Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Me...on Food Consciousness...Believe it.

I might as well say what I’m up to right now partly to convince myself and rescue me from denial. For the past few months I’ve been eating stuff that, as a woman, I should never eat in excess! What Vicki Belo would always say, HUGE servings of “Bread, rice, pasta, desserts” go straight to your hips. Well for me, it went to every possible nook in my body. I’m seeing and feeling the effects already and amazingly some people actually take time to remind me of the obvious.It took me this long to be conscious of “what” I eat given the fact that I'm on my pre-humanoid planet stage.

I’m not going to lie when I say that I’m starting to know what being food conscious is like, but I still don’t classify myself as “dieting” though. I’m still not following any specific food schedule. I don’t do calorie counts or anything drastic. I’m not forcing myself to eat foods that are essentially good and boring for me if I don’t want. There’s still a big factor in consumer satisfaction. What I have now are choices and varieties of food. For now, I don’t just eat what’s there immediately. I still manage to go through the choosing process.

One example of this is when I go to Fish and Co. restaurant. I’d usually order Fish and Chips (Fried fish fillet) with Fries/Chips as side order. I don’t go through alternatives especially if I’m damn hungry. But with all this food consciousness, the next time I’d go there, I’ll most probably get a grilled fish and pilaf rice. It’s something that I would still eat yet at the same time I’m not depriving myself of anything. It’s just “healthier.”Please, I’m still not at the point of ordering plain salad for a meal.

When I go to the Dessert Bazaar, I still get desserts, but I don’t get normal sized cupcakes for now. What I get are those midget versions, plus I can eat to at least 3 different flavors of cupcakes. Remember, it's a bazaar so there are midget free tastes everywhere.

When drinks are involved, instead of iced tea and lemonade, I’d go for Pineapple Orange Juice or Pineapple juice, which I do love. See? Whatever I do, I still eat. I eat foods that I like but are healthier for me. I don’t go as much as “Deprive” and limit myself to diet foods like oats, vegetables and fruits. I know this sounds simple and comical to intensive dieters out there, but this is a big step for me.

Last night it put me to the test, and I can quite say I’m proud of myself. From my office in Makati I went to Fort to wait for Mitch. I bought him a quick dinner in Jollibee since we will be on the road to fetch his mom in his tita’s house in QC. I bought him some take out whereas I went to Chowking and ate an order of pork siomai and a guiltless ice cream cone for dessert. While waiting for Mitch, his mom called and told us to have dinner there. Great. Knowing that his mom cooks magnificently, I’m not going to be surprised if her clan is a mix of culinary experts.

So we went to his Tita’s house and I got to meet his mom’s relatives and cousins. Aside from new acquaintances, a feast was waiting for us. I think the table was so full that we had to manage squeezing our huge plates, which are inviting. Dishes range from fish dish, chili con carne dish, KFC fried chicken, banana walnut loaves, revel bars, some hotdogs and of course rice. I knew at that point I was in deep trouble since I felt that I had more than enough space in my tummy to eat dinner. While Mitch and the rest of his family ate full course meals, I only got a serving of the fish dish, managed to skip rice, had a yummy slice of banana walnut (Without the walnuts) and a taste of some KFC chicken meat. After that, I still figured I had enough tummy space so I drank 2 glasses of water instead.

With a managed stomach, I was still able to choose what I ate last night. Well, originally, I shouldn’t have, but it was an invitation that I cannot refuse. Good thing I didn’t because the food was yummy and I’ve proven I can make this work. Hopefully my stomach gets used to it and doesn’t badger me for some greasy goodness. If there’s a moment I should slip, I would find it more acceptable and understandable on Christmas. Until then, I’m forcing myself to face choices, healthier ones.

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