This is Day 3 of the 21-Day Journaling Challenge held in Nov 2011. The challenge is now over but you can do the tasks in your own time. Visit the overview page for all the challenge tasks.
Hi everyone – Welcome to Day 3 of 21DJC! :)
Yesterday’s question was this: “If you are to do something for free for the rest of your life, what would it be?“. (Read the responses here.) Some of you said you’d want to travel around the world and explore new places. Some of you said you’d want to grow and learn forever. Some of you said you’d want to pursue your passions, which may include writing, cooking, baking, blogging, developing games, motorcycling, write music, planting, fashion, recording music, coaching, caring for animals, and more. Some of you said you’d want to help others – be it to grow, to discover themselves, to be better people, or to live better lives.
3 years ago, I asked myself this very question. If I am to do something for free for the rest of my *life*, what would it be? The answer that came out is exactly what you see me doing today. It’s to grow and help others to grow. It’s to be spreading my message to the world, be it via writing, coaching, speaking, running courses, videos, or other mediums. (Essentially, what I’m doing now.) It’s to inspire others to become greater than who they are now, so they can in turn inspire others around them to be the same.
The reason why I asked myself the question is this – We only have one life to live. We have the ability in us to do whatever we want, and to succeed in whatever we want. Instead of wasting our talents doing something that we don’t even have the passion to do forever, why not spend all that energy, starting from today, in something we’re really, truly, 110% passionate about? Why not devote ourselves 110% into what we really want to do, rather than do something because we think we ‘have’ to, and do a half-assed job in it? Why not do that, and make that your career instead?
I mean, no matter how “skilled” or “unskilled” you are in it now, you only have, like, the rest of your life to develop your skills in it. It’s only a matter of time before you’re the best in that field, really. (10,000 hours is all that it takes)
In doing so, it doesn’t even feel like work. It doesn’t even require any energy to do it. It’s virtually effortless. I made that shift 3 years ago, and while there were a few months of down time to develop myself in a new field, today I’m soaking in the long-term rewards from the move. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life, and I want you to experience the joy too.
The articles in my How To Pursue Your Passion series will help you in this area.
Let’s now move on to the question for Day 3 of 21DJC! ;)
21DJC Day 3
For Day 3 today, we’re going to explore a slightly different topic from Days 1 and 2. In Day 1, we looked at what we would do if we have a million dollars. In Day 2, we delved into some of our deepest, life long passions – things we would do for free for the rest of our life. For Day 3, we’re going to look at something lifestyle-related.
The question for Day 3 is this:
What is Your Ideal Diet Like?
Would it consist of happy meals, deep fried food and junk food? Would it be prepacked, micro-waved meals from the supermarkets? Would it be laden with fat? Would it be filled with meat? Would it be rich with vegetables and fruits? Would it be specially prepared, home cooked meals made by you, for you? What would your ideal breakfast, lunch, dinner be like? How much, how often, and when would you eat every day? What would your cue to eat?
Your Task Today:
- Reflect and answer today’s question. There’s no word limit – whether minimum or maximum. Write as few or as many words as you want. It’s all up to what you want to express!
- Share your answer. After you are done writing, copy and paste your answer in the comments area and post it there.
- Check out other participants’ answers. Other participants will be sharing their answers too, so feel free to read and reply to their answers. This is a group course, so let’s support each other in these 21 days.
((Images: Empty book for journaling, Vegetables wrapped in measuring tape))
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My ideal diet is to have a big breakfast of meat, eggs and vegetables with coffee and BUTTERED toast around 10:00 am. The meat could be just about any traditional breakfast meat–sausage, bacon, pork chops, steak, etc. The eggs could come over easy, scrambled or in an omelet. The vegetables could come commingled with eggs in the form of an omelet and preferably fresh from my garden (two of my favorites in an omelet are okra and spinach but others like zucchini are good too) accompanied by some fruit (fresh or frozen). A couple of times a week I like oatmeal (old fashioned) seasoned with cinnamon, raisins, berries or fruit, nuts, butter and brown sugar topped with half and half or heavy cream.
