I’ve always held the belief that no food is bad for you. You can have chocolate. It’s ok to order chips. Enjoy the slice of cake. Bite into the juicy burger. Quench your thirst with a beer. Just don’t have it all at once. Quantity is key. You can have too much even of a good thing.
While I’m not a dietician nor am I a nutritionist I have experimented with diets and different eating plans for the better part of a decade. There are two things I have found:
1 – The more I dieted the harder it was to lose those stubborn kilos.
2 – The more quality focused my meals were the better I felt.
3 – When I stopped dieting and started enjoying my food, the easier it was to lose those stubborn kilos.
People focus too much on weight loss and not enough on the feel good factor. Food is fuel and it’s also a pleasure. A pleasure that can often get out of hand.
Feeling guilty about eating a couple of Tim Tams is counterproductive. The guilt will make you feel worse and you’ll end up eating the pack. Enjoy one or two biscuits and put the rest away for next week. Buy a bottle of the Arrogant Frog Sauvignon Blanc and savor the bottle over the week rather than devour it all on Friday night.
When it comes to food size really does matter. The quantity on your plate is the biggest issue regardless of whether you’re eating a lean chicken salad from Nando’s or a devouring finger licking battered prawns and spring rolls at your besties birthday bash. Practicing portion control is the best way to enjoy the food you love without suffering the consequences.
Having said that, you still need to be conscious of calories in and calories out especially if you’re trying to lose weight. You’ll also be better off consuming foods that are water dense. So fill up on salads and fruit before you reach for potato chips and ice cream. Trim the fat off chicken and meat and go for leaner options like chicken breast and eye fillet over chicken wings and pork chops. Your drink of choice should always be water over soft drink and alcohol.
The good – fresh produce in its natural form – eg. fruit & vegetables, nuts, grains, dairy
The bad – anything that’s too processed – eg. 2 minute noodles, prepackaged meals
The ugly – deep friend and saturated in sugar – eg. junk food, sweets and cakes
So enjoy the good, take care with the bad, and be picky with the ugly.
