Ever since I moved out of my parents home more than 10 years ago, I've always struggled with the act of eating healthy. Being thin wasn't a big problem. Sure, I'd like to lose a few pounds (or kgs) like everyone else, but it wasn't the be-all-or-end-all. I was somewhat content with how I look.
Truth be told, the idea of healthy eating for me stems from not having to go see the doctor (or find out years down the road I've got cancer or something, although you could be eating healthy and still get cancer or vice versa). In some countries, visiting the doctor without medical insurance is not something you wanna go through. I've tried doing the math: eating good quality food, which includes grocery-shopping at an organic food store or eating out at a decent restaurant (costing something like $20 per course) is still way cheaper than a visit to the doctor plus pharmacy (without medical insurance).
Apart from that, if you've taken Chinese herbal tea medicine before, you know it's not something you wanna fool around with. Some of those teas taste so bitter that my saliva tastes sweet compared to it. The "most interesting" concoction I've had includes what looks like bees and tiny scorpions in it. A friend called it "bug juice", with real bugs!
Throughout the years, I've tried numerous times to "eat well", cook more (not a natural chef), and balance between cooking and eating out. Each time, I've given up, ignored the benefits of eating healthy until something happens that forces me to rethink what I've been eating, and just generally flirted and putzed around the idea of eating healthy. I've also tried seeing a nutritionist (on an irregular basis) whenever I get a panic attack about not eating right.
When I moved to New Zealand recently, I decided: enough was enough. I need to cook more (because eating out was expensive. Later on, I realised that getting groceries here is not exactly cheap either). So I started scouring around for recipes. I even downloaded two recipe apps recommended by the nutritionist. Then, I got overwhelmed as to what to cook. So many recipes. How do I know what's good for me (aside from the fact they all look tasty, according to the pictures)? So many cookbooks. Is it really necessary? Put in nutrition content to the mix, and I am absolutely over my head. Information overload.
In order to make sense of all this information, I decided to roll up my sleeves, put my organizational skills to work, and create my own system of managing what to eat.
In summary, here's the raw material I'm working with:
a) Mid-30s
b) Believes my optimum weight is between 50-55kg (110 - 120lbs)
c) 5'3"
d) Can't cook without a recipe
e) Desensitized taste buds (everything tastes either edible or not)
f) Finds out what I need to know about nutrition and eating from the Internet (usually reading the first article that makes sense to me)
g) Eats well in order to avoid a visit to the doctor (and hopefully prevent food-related diseases later on in life).
This blog is simply a record of my efforts in trying to keep on this path. If you have benefited from it in any way, good for you!
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