Oh, that’s okay. I make lamb.
Based upon my cholesterol diagnosis, the doctor immediate prescribed me the Mediterranean Diet.
My immediate reaction “I already basically eat that.” I mean routinely eat fish (fresh and canned), I eat chicken, lamb, lean pork, lots of vegetables. I love hummus, tzatziki, olives, and feta.
So I have for the most part stopped eating red meat, but I have had some steak and a burger or two. But probably what I miss the most at the moment are hot dogs, a favorite lunch of mine would be a couple of Koegel Viennas, wrapped in whole wheat buns.
I have always enjoyed salads, fruits, and vegetables (except for eggplant and squash, blech). The frequency and size of the salads I eat are the stuff of legend amongst our friends. And for me a dinner isn’t a proper dinner without two vegetables, not including the salad.
But I also have had a sweet-tooth. I have never been a big ice cream fan, but give me some snack cakes or some candy (gobstoppers, jelly beans, whoppers, etc) and I will just about eat them until I am sick. Mind you, I know my limits and haven’t gotten sick off candy in years.
I have been an amateur baker since around 2007, so yeast breads, muffins, and pastries are things that I would make an enjoy regularly. I perfected my muffin game during the pandemic, seriously I make some damn good muffins.
And while I would maybe eat two or three of those muffins in a day, it would be spread out throughout the day and overall balanced part of my food for the day.
Point being, I ate a good amount of vegetables, and generally speaking not a lot of fast food or even take out. We’d have pizza once a week, and I would always either make a salad or buy one (if we were dining in), generally limiting myself to a couple of slices in the sitting.
I enjoy pasta, but would really only eat a single serving and my favorite pasta dishes have kale, spinach, peppers, and mushrooms mixed in along-side the meat and sauces.
I drink diet coke so I can eat regular cake.
That quote from Gabriel Iglesias, has come to mind quite a bit since my diagnosis. I gave up on sugary drinks years and years ago, opting for sugar-free energy drinks and just oat/soy-milk in my coffee (no sweeteners). I drank my iced-tea unsweet with just some lime wedges squeezed in there.
Most important meal of the day
My breakfast was and is typically a Clif Builder Bar. They’re great, they taste good, have 20g of protein, some fibre, and even come covered in chocolate. I’ve tried a number of different protein bars and IMHO most are trash, a few were close to the Clif bar, but overall, I can find that one everywhere, and they aren’t too expensive.
On the weekends I’d make breakfast for the family, bacon (oven baked), eggs, potatoes, muffins, and toast. On special occasions I’d make waffles, but my everyday breakfast is just the bar.
As my morning typically involves 60-90 minutes of paddling, I have incorporated a carb-free protein shake before I leave, as I want to make sure my blood sugar is sufficient for some exercise. I paddle to the end of the river and try to make it to ‘The Island’ else I get into ‘The Bay’ and eat my Clif bar. I float around while I munch down the crunchy, nutritious candy bar like protein bar. I then start my paddle back.
A Calorie, is a Calorie
I thought that way for years and years about nutrition. That what kind of food it was didn’t matter, that the general calorie count was all that mattered. And realistically, I still believe that, but with the caveat of “If you’re healthy.”
Now that I have “The Betes” I am trying to be low-carb, and for the most part without refined sugars in anything I eat. I am trying to eat my Mediterranean diet foods. I have always enjoyed yogurt, for the better part of the last decade that is just plain non-fat Greek yogurt. I also enjoy Kashi cereal, high fibre, high protein, wihtout being high in sugar carbs.
My Body is a temple, now
I really want to beat this, I mean there is a chance I can get this into remission. So I really am resisting the urge to drown my sorrows in candy and booze. I have had a few desserts, but generally homemade. I did have a candy bar, it didn’t spike my blood sugar any more than an eating an apple. But I did not feel as good as if I ate an apple or other fruit, go figure.
So, while when I ate the salted caramel budino pudding I made, that was totally worth it. A homemade muffin was totally worth it. The from scratch cupcake (with store bought frosting) was mostly worth it, the candy bar was not.
I am looking forward to eating quite a few fresh dark sweet cherries. I also plan to make some cherry tart pie things in the near future too.
I am going to endeavor to make whatever I eat worth my time and effort.
I mean I was a bit that way with food before the diagnosis, but now, I feel very strongly about whatever I eat, it better taste good and be relatively good for me.