When I was a kid, I rarely remember myself having difficulties eating. Even my mum would cook whatever she wants and everybody in the family will not even bother what we were eating. Our food was basically what resembles a typical Mauritian meal with dhal, rice, any cooked or raw vegetable and some fish or chicken (especially la daube or in a curry sauce). Before going to school, it will be chocolate milk and bread & butter combination with sometimes, banana, crushed in the bread. We grew pretty much well. My mother is a school teacher, so she would always cook some yummy cakes and a hot tea for evening breaks. Well, honestly my childhood was normal and awesome. When I grew up, choosing nutrition as a career path, I never knew that this eating pattern has changed tremendously with our modern mothers refusing to give the traditional bread & butter (cereals are better), rice and dhal are gone (salad and baked fish are IN), no more almond or saffron milk at night (it’s milk with a touch of 2-3 pills of vitamins). I wondered how come that would be different from what my mother does. Am I that malnourished?
Well, that’s absolutely not the story I’m going to tell you. It’s very rare (almost never) that I talked about my clients to anyone, not even the closest. Believe me, I respect patient confidentiality. However this is a story of a young lady that surprised me and even touched my heart. Of course, I won’t write her name but I want to tell you that eating healthy (I prefer eating normally) should never be stressful and complicated. I remember the first day she came to me. I must say I was literally pinching myself as I thought she couldn’t be my patient. Here was a beautiful woman with long black hair and very attractive green eyes. I was amazed by her looks and she looks slim – I would rather say she look like she had a normal BMI. She came to see me in her gym attire. I believe that some clients wear their gym outfit for us not to have a long conversation on sports and exercise. I know I know, the gym can be hard sometimes. Never mind, before starting my usual consultation, I always do the assessment first which I personally considered too ‘formal’. I prefer the talking. Of course, she had a normal BMI. We started talking about the usual routine- her job, the man in her life, her passions, likes and dislikes. When the trust was built, she started talking about herself. It was then that I realized that she ate only one meal per day which was the dinner and spent her day drinking coffee because she didn’t want to gain weight. She didn’t know what carbs or proteins do to her body and never really understand the “concept” of vitamins. I was shocked. She was looking fabulous but she was killing her body inside. It was then that I knew that millions of women and men do not enjoy eating any more. It was all about cutting the carbs on Tuesdays, skipping breakfasts on Sundays, yoga on Mondays and hitting 3 hours at the gym. Maybe my mother was better feeding me the way she did. Eating right is an honor to your body and should be a priority. But it must also be very simple and here are the 7 basic rules to remember:
1. Have a wholesome and awesome breakfast even with your milk (it is not fattening)
2. Eat every 2-3 hours with smaller portions.
3. Eat less if you are less active.
4. Sleep…..say no to your game of thrones when you need to sleep.
5. Eat vegetables and fruits whole…forget about juices and soups.
6. Stay loyal to your genes, eat what you have been when you were a child. Believe me grandma was right.
7. Eat what is in season. Summer is here, eat these watermelon and mangoes.