For lunch around (2 – 3:00 pm) I like something like a small steak, can of tuna or a couple of pieces of chicken (fried or baked) with a side or two of vegetables from my garden and perhaps a salad.
Meanwhile for dinner, (around 6:30 pm), I’ve probably had the crock pot going all day with a little bit of everything but the kitchen sink in it–potatoes, celery, carrots, garlic, onions, beef, pork or chicken, possibly some beans and/or rice and whatever else I can find around the kitchen, garden or pantry that seems like a good idea at the time to throw in there, all seasoned with a wide experimental assortment of herbs and spices.
Later, after dinner, I sometimes have a snack of buttered popcorn seasoned with salt, turmeric, garlic powder and a dash of curry.
My ideal diet should be base on fresh, local, seasonal ingredients. I prefer home-made dishes. I would like to buy only what I am going to cook/ eat. I think it is important not to waste a food, not to buy more than I need
Variety and Frequency
I prefer the same kind of food everyday, only rotating the veggies. That is the way it has always been for me. The standard 4 meals a day is ideal for adults, with as much tea as you want in between meals. Also to keep it simple – what is simple is what is practical.
What is the best food?
The best food is just the healthiest food. We don’t have the capacity to eat more than what we exactly require (though it seems we do.) I myself need to be more careful because my ethnic sub-group (chubby Indians) and genetic predisposition make me more prone to lifestyle diseases.
I am vegetarian (and there is no way to change this.) I have thought of turning vegan, but I think curds/yoghurt is the greatest invention of mankind.
The food my family traditionally cooks is the best for me. I would however under-cook it, and also eliminate the oil and butter. It is important to learn the traditional herbs and spices because there is more to healthy food than balancing proteins + carbs + fats.
Do we need junk food or gourmet meals?
All refined foods (including sugar) are as good as poison. But to feel pampered, I would need to use my imagination and keep a stock of things like Pu-erh Tea and dark chocolate.
Trial and error
Food and sleep equally determine your intellectual (and moral) capacity. It requires trial and error to determine which foods are good for you. For example, you are either a rice person or a wheat person and dairy products may not go well with you.
My Ideal diet is supposed to allow me to eat as much as I want without getting fat. Period. I like food, and food likes me.
I love food. I love eating with my friends and family. I grew up in the Philippines and food has and always been a big part of my culture. And so I learn to eat everything, from vegetables to meat, to fish and grains.
But what I like most is eating healthy home cooked meals. Its easy to make yet healthy.
Fresh local vegetables and fruits. Farm raised meat,chicken and fresh seafood.
I have been abroad for over 4 years now. From Holland to Norway to Italy to France. I have tasted so many things.
But I always go back to my Asian palate.
So I think My Ideal diet consist of anything anything Asian. Rice is a staple, lots of vegetables and spices.
I love fruits too. Oranges, Kiwis, apples. :) I enjoy all of them.
I don’t go on strict diet of some sort, I believe that food or meal for that matter, should be enjoyed in its most authentic form.
For me its all a matter of balance.
My ideal diet would be very healthy and compassionate. I am a vegetarian making the transformation to vegan. After learning about where my food comes from, and how cruel and dirty factory farming is for the animals and workers, I’ve decided that is not somewhere I want my hard-earned money going towards.
My reverance for Mother Nature and all living creatures on Earth is stronger than my desire to taste meat. The food that is meant to nourish my body should not be the product of cruelty.
I would love to have a daily supply of fresh vegetables, fruits, berries, beans and rice. All cultivated locally and pesticide free. Ideally, I would have a personal vegan chef prepare all my meals so I wouldn’t have to spend time cooking anymore! It sounds outlandish, but isn’t that what ideals are supposed to be like? I don’t think I will be able to afford a personal chef any time soon, so until then, I do the best I can. I buy locally when I can, and research the brands I buy. I find it is a lot less expensive to buy rice and beans and fresh vegetables from the local produce stand than it is buying conventional packaged foods from the store, so I am saving money too!
