I am not really one to be very disciplined especially when it comes to eating. ( I love eating!) However, I do subconsciously follow some guidelines that help me enjoy my food and not leave me feeling regretful about my choices.
1. I shy away from excessively sweet treats. – While I don’t abstain completely from all sweets, I have grown a liking to desserts that don’t need to be really sweet to be delicious. I find the less sugar I consume, the more my sweet sensitivity increases, which makes everything sweeter.
2. Reaching 80% of stomach capacity is considered “being full”. Reaching 90%-100% is level “hate-myself”, which takes away from the satisfaction of the meal.-This is hard at buffets, but if I want to try a lot of food I take a small amount of everything and go back for more of the favorites.
3. Healthy snacking around the clock.- Every 2-3 hours I am munching on something: hummus, halva, almonds, pistachios, protein bars, left over breakfast, the important thing is not to let myself go without food for a long period of time.
4. No heavy eating after 6pm, no eating after 10pm.- If I get too hungry before bed I drink herbal tea to fool my stomach. If that doesn’t work, I get something light…maybe going to bed earlier helps.
5. Made-from-scratch/Homemade meal preference.- I try to avoid processed foods with a lot of artificial ingredients. The more made-from-scratch the better. I also steer towards non-chain restaurants.
6. No Sodas!- I drink plenty water during the day. Natural fruit juices are also great, but sodas, and sugary drinks don’t really appeal to me.
7. Drinking 15-30 mins before meals or 1.5 hours after.- I have grown used not having anything to drink with my meals. Which draws me towards meals with sauces and dips.
8. Healthy fats- I have a deep appreciation for healthy fats. I just love guacamole, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts & all of the creamy goodness of healthy fats.
9. Not a Meat Lover.- It’s true, I love an occasional burger, pastrami sanwich, or Philly cheese steak, but if I don’t eat meat for a while I don’t really miss it too much. I really enjoy Mediterranean and Indian food because they are so good at serving up hearty dishes where meat’s absence is hardly noticed.
10. Aim to enjoy not regret- I strive to eat foods that will leave me with a warm, comforting, satisfying glow, and not a belly full of regret. I do occasionally go over board, but my lasting goal is truly enjoying the food I love.
Tags: Eating, eating habits, foodie