Conscious Eating (Quality and Quantity)

 

What does “dieting” really mean? We think of a diet as equivalent to restriction and are turned off by the idea of deprivation. (I haven’t yet met a human who cherishes the thought of any kind of deprivation).

 

But in a broader sense, we’re always following one diet or another; diet simply means what we eat, whether we indulge in a diet heavy in pizza or a healthier one (without an overload of carbohydrates) and select one rich in vegetables.

 

We humans complicate the matter of good nutrition. The subject intrigues us. Innumerable books have been written and sold resulting in millions of dollars pocketed by authors. And yet, I contend the matter is simple, but requires the old-fashioned concept of discipline. Discipline is another bane of our existence. We yearn for freedom while discipline requires attention and conscious choice: to do or not to do (which in itself, could be viewed as a kind of limited freedom). Either I eat this orange or I eat this slice of pizza. It is that simple.

 

If one wants to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight one eats more vegetables, fresh fruits and sources of lean protein (fish, chicken, eggs, beans, ow-fat yogurt and less beef and pork and cheese) and eliminates bread, pizza, cake, cookies and ice cream. 

An occasional hunger pang is okay. An occasional treat is too, as long as one defines it as such.

 

No one is perfect. I made a mistake yesterday morning. I make my own oatmeal cookies because I have a sweet tooth and include healthy ingredients, very little butter or sweetening (honey), one egg and lots of oatmeal, whole wheat flour and wheat germ, golden raisins and chopped walnuts. This batch as usual was delicious. But I could not stop eating and demolished more than half. I told myself the ingredients are healthy but the matter also involves quantity and I had overdosed. Suddenly I realized I had behaved as a person with an eating disorder! I observed honestly, without berating myself, and determined to reform. I simply cut down on the calories for the remainder of the day. In brief, no one is perfect. If one falls off the horse, follow the old adage, get back on again.

 

I’ve added the photo of my first attempt at making huevos rancheros for a Sunday breakfast that includes a well-balanced amount of protein (eggs, vegetarian chile, and a sprinkle of Monterey Jack cheese) vegetables, tomatoes and guacamole and grated onion and for carbohydrate, corn tortillas. (What’s missing is a dollop of low-fat sour cream.)

 

Conclusion: A diet is simple but discipline (which includes honesty) is essential.

 

Dear Readers, I welcome your comments: jsimon145@gmail.com