21DJC Day 3 – What is Your Ideal Diet Like?
8 glass of water everyday
sufficient vitamin C and E supplement
at least 3 fruit per day
must eat any vegetable a day
1 protein meals for breakfast and milk
1/2 protein 1/2 carbohydrate meals for lunch
1 carbohydrate meals for dinner and milk
stay out from
soda
cafein
Of course on my ideal diet I would not gain weight or feel sluggish and have to take naps from being full. My favorite diet would be one of real southern food. Pork ribs in sweet, hickory barbecue sauce, golden brown biscuits with thick yellow butter, healthy fresh garden picked asparagus with Hollandaise sauce, icy cold lemonade, with slices of lemon and made with real sugar and served in a tall frosty glass. For dessert, what else, but a double crust, deep dish blackberry cobbler. With that said I’ll go back to so called new and improved ideal diet of rabbit food, salads and low calorie dressings with grilled chicken breast, low calorie yogurt and slices of melba toast on the side. For dessert, what else but fruit..yum yum.
Actually the word “diet” puts me off. It conjures up images of forcing oneself to eat what one does not really like, but which is healthy and therefore unappetizing. Just being a bit difficult.
To return to the question of my ideal diet, and answering it in a whimsical mood, I would like to say that I prefer a diet of peace. Whatever I ingest should give me peace and tranquility. Thinking of food in a literal way, I am keen on only eating to live and not living to eat. So I would restrict myself to eating more vegetables and fruit, less meat and fish. I like to eat small meals. Sometimes I think that I must have been a squirrel or a bird in my previous birth as I like nuts and seeds and fruit.
In a figurative sense, the ideal diet would include taking in or absorbing only that kind of information, opinions and views that would keep me at peace with myself and with others.
I would cook most of that . Big breakfast ,fruits and vegetables , chinese food and sushi and lots of healthy sweets
I eat pretty well…mostly vegan, with dark chocolate and red wine for a treat on occasion. I try to stay away from any prepackaged ‘processed’ food and feel a lot better because of it!
I am careless about my diet and I eat what ever I get, only vegetarian.
my perfect diet would be one that works for me. so far the only thing I’ve found that works is to not eat… period. when I stopped eating breakfast I lost 35 pounds and when I wasn’t able to make my own meals I lost another 35 pounds and there;s still plenty of room for improvement but I have to eat something in order to take all my meds. and I’m already on a major low-carb diet to keep my non-medicated diabetes under control so I’m kinda at a loss as to what else to do.
Sorry, but that’s not going to work well for you in the long run. Exercising is a lot more beneficial than dieting because in the long run, exercising makes you want to eat better food! And less.You can start with a basic walking program. Just saying!
My ideal diet consists of:
1) low-fat, low-carb, high fibre and no caffeine ~ which translates to less or zero fried, no junk, high protein, variety of vegetables and plenty of water.
2) fresh from the market and single-handedly prepared by myself
3) different menus at every meal time
4) lots of exercises ~ physically and mentally
5) enough portions to satisfy my tummy (as I can be a big-eater at times!)
6) occassionally, my favourite Tiramisu and Cheesecake as desserts and good wine to accompany with (yummy yummy!!)
With this diet, I am sure my ideal weight and ideal looks will follow suit in no time!
I am a vegetarian and I eat more fruits than a monkey in the tropical jungle. So my ideal diet would be lots of fruits, veggies ( i like to have as many colors as possible on my plate) and chapathis/ Indian bread. I am a real milk baby, and enjoy having warm cocoa, yogurt and smoothies. Both my husband and I appreciate good food, so we do indulge in cakes, fried items and snacks- cooking and eating! But we do it in small portions, so we can indulge ourselves without feeling guilty.
