Dearest readers, I don't know if you noticed, but dining out and groceries are becoming increasingly more expensive while wage gaps between different job levels in most companies are increasing (a sad truism in this day and age). As you may know already, Miss Z is pretty clever in more ways than one and eating better, smarter and cheaper is one of my key strengths. Oh, and it's one of the most important things in EVERY life. This is why I decided to write a series of blogs about food we eat every day, and how to make it all better.
My first post will be about an issue I hear many people are facing in our super diverse Toronto area- the excuse that different cultures are pushing destructive food choices on us; in particular- breads (bread, tortilla, naan etc.) noodles and rice. I am going to deconstruct this attitude and tell you what good things happen when you do that.
First off, let me give you an example. I have a Filipina friend who constantly asks me how I stay in shape as well as I do. She says she tries to eat healthy e.g. lots of veggies, smaller portions, drinks lots of water and herbal tea, and works out 3 times or so per week. When I told her the FDA recently removed the upper limit on fat and restricted carbs since research in the West has demonstrated it's the carbs that mess us up more than fat, as well as that I eat a low carb diet, she responded in an interesting way. She said that she still ends up eating tons of rice because it's a part of her culture! I was stunned. No, it's not because that was news to me, but because this girl was working so hard trying to get slimmer, more fit and healthier yet used the culture card to stuff up with rice. It made no sense to me at all.
Now, you may say I'm being oblivious to the fact that people have cultural backgrounds and enjoy foods they grew up with. I'm actually not. This argument that someone eats a lot of rice and even defends the choice based on it being a part of their culture is flawed. Does this mean that my friend will lose her Filipina cultural identity and background if she cuts rice out of her diet? Will other Filipino people shun her? I don't think so, and you may readily agree with me. I don't even know why she thinks or feels that way, and why there are so many people out there who do the exact same thing. If you're spending money on good meat and veggies, workout supplements and gym memberships, just dump the rice, naan or Wonder Bread or you're wasting time and money.
Once you stop using the culture card and get rid of the carb mountains typically found on your plate or next to it, you'll likely be in withdrawal for a few days, your body getting all fussy because it's not getting heaps of that cheap, crappy fuel any more. After a few days though, your body will realize it can't keep going that way, and will understand that it has to turn the good foods you eat into energy. This good food, meat and veggies primarily, is full of nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and you'll be hard pressed to eat so much of it that it'll end up expanding your waist line. The likeliest scenario is that after a while you'll be feeling healthier, stronger, more energetic and you'll look younger.
Remember, your body needs good quality food to look good. If you don't eat well, no amount of expensive cosmetics will help; again, you'll just be wasting money and wasting away. If your culture is fixated around tons of carbs in daily diet, just dump the carbs without giving it a second thought. Oh, and if you think that dumping most of your carbs in favor of more meats and veggies will break your bank, wait till part 2 of my blog series where I will show you how to pay yourself real money to eat better.
Enjoy your week, mwah! :)
My first post will be about an issue I hear many people are facing in our super diverse Toronto area- the excuse that different cultures are pushing destructive food choices on us; in particular- breads (bread, tortilla, naan etc.) noodles and rice. I am going to deconstruct this attitude and tell you what good things happen when you do that.
First off, let me give you an example. I have a Filipina friend who constantly asks me how I stay in shape as well as I do. She says she tries to eat healthy e.g. lots of veggies, smaller portions, drinks lots of water and herbal tea, and works out 3 times or so per week. When I told her the FDA recently removed the upper limit on fat and restricted carbs since research in the West has demonstrated it's the carbs that mess us up more than fat, as well as that I eat a low carb diet, she responded in an interesting way. She said that she still ends up eating tons of rice because it's a part of her culture! I was stunned. No, it's not because that was news to me, but because this girl was working so hard trying to get slimmer, more fit and healthier yet used the culture card to stuff up with rice. It made no sense to me at all.
Now, you may say I'm being oblivious to the fact that people have cultural backgrounds and enjoy foods they grew up with. I'm actually not. This argument that someone eats a lot of rice and even defends the choice based on it being a part of their culture is flawed. Does this mean that my friend will lose her Filipina cultural identity and background if she cuts rice out of her diet? Will other Filipino people shun her? I don't think so, and you may readily agree with me. I don't even know why she thinks or feels that way, and why there are so many people out there who do the exact same thing. If you're spending money on good meat and veggies, workout supplements and gym memberships, just dump the rice, naan or Wonder Bread or you're wasting time and money.
Once you stop using the culture card and get rid of the carb mountains typically found on your plate or next to it, you'll likely be in withdrawal for a few days, your body getting all fussy because it's not getting heaps of that cheap, crappy fuel any more. After a few days though, your body will realize it can't keep going that way, and will understand that it has to turn the good foods you eat into energy. This good food, meat and veggies primarily, is full of nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and you'll be hard pressed to eat so much of it that it'll end up expanding your waist line. The likeliest scenario is that after a while you'll be feeling healthier, stronger, more energetic and you'll look younger.
Remember, your body needs good quality food to look good. If you don't eat well, no amount of expensive cosmetics will help; again, you'll just be wasting money and wasting away. If your culture is fixated around tons of carbs in daily diet, just dump the carbs without giving it a second thought. Oh, and if you think that dumping most of your carbs in favor of more meats and veggies will break your bank, wait till part 2 of my blog series where I will show you how to pay yourself real money to eat better.
Enjoy your week, mwah! :)