
Over the years I've had a wide selection of items for the most important meal of the day. They've varied from 1) toast and butter, 2) toast and margarine, 3) toast and eggs, 4) pancakes and honey, 5) toast and honey, 6) bread and honey, 7) paratha and honey, 8) paratha, 9) dahlpourie roti, 10) sada roti and butter, 11) sada roti and zaboca, 12) sada roti and tomato choka, 13) Weetabix and milk, 14) random cereal and milk etc etc. I may have missed out some, but you get the general idea.
To drink with these delicious and delightful combinations, I generally have tea with sugar or Nesquik.
Now, in an attempt to improve and simplify my life, to eat healthier than before, my breakfast now currently consists of tea (no sugar) and toast with olive oil on one side and honey and cinnamon on the other. I also have a Nature Valley oat bar with breakfast thereby ensuring I have fibre to start my day. Depending on the time I have to eat breakfast in the morning I would add in having a banana as well. To wash this all down I have a glass of water as well. (650 ml) Quite a large meal yes, but it helps to set up my day by having a proper breakfast to keep me on the go for my busy days.
Occasionally on the weekend or days I'm at home, I would switch it up by having just oats and milk. (for something different but still nourishing and healthy)
I should mention at this time I have breakfast at 5 in the morning as all my life I am a morning person and I get a lot done before 10 every day.
Mid morning
By 10 a.m. every day I am generally now starting to feel the pangs of hunger when I am at work, at this time I would have my banana and 650 ml of water.
Lunch
This meal I generally have by 1130 to 1200 and generally must consist of a salad (lettuce, cucumber and sweet pepper).
Other things revolve around meat (fish or chicken), channa, squash and basmati or jasmine rice. This would vary between the different foods in the food groups and cooked in a wide variety of ways.
At this point I'll have 650 ml of water with lunch and another 650 ml between 1 and 4.
Depending on how things go, I'll go in more detail with how everything is cooked in the future.
Dinner
An apple and a Nature Valley oat bar. Simple and effective.
I would add in a small bite of whatever is available, a couple table spoons of squash, channa etc. A few exceptions to this I make is I'll have a bowl of dahl or lentils (if that was cooked that day).
At 7 every day I have a Multivitamin and also have 3 glasses of water (650 ml each)
I may have minor snacks afterwards, a taste of a biscuit or a couple brookside dark chocolate depending on how intense my day was. I.e. A reward of sorts.
Notice how I did not include anything with soft drinks, sugary drinks, sugar, empty and throwaway calories. A couple years back I was having so much unnecessary calories it was ridiculous, now I'm evolving into something better and it's still a work in progress.
It's better to eat healthy when you're young which helps in the following ways
1) good habits are easier to develop and maintain early in life.
2) it's cheaper on your wallet by streamlining what your monthly food bill is.
3) by making healthy choices when you're at this stage, you're able to avoid health complications at the age of 60, 70 and having to spend thousands of dollars to control high blood pressure, diabetes etc etc. i.e. it's far cheaper in the long run.
4) it's also highly less likely to gain weight following a routine like this (recommend to have an active day to maintain an optimum weight)
To note, I follow this routine 90% of the time, but there are always the exceptions for eating unusual or unhealthy food, weddings, birthdays, functions and going out to the cinema or other places. These instances where I allow slack into my diet is the exception rather than the rule. And I always try to be as simple and straightforward with my choices as possible.
Finally, I always never liked these fad diets that people are always on, needing to lose a certain number of pounds to fit into a wedding dress or a suit by a specific date. While these work for losing the desired weight by a specific date they are never able to keep the weight off as the person's metabolism goes right back to what it was when the diet is over. This article on The Biggest Loser tells the story of this better than I ever could.
Enjoy and I hope that at least some part of this post proved to be an inspiration to all.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/6-years-after-the-biggest-loser-metabolism-is-slower-and-weight-is-back-up/
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