I also follow tips from the website http://www.webmd.com, to make sure we eat the most nutritious fruits and veggies. Since I cook all meals at home, its easy to buy the stuff from farmers market and plan my menus accordingly. In the US, there is such a variety of raw food to choose from, that I can follow my no-repetition-in-meals policy for min. 2 weeks.
And of course, water- lots and lots of it!
LOVE this question! Of COURSE my ideal diet is NOT a bag of peanuts or jerky from my office vending machine and a Diet Coke! Yet – that is what I fill my poor body with a couple of days per week. Would it be a meal-replacement shake for one or two meals, and a salad for dinner? Noooooooooo, if I were honest, that probably wouldn’t be ideal, either! My ideal diet would be 90-95% healthy choices, that TASTE AMAZING! It would be gourmet-prepared salads, vegetables, exotic fruits, and a wide variety of proteins – filet mignon, seafood, etc. The 5-10% that isn’t healthy wouldn’t necessarily be UNhealthy – they would just be my indulgences in MODERATION: if I’m craving risotto, I would be served the BEST risotto, and only half a cup or so. A TASTE. If I’m craving carbs, I’d have a fabulously prepared pasta dish – NOT scarf down some garbage from the Olive Garden (no offense!) And, as with all these wonderful journaling topics, this begs the question – WHAT IS STOPPING ME FROM ADJUSTING MY DIET ACCORDINGLY?! Aren’t I WORTH taking the time in the evening to prepare a delicious meal of lobster and steak – IN MODERATION? If I’m craving it – aren’t I WORTH the time to PREPARE it, but in the proper serving portions – can I afford 12 oz of filet? Probably not… what about 3 oz? And – wouldn’t that be a healthier way to indulge my craving for steak once in awhile than to drive through McDonald’s for a quarter-pounder with cheese?? Don’t I DESERVE to pack a healthy and tasty lunch, versus scraping together quarters for the unfulfilling vending machine? Aren’t I worth spending some time in the kitchen each weekend? I’ll bet my overall grocery bill would DECREASE if I bought FEWER items, but BETTER items. I’M WORTH IT! Quality versus quantity – I think we’re on to something here!
My ideal meal would need a balance. fruits and vegetables are healthy and thats important but I can’t say not meat or carbs. Speaking of carbs i prefer my meals to fill me up and provide proper nutrition, not “empty” carbs that will be in my stomach and disappear after an hour. Granted they aren’t bad when there is a practical use like when i’m on my break and I need something quick to last the rest of my shift. In that respect sure, chocolate bar, maybe a soda with a little caffine and sugar for a temporary boost, that I can do. But that’s not really good for the long run.
I’ll be honest I don’t have much of a liking for fruits. The texture makes my tongue want to spit it out. However there have been a few good alternatives I’ve found such as not eating it by itself or fruit juices and the like. I do like salad now, even though once upon a time i would cover my face just looking at it.
I think my ideal diet should also consider how often I eat. Now I have been working out and trying to build a little muscle and it has helped a bit when it came down to it however in general I learned hunger does keep you awake, provided you over do it. Besides it makes your best meal taste better. “Hunger makes a feast taste better” and all that. I don’t think my ideal diet right now would be anything fancy. I don’t really have the culinary skills for that anyway but I do find that cooking for yourself can be very satisfying and I think that entails in my idea diet ;)
My ideal Diet… stems from being afraid of death. Well, not so on death but ending my life, in such a way that if i fell ill or got struck by some illnesses, my life will be over (career, lifestyle, dreams, etc). It brought me into and out of depression, anxiety, panic and despair at one point because fortunately, I should say I had an awakening experience when one day I had light breakfast in the morning and found out my blood sugar was still a little on the high side after several hours. It came as a shock because I was exercising regularly at that time and I had assumed that anything I ate would be burned off. Mum, being the educator of my life, enlightened me a lot, as she brought me to my awareness of strong family history of common illnesses which led me to being more health and diet conscious. From then on, health became my motivation to exercising daily. Of course, it helps having a running partner because time really pass much faster and it is more enjoyable.
