TALKING ABOUT HEALTH

Disclaimer: The entire content of this health article is disseminated on an advice basis and for information purposes only.  The content is based on the opinion of the writer except stated otherwise.  Please see a medical doctor before engaging in any type of physical activity or a radical change in diet.

I am not sure if I am in the right position to talk about this - HEALTH.  Given the fact that my age has come to this old and yet I’m still free from undergoing medical maintenance, I think I can speak up about it at least at my very personal capacity.

I do not usually measure my daily calories as in how much carbs, protein and fat must I take for the day, how many water should I drink, how much sugar or salt should I put on my food, etcetera.  I am not by the book.  It is a matter of approximation.  If there is 7 days a week, most likely 5 days are my veggies day.  And that 2 days?  They can be meat days or maybe veggies again depend on my mood.  I eat junk foods, of course I am human too, but it is just once in awhile.  I think the problem I see with most people is that they do not know what is “once”.  Once a week?  Once a month?  You need to count first how many days / times is that once a week or month for you?  The gap between the times I have drunk soft drink?  I do not keep track on my drinks to give the precise number but in honest and modest assumption, it takes at least three months or even more.  The last time I ate meat (not chicken breast) and eat again?  Maybe six months or more.  I am lucky I have that ability to differentiate “once” from “often”.

Next, aside from learning what is once, remember that it is more important to watch the quality of the foods rather than the quantity.  If you have fried chicken once a week, once a week beef, these make 8 meats every month, then there is problem.    If you eat more than 8 or let say 18 or even 80 veggies every month, that is not a problem.  See the difference between quality and quantity?  Choose chicken breast than anything else.  Just eat bread (brown bread as much as possible) alone no need sandwich spread.  Choose black coffee.  Avoid creamer, sugar and milk on it.  Avoid instant foods like noodles, coffee, juice, etc.  Avoid processed foods like canned foods, hot dogs, longaniza.  Avoid junk foods, avoid soft drinks.  Now, when it says “avoid” that is meaning to say you can put them in “once” if you cannot totally avoid.  If you know quality matters than quantity, then most likely you will agree diet counts more than workout although these must be a combo.  I am lucky I have that ability to distinguish quality over quantity.

Then, check your grocery cart.  You will know the person based on their basket when they go to supermarket.  Box of Barbicans or soda drinks, cans of meat loaf or luncheon meat, kilos of beef and whole chicken, packs of broth (chicken) cubes and seasoning, assorted sweets, etcetera.  Man, you are in danger.  Have mercy on yourself.  Of course don’t judge the cover of the book, for the benefit of the doubt maybe there is an occasion behind this push cart.  But in a normal given situation, this is just a typical scenario we see in our friends’ basket.  But if you want to go further, go and check their social media account to see their frequent check-in in restaurants and eateries.

Setting myself as an example, if you will look at my grocery items, I have pieces of sardines / mackerels, canned tuna, my all-time favorite bitter guard, cabbage and other veggies, brown bread (sometime I want peanut butter), oat meal, biscuits, etc.  It is as simple as that and I already used to it every week.  Learn to be simple.  Eat plain bread (avoid added flavor), simple meals and just drink water.  Reserve those festive foods during holiday season and special occasions.  When you learn this simplicity, eating foods in famous restaurants and fast foods chains every once in a while will not give you significant up in your weighing scale, blood pressure and glucose count.  I am not a fan of fish but definitely I am addicted to veggies.  And again, like normal people I eat also their favorite burgers, French fries, pastries and deserts, Starbucks coffee, lechon-manok and others but in a very moderate way.

Sometimes we heard of a slim man who is pro-active but surprisingly get sick or unexpectedly died in sick.  Then doubt will arise and we’ll hear “no matter how careful we are, we are still really not sure of our health”.  While this can be true but this is very isolated case.  Generally, slim and pro-active are still best for us.  The next time you heard of these slim men, you can be surprised again but try to analyze the things.  Yes, the man is lean and active in workout but we are not really sure how was he when off on our eyes?  Maybe he preferred fruits and vegetables but he was coffee lover.  Or he loved workout but he sleep late, stressed at the job, or maybe he liked going to those classy restaurants for food trips.  People are usually confident to challenge food trip because they know they are active.  In reality it is not in the size.  It is really in the food, you are what you eat and you get what you eat.  What you eat is what you become.