well-being... eat

People say, "You are what you eat" and I couldn't agree more..

I eat everything. Almost. I eat whatever is available. I am one who eat to live, not live to eat. If there is a choice, I prefer noodles/pasta over rice. I also like bread, pastry, pies and cakes. Don’t really like salad, but I will eat them when it is part of a set menu. I prefer fruit salad over vegetable salad. Vegetable, for me, has to be stir-fried, even if it’s just with oil and garlic. I like ‘slimy’ vegetables like okra and eggplants. I also like bitter gourds, onions and corns. They are either full of antioxidants, anti-inflammation and/or antiviral. :) 

fresh produces is a must.. 

I prefer my food cooked, except for Japanese food like sashimi and sushi. I also like spicy food, not Szechuan-style but SEA-style spiciness. I want to taste and savor the spices rather than have my lips and tongue numbed. I have a pretty strong stomach and I can stand eating fairly hot food, though I try not to put my stomach through extreme spiciness. 

Also, I know that I can never be a vegetarian. Maybe not every meal, but I can’t imagine not eating meat at all. No special preference of meat, but depending on how they are cooked. For curry and rendang, I prefer beef and mutton. For Chinese dishes, I like pork. For deep-frying, it’s prawn and squid; for pan-frying, I prefer fishes; for roasting, it's chicken. So you can see I am equal opportunity meat eater.. :) I am also an egg-lover, but I try to keep my egg consumption to about one per day.

When I go grocery shopping, I will normally look at stuff that is on sale and get whatever I feel like eating. So in a way, I am not brand loyal as I’m willing to give all brands their fair chance. I will usually compare their nutritional content and choose those with low sodium and fat content. Of course, I will indulge once in a while with some potato chips and chocolates. As for fast food, I rarely have them when I'm in TW. 

try to have pizza only once a month.. unless it's home-made

My fridge doesn’t have a decent freezer compartment, so I can’t have frozen food like store-bought pizza or ice-cream, which is a good thing as it forces me to buy (and cook with) fresh produces. I will always buy seasonal vegetables and fruits, as they tend to have lesser pesticides and much fresher. I do keep some cereals, oats and muesli bars to satisfy my occasional hunger bangs at night or for breakfast. I am trying to follow the saying: "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper", although my dinner is still pretty substantial. 

All in all my take on eating: Don’t eat from the same restaurant/shop for a long period of time. Don’t eat the same food over and over again, just because it is (supposed to be) good for you. Spread your risk around by buying from different sources so you won’t be ‘poisoned’ by the same manufacturer or food producer. Limit your intake of deep-fried, high sugar and high sodium food.

Finally, have you watched Jamie Oliver's TED speech? Find time to watch it.. It's scary to think that the younger generation might not survive their parents, and the main culprit is the food we eat. Obesity is the No. 1 cause of all lifestyle related illnesses like high-blood pressure, diabetes and heart diseases, just to name a few.. Thus, we all have to be mindful of what we eat, where it came from and how it is cooked.

In short, eat more fresh produces and less processed food. Moderation and variation is my food mantra.