Pastries are my all-time favourites but no-nos for my health. And my food intake is really quite heavy, so it actually jeopardizes my exercise regime. Being always on the go, having normal meals was slowly cut off from my choice of food, instead I was adapting easily to quick and convenient ones like breads (despite choosing healthy ones like wholemeals) and snacks, which are neither filling nor healthy.
My ideal diet would be daily home-cooked food. Nothing beats the typical three dishes + a soup meal at home. I would like to be able to try out different cuisines once a week.
I normally start my days with lemon water / coffees. Breakfasts are a must for me these days because it really fuels my day, especially with half-boiled eggs, muesli, cereals and milk / brown rice or oat porridge.
Ideally, lunch would be with something refreshing like veggie salads / fruits. I take vegetarian most of the time with brown rice or fish soups.
Dinner would be simpler. and I hope to quit snacking and go vegan one day…
The environment plays a big part of my diet also.
My ideal meals should be very simple, not sofisticated ones.
It typically consists of about 3 dishes, 2 are vegetables, organic ones in season (one is boiled, the other is stir-fried)), the third dish is meat/fish. I also love to eat sushi, so if sushi is on, nothing else is needed. So that’s my ideal meal, which should be 2/3 for vegetables or things like that (fruits).
The most delicious meals are cooked by me or loved ones in the family, however it may taste. Well, I think it’s pretty clear as to what my ideal diet is.
My diet consists of everything I love and want to eat, but in moderate amounts. My family has a lot of food allergies, including lactose and gluten. There are so many foods these days that include those that I can’t imagine living without them! That includes some of my favorite foods: cheese, pasta, ice cream, pizza, and I will never give up cheese. Haha. So, instead of shying away from deliciousness, I simply eat when I’m hungry, eat only until I’m full, and go with whatever I’m craving that day. Even if it means I eat a piece of cheesecake for dinner, it keeps me happier to eat what I want than to hold back in the name of “health”. The allergies only kick in if I eat too much of those “illegal” foods within a short time period. With variety, moderation, and an attempt at staying mildly active, my diet keeps me happy. Hopefully, healthy too.
The perfect diet in my mind would be a balanced healthy enjoyable diet. A diet that is good for the body, mind and heart (plus all the other organs!). They say it’s better to have 4-5 small meals than to have 3 big ones so I would be trying to apply this method along with counting calories.
Breakfast:I would start the day with a nutritious breakfast after about an hour from waking up – just like Dr.Oz recommends. The meal will probably include unsweetened green tea with a labneh–zaatar-leafy greens whole wheat sandwish.
Brunch: Any left-overs, as long as it’s not something that makes you sleepy like food rich in garlic & yogurt. Oh and anything that doesn’t make you “avoidable” for the rest of the day like food rich in garlic and onions ;)
Lunch: I hope one day to make a habit of exercising daily around this time so it might be best to fill my post-workout meal i.e lunch with healthy proteins, whether it’s from beans,turkey,eggs,fish etc. because I read that eating proteins after exercising is good for the recoverment of muscles.
Dinner: In this meal I would have what the family is having which can be salad, stew, soup, pasta etc. and try to eat at most 1 plate.
