Are we what we eat?

Posted at 21:13 in Food

A discussion over on WLR today got everyone talking, when one member posed the above question.

Some people choose to follow a weight loss plan whereby they stick to a certain calorie count but eat whatever they want, be that a daily treat of chocolate, a biscuit or two with mid morning cuppa or a couple of glasses of wine at the weekend.  Some follow a diet that includes many processed foods such as Special K, Muller Lights or ready meals for convenience.

Then there are people like me, who choose to eat quality food that is nutritionally sound and as close to nature as it can be.  I prefer to choose quality over quantity and would much rather eat a smaller amount of a good quality food than oodles of cheaply made, artifically sweetened, mass produced “food”.  I use inverted commas because much of the stuff in supermarkets today is not real food.  It’s fake food.  If you remember back to my post after reading In Defense of Food, I wrote that most store bought bread would have to be labelled as “Imitation Bread” if sold in America before 1973.

Ask yourself this question:  If your Great Grandparents were alive, do you think they would recognise most of the food that grace the supermarket aisles? Would they know what cheese strings are?  Would they understand what frubes are?  Would they be utterly disgusted to see that you can now buy pre-made mashed potato?  I mean, what the hell can be easier than making mashed potatoes?!

As you can see, I choose not to eat that kind of stuff.  Does that mean I think people that do are somehow wrong?  Absolutely not!  Nobody has to justify the way they eat to anyone, it’s personal to each and every person and nobody should feel the need to explain why they include certain things in their diet, just as I shouldn’t have to justify the way I choose to eat.

I do feel that the population as a whole would fare a lot better eating more quality foods and leaving more of the rubbish on the shelves.  However, if you have a choice between buying 2 organic chicken breasts for £6 or 3 boxes of crispy chicken for the same price, I can understand why, in these hard times, that people choose the cheaper option.

All I know is that I feel and look a lot better now, since I cleaned up my diet and eliminated those foods.

About 3-4 years ago, I lost about 3 stone and got to my goal weight of 10 stone.  I followed a similar diet to many other people whereby I ate whatever I wanted as long as I stuck to my calorie allowance.  I would eat a smaller lunch so that I could indulge in a chocolate bar later on in the evening, I would “save” calories and enjoy a few glasses of wine at the weekend or I would include a packet of crisps with my lunch, as long as I had the calories.

I was over the moon to finally reach my goal weight but couldn’t understand why people were constantly asking if I was ill.  My family became quite concerned about me because my skin was pale, my eyes didn’t sparkle, I was constantly breaking out in spots and I looked ill.  When I look back at the pictures, I realise how thin I actually was.

I am now about 10lb heavier yet can fit into clothes that even back then, I couldn’t squeeze into.  How is that possible I hear you ask?

Well, I did things differently this time.  I ate better food and incorporated weights into my exercise regime.

This time, I am glowing with health.  My eyes sparkle, my hair shines, I rarely get any spots at all, I am energetic and I am often told how healthy I look.

I have searched for pictures of me back when I lost weight last time and I can only find one which really don’t show how poorly I looked.  However, I will post it here with a comparison of a more recent picture.

It’s not the best comparison as I am side on in the first picture but you get the general gist.

I have noticed two things about the above pictures:

1. I haven’t decorated my living room in the last 3 years
2. I really like polka dot dresses!

How do you feel about the whole processed vs natural food debate?

Today has been a good day though I am still suffering with killer DOMS.  I was supposed to start my marathon training tonight with a run but thanks to the snow, I’ve had to put it on hold.  Most of it melted throughout the day but the snow that hasn’t has frozen and as a result, the pavements are like glass.  I’m not about to risk a broken leg!

Food has been good and I have finally managed to get my protein and carbs more where I prefer them to be.

I started off with my berocca, green tea and my daily bowl of heaven.  Jumbo porridge oats, skimmed milk, coconut, chocolate whey, pecans & blueberries.

Mid morning was a latte made with skimmed milk – my favourite thing to have for a mid-morning energy boost.

Lunch was baked haddock served with roasted carrots, parsnips, red onion, mushrooms & courgette.

I forgot to take something back to work for a mid-afternoon snack so drank a few mugs of green tea, which sorted me out a treat.

Dinner was a sweet pancake, which was absolutely delicious.  If you like pancakes, then you really do have to try them out.

I added 6 egg whites and a scoop of strawberry whey and whizzed in a blender until mixed well, creamy and thick.  Pour into a hot pan and cook slowly until it is firm enough to flip over.

I topped mine with 2 tbsp of Greek yoghurt

And frozen summer fruit berries

The pancake has quite a cakey texture and with the addition of the yoghurt and berries, it really tastes like you are eating a delicious dessert.  YUM!

Nutritional breakdown:

Calories: 1575
Protein: 157g (40.5%)
Carbs: 114g (27.7%)
Fat: 55g (31.8%)
Fibre: 24.1g
F&V: 10.3

Drinks: Lots and lots of water and green tea, 1 skimmed milk

Exercise: Enforced rest due to ice and severe DOMS!

I hope everyone in blog land has had a fabby start to the week!