day 10 2012

After the cyst removal three months ago, I started to think about living a healthier lifestyle. On my first couple of weeks after the surgery, there was a temporary moment when I lost the appetite to eat; even my favorite foods couldn't tempt me. I was very strict about anything that goes inside my mouth. Especially since one of my students' parent dutifully alerts me to be more careful of my food intake. Here are her thoughtful reminders:

1. Seafood are high-risk food because today's oceans are contaminated with chemicals and rubbish :(
2. Avoid barbequed or burned meat/seafood/pizza because they are potential carsinogens (cancer triggers) 
3. Some veggies are grown with chemical substances; if possible, buy organic ones
4. Meat are acidic and difficult to be digested by our body
5. By not controlling eating habits, one is prone to many kinds of illness 
6. Eat home-cooked food instead of dining out  

Okay...noted. I also follow @erikarlebang on Twitter. He's a yoga teacher who shares tweets about the unnecessity consumption of (formula) milk for babies and children as well as food combining tips. From my observation on his tweets, my conclusion of food combining rules are as follows: 

1. Coffee and tea is a big no-no. Instead, it is recommended to start the day with a liver-tonic (lemon juice mixed with warm water) -- it's healthier than coffee or tea, and it doesn't stimulate gastric issues  (like coffee)  nor it is dieuretic (like tea)
2. Eat fruits -- more than one kind, if possible -- for breakfast . It's a good habit to do "number two" in the morning because our body is cleansing itself from the food eaten the day before. Fruits help to ease the releasing process of unnecessary substances from our body
3. Lunch and dinner ala food combining should consist of rice + veggies or veggies + meat (fish, beef, or chicken). It's essential to part rice and meat, they must never be eaten at the same time because it's hard labour already for the bowel to digest rice; not to mention digesting meat as well at the same period of time
4. Chew food thoroughly so we don't over-eat and our digestion works in its natural way 
5. Food combining is considered to be a practice that follows the way our body works >> morning time = for cleansing, afternoon time = for energy burning, evening until morning time = for digesting (food processing)
6. For more details, please have a look at his page >> http://erykar.posterous.com

Lately, I'm a lot more loose about eating out. However, I do try to maintain my balance and eat at home as much as possible. I noticed that when feeling tensed, I tend to crave on sugary or savoury bits because they "feed" my insecurity. Next thing I know, my weigh increases. For that issue, there's only one solution: calm the mind. Once it's calmed down, the craving stops. I think being healthy includes consistency and choices that we make, both physically and emotionally. 

One at a time...