Snack: Here I could eat whatever my calorie budget allows. It will probably be dessert :)
Ahhhh….the diet. This is something that I’ve looked into extensively for the past couple of months. I don’t think it should be considered a “diet” per say. When you say diet you immediately conjure up feelings of bland, tasteless food, a strict schedule based on calorie counting, and absolutely NO fun or joy. You see, I feel that the ideal diet should be the ideal lifestyle. You shouldn’t have to count calories every second of your life. You should be able to enjoy some foods that might be fat ridden occasionally. Personally, I want to get rid of the processed foods diet. This is anything that is in a box–crackers, frozen meals, chips, etc. Here, in the US it has become SO popular for busy people to buy those prepackaged “diet” frozen meals. Personally, I think that if you hold your health to the highest regard you will be able to set aside at least 15-20 minutes to cook yourself a meal or your family a meal. It doesn’t have to be extravagant–simplicity is what matters. Even the simplest meals can pack on quite a bit of flavor. I also feel that many people are not educated in how food is processed by the body and don’t wish to learn about it (after all, it is a a lot of science). Because of this, they are swept in to believe all the hype and advertising there is about “low fat”, “low carb”, “sugar free” , “whole grain” and so much more. There is a program by a nutritionist called “The Diet Solution” which I am interested in purchasing in the near future. It shows you how to eventually make a change to a healthier lifestyle and clearly debunks all the myths put out there about the food industry to lose weight. I do want to be able to incorporate a “whole foods” diet that consists of REAL food–plenty of fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, limited grains, nuts, and legumes (I am vegetarian). At the same time, I”d like to be able to enjoy foods prepared by my near and dear without having to worry if I am putting on pounds. I think it’s all about balance. As long as you are consistent in maintaining a whole foods diet, having your mom’s famous dessert at a family party will not ruin your efforts. There is so much for me to learn about health and fitness and I’m looking forward to learn all that I can!
Although I crave some junk food, and I like my chips and cookies…my ideal diet would not involve bad foods! I want to eat what my body wants and needs! I wish I knew everything there is to know about nutrition and the intricate details of what is good for my body! I absolutely love hearing nutrition facts! They fascinate me! The human body fascinates me! I LOVE bread and carbs…but in my diet I would want to keep those to a minimum! No more snacking on rye toast or dipping naan bread into dips! Were going to change that up! I would also up my vegetable intake, that’s for sure! My ultimate goal would be to cut out dairy, as I’m lactose intolerant, but I’m not sure if I would be able to do that because come on….feta cheese once in a while is delicious! I would be a health freak! That is my ideal life and diet! Smoothies packed with flaxseed and fruits galore, fish oil pills every day, vegetables taking place of most of my carbs! Oh how life would be grand! No more cravings for a McDonalds double cheeseburger, a bag of cool ranch Doritos while watching a movie with my boyfriend, that’s the life I want to live! My body would love me! One other wish I have for my ideal diet would be to have food in pill form! Yes I love the taste of food but when I in a rush I need to satisfy my body’s needs and replenish the minerals and nutrients it needs, so I think a pill would be absolutely amazing! And don’t get me wrong, yes once in a while I will have to indulge in some goodies, like a piece of pumpkin pie, a couple cookies, and that heaping helping of stuffing at Thanksgiving dinner! Everything in moderation!
For me this is a good one…I have so many dietary restrictions and “problem” foods and migraine triggers that I’m hardly ever eating what I would like to be eating. I also went to Culinary School and can no longer eat more than half the things I learned and love to make. And that doesn’t even mean junk food or sweets…it just means GOOD food. Tasty, nourishing, substantial, filling, satisfying food. That may seem simple to some, but it is never so simple for me.
I would want to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and live somewhere there is a whole foods market where I could buy fresh meat and produce to eat each day. It would mean being able to cook in my kitchen and eat the things that I create!! My meals would be something other than rice and I could use spices and seasonings and fresh herbs! I would be able to eat proteins and meat and fish for breakfast, lunch OR dinner. Even one meal a day would be great!! I would have flavor and texture and gluten and cheese and tomatoes back in my life :)
I don’t ask to eat often, I don’t want to eat all the time or as much as I want and not get fat. I just want to be able to savor and experience food and fresh goodness that is out there for tasting and not be sick afterwards. I want to be able to cook a meal for friends and family and be able to eat it WITH them instead of watching them eat it. I would love to be able to eat out at restaurants again even a couple times a year like we used to for special occassions.
