Healthy Eating and Living

We started off on the “Biggest Loser Club” method of eating, which Kim joined, and I tagged along. She is still a member of the club, and uses it as motivation to keep her going along. As I can’t do any medium to high impact exercise due to my back injury, it was the best way for me to drop kilos and change our lifestyle. I mentioned my weight loss to my Neurosurgeon, who I visited on Friday and he said that it was a fantastic result. He said it will assist my recovery even quicker. Very encouraging news indeed, as after 8 months, I have nearly had enough! I try and go for a short walk every day, and walk Ben to school when I work from home, and when I don’t feel in too much pain. I also go for a slow walk around the block when working at the office. We were both swimming up until about 4 weeks ago, before the pool became too cold. That was really good for my back, and is a very low impact exercise. As I heal further, I will be able to ride the bike that Santa bought me for Christmas, but not just yet. It hurts too much. Speaking of riding, I am very proud of Ben, as he learned how to ride a bike yesterday. It was a joy to watch, but he still needs a little more practice before we venture from the back yard.

So here is a sample of what I had to eat today. For breakfast, it was Vegemite on home made toasted bread that I made yesterday, and lunch was a pickled egg and bread & butter cucumber sandwich made from the same bread, with a small serve of fruit and nut mix. For dinner we had Caribbean Bean Stew which Kim made. It was very tasty and spicy, and went well with the Sweetcorn rice, that she also made. After a big bowl, I am very full. Kim’s favourite saying after we eat a vegetarian meal is quickly becoming “You wouldn’t even know there wasn’t any meat in that meal!” I agree, and it seems as if we don’t even miss it. We still give the kids the option of eating different meals, and the older kids have a try and usually eat it all down and ask for seconds, but Ben is a little fussy and doesn’t like spicy food, so he opts for something a little more simpler. To finish off dinner we had a scone with strawberry jam, both home made, and some fresh fruit. What a truly satisfying day of eating. I feel fulfilled and don’t feel like I am missing anything. To the contrary, I feel like I have discovered a whole new taste sensation, as I have mentioned before. And quite possibly that is why vegetables, grains and all things besides meat feature so heavily towards the bottom of the food pyramid!

I am not going into the debate about whether eating meat, poultry or fish is a bad thing or a good thing, but if we eat these things in moderation, then not only do our bodies thank us, so does the planet. I was reading about the amount of CO2 it takes to produce meat compared to vegetables. This article, titled Eating Meat and global warming, suggests that we should only eat 90 grams of meat a day. Whilst some may think this is a bit over the top, I tend to agree. I remember when I have gorged my way through a 300g steak, and felt bloated for days afterwards. Look, don’t get me wrong, I will still have a steak now and again, but not to the levels I was eating red meat six months ago. I just find that it is not necessary and I feel healthier for not eating it. Nor am I going to the other end of the scale towards Veganism, not that there is anything wrong with being a Vegan. It is just not for me either. I like dairy products and eggs too much. I still have to figure out a way of convincing Kim to let me keep a few chickens for egg production. We, as a large family, probably go through about a dozen eggs a week, now that we are baking more. Time will tell, I may yet find a place to make a coop yet Maybe I will just buy some chicks and she will fall in love with them, and then the job is done!