Clean off Your Plate!

Days 18 and 19

When I was a wee lad the policy at my house was that you couldn’t leave the table unless you finished everything on your plate. Needless to say, this led to many long hours at the dining room table by myself and turned me into an expert food smuggler.

I was a picky eater as a kid and wouldn’t finish what was on my plate because I either didn’t like it or I was too full. It instilled a lifelong sense of guilt in me if I didn’t consume everything served to me at mealtime. Looking at my eating habits recently has led me to believe this is actually an unhealthy eating habit.

When full you don’t have to eat the rest. Stop when you feel full and you won’t overeat. It’s just that simple. Wrap up what you have left over and save it for another meal. Or better yet, don’t take more than what you think you can eat in one sitting and think carefully when you decide how much of a portion to take.

Eating out? Ask for a doggie bag. I love doggie bags—especially if I am currently living someplace that tends to have people begging on the streets. On more than one occasion I’ve been asked for money by homeless people when coming from eating out. If I have a doggie bag with me in this situation it is theirs. They are usually very grateful and really, if you have more than enough and they have none then the logical thing is to give them your leftover slice of pizza instead of nothing at all.

Talk to you soon.

Three Meals a Day

Days 11 - 13

I was feeling drained Thursday morning but felt better as the day went on. I think this was because I only had two meals the day before. Makes sense when one thinks about it—less fuel, therefore less fire.

Skipping meals can be way too easy to do in our busy adult world. I bet that’s why quick fixes like Pop Tarts, McDonald’s breakfast burritos and other unhealthy options are a frequently favored solution. That’s not as healthy as eating an apple and some cereal with milk.

According to my nutritionist, our metabolisms are like a furnace that always needs fuel to burn. If we skip a meal our systems don’t operate the most efficiently that they could and we suffer for it. This can also lead to being starved and maybe eating too much at our next meal.

To combat this one could prepare their meals beforehand. Have time the night before? Pack away a lunch for the next day or get all the ingredients ready for breakfast the next morning.

Some dieticians even say instead of eating just three meals a day you should include some healthy in between meal snacks. Some almonds or a piece of fruit at 2 in the afternoon can help you pick up your pace and help tide you over until dinnertime.

Talk to you soon.