My ideal diet is eating tasty, healthy, savory food without fear, without pain and without illness even one 24 hour period. Then I would willing go back and do what I must. That’s all I want.
What is Your Ideal Diet Like?
Wish I could read a question and see only one question instead of several. It makes me tired sometimes (insert smile here). Diet of food or diet as in what makes the body complete because our body needs more than just food! It needs exercise, good positive energy for the mind, body and soul! I will stick with the body for the purpose of my answer because I love to write and if I add mind and soul I will never get back to work!
My ideal body diet consists of the best of the best of foods! Lots of truly fresh vegetables and fruits, all kinds!!! Special leafy salads with all kinds of special cheeses as toppings and the best in calorie wise dressings! They are expensive to keep up with where I live. Fresh peppers and vegetables, holy wow! I eat them daily for sure but I would eat them more and more!
I would never ever eat anything that was fried. Never, not a thing. I eat very little now that is fried but if I had my own cook I would remove fry from the receipe book.
I enjoy a really nice steak, a nice one. I would always buy the best of steaks, every time!
I would love to have a health professional / Dietitian prepare my meals for me so I know what I am eating is good for my body. I would like to have great valued shakes instead of heavy content foods, except for the steak maybe.
If I recall correctly Cher once said in an interview that people worry more about what kind of gasoline/oil to put into their vehicle when they expect the vehicle to last 4 to 6 years then they worry about what they put in their bodies that they hope to last them for 80 years! Junk in = Junk out!
I love fitness, I am not afraid to work out but the whole diet thing is a challenge for me. Time constraints, work, a partner who loves to cook and to eat help make temptation stronger although I remind myself he does not force feed me! I don’t like to cook at all, yulk. I like to eat often but little bits. It’s just the lots of “little bits” that I could use someone directing me.
I eat well by many standards, so I am not beating myself up, I am merely stating that when it comes to food I am too disinterested to prepare it myself.
I would also add to my diet the finest of red wines. I enjoy trying different wines but I would make fine wines part of my daily diet if I were to make the choices based on what I wanted as opposed to what I am prepared to spend on such things! Speaking of liquid diets, I would add far more water then I drink now. I can’t seem to get into the water thing and I wish I could.
I am like many I guess , a champagne diet on a beer budget
Smiles
The term diet for me does not mean something that causes you to ‘avoid’ things, but rather ’embrace’ things that nourish you. I love my current diet. I would like of course to get in a large green leafy salad with lots of veggies every night, just like I did when I was a teenager eating with my dad who got off the late shift at work (missing dinner at the dinner time) and we’d have our salads together at 11pm. This would be the type of salad that filled a large plate. My diet would involve copious amounts of dark English tea, brewed specifically to maintain its creaminess (for lack of a better word), with a dash of milk, served hot, hot enough to cause you to slowly sip and savour it. My breakfasts would consist of tea with a cereal high in grains that is not too sweet (most cereals these days are so sweet) and also not taste like cardboard. Along with an endless supply of rasberries. I prefer a warm lunch. In fact I prefer my lunch to be like dinner, a warm dish with lots of veg, perhaps some meat or another source of protein, and pasta (I love pasta, my 2nd favourite food). My dinner would be my large plate of salad. I am not a snacking person but my diet would allow for my favourite food, popcorn, served hot, with just a dash of salt, no butter. I typically enjoy my popcorn in the evenings, but I won’t turn it down for an afternoon snack. I prefer to cook, however, cooking a warm lunch during the day is not very applicable to my job,
so this would mean I would be cooking my warm lunches on the weekends. If you have read my reply so far, you can see my diet is pretty low on fruit, except for the rasberries. I have just failed to find a fruit I love to eat. But that has slowly changed since I ran across a new type of apple (designed by Cornell scientists and recently approved by the FDA), the honeycrisp. Now that is heaven on earth. In season, I would eat one a day. Out of season, I’d just dream of it, since I prefer to eat things that are in season.
I have to agree with you on the snack, popcorn would be my snack of choice as well. I love the big salad with lots of interesting toppings of veggies and nuts that add good color and texture. Soooo good!
I have trouble loving a lot of fruits also however berries, mainly raspberries and blueberries, I love and a friend of mine introduced me to the Honeycrisp apple this past year as well. And it’s one of my 2 approved apples now :) It is too bad they only come around once a year!!
My ideal diet would consist of a way healthier version of myself. I would follow the food pyramid sans the meat and be a vegetarian. I would grow a perfect garden of lovely veggies in my backyard. I would never over indulge in sugar or bad carbs. I would eat tofu and learn to develop a taste for fish. Is this boring you yet? My fantasy diet would be a breakfast of sausage biscuit with cheese and hashbrowns. Cheeseburgers and french fries for lunch with regular coke instead of diet. For dinner, Italian or Chinese every night. Desserts would be never ending tasting treats of anything from cake to cheese cakes brimming with caramel. Now that my cholestorol has risen just typing this, I guess I have to stick with just being in the middle of the two. I will never develop a taste for fish though.
Ideally I prefer food that is whole and fresh. If I can afford it. I don’t feel it is necessary to have organic but if the potatoes smell like insecticide it is probably not wise for me to eat them.
If I could, I would eat a better quality of meat, and free range chicken. I would almost entirely stay away from ground meat. I would eat fish from the sea twice a week, and I would always have fresh but ripe fruit to eat, I would add more vegetables in a greater variety. Sometimes I like to cook, when I do it is always from scratch, and no processed foods like instant potatoes. Even pies, I make my own crust. But there are also times when I don’t want to be using my time that way. I don’t eat unless I am hungry, so there really is no schedule for eating in my house, it is a when it’s ready and we are hungry kind of thing. For snacks, I like those mixes that have nuts and dried fruit, vanilla yogurt, with things like granola, dried fruit, or cereal. Crackers with cheese, vegetable sticks with dressing, would also be great for snacking.
Something else that goes along with food, is an attitude or a way of life. So often I find myself just eating mindlessly, not thinking about the food I am eating or whether or not it is good for me. I would like to add more conscious thought into the act of eating and eat food with the intent that it nourish, my body and my mind.
I like to eat out once or twice a week, there is a cafe around the corner, locally owned that cooks food from scratch, or minimally processed foods and the cook is excellent. I like to go have a good steak from time to time and sea food, crustaceans, like lobster, crab and shrimp, either boiled or broiled, never fried.
My ideal diet is a healthy lactose-vegetarian diet. Actually It’s not healthy for me to eat stuff with lactose as I’m lactose-intolerant(I get huge stomach aches) but I love milk, cheese and it’s derivatives when they are lactose free as much as I love vegetables, fruits, nuts, cereals,etc. I’ve never been a meat lover. The only meat I love is turkey and I only eat that during festivities. I feel happy and well when I eat healthy stuff made naturally and it’s my ideal diet.
The thing that has been holding me back is my problem that I can’t get fat and I’d be scared to get even more skinny eliminating meats and all that. Also I think I’m allergic to nuts and some dried fruits so it’s a hard decision with that lack of protein. I’d talk with dietists and choose the healthiest diet for me as I am not sure if my vision diet might get me sick but if the dietists clarify me it’s ok if I follow certain steps then I’d go for it. :)
My ideal diet would less rice, less sugar, less carbo, less fat but a lot of cereals, fruits and vegetables. A little bit of ‘naughty’ food during the weekend, when we usually ‘eat-out’ with my family. A lot of plain water but no carbonate drink. The key word is discipline and learning to say ‘No’ to friends offering ‘mouth-watering’ foods such as cheesecakes, fried finger foods etc….
I feel very fortunate that I am not tempted by sweets. It helps a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!
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