Let’s begin with a fact.
Eating Junk Food/Processed meal increases your daily calorie intake by 187kcal. Making you add at least 6 pound of weight each year.
Today’s class would be revolving around:
Changing The Way you See Food.
- Common myths about good food.
- Why do you eat, ‘Survival or Enjoyment’?
- How should you eat?
- When should you eat?
Common Myths about Good Food
Let’s discuss ideas or thoughts that have been passed around consciously or unconsciously about good food, especially in Africa.
A fat child is a healthy child.
Mothers are usually of the opinion that being fat translates to being healthy.
This ideology also grows into the mentality that an adult with a big belly or cheeky appearance is ‘enjoying life’.
But both ideas are totally wrong. Being fat is simply ‘being fat’.
A fat child can develop diabetes, obesity and muscle collapse.
The opposite of being Fat is being Skinny.
Both are on extreme ends of health.
So you might want to cut off that manner of thinking.
African/Nigerian foods are Unhealthy.
This is a hilarious myth because, Africa is home to most organic foods in the world.
We grow our food. We eat cassava flakes (garri) and soup almost everyday. Our rice is not overly processed. Our meat is straight from the slaughter-house.
Research shows that Africans are healthier in regards to diet than many other continents.
What destroys us mostly is Poor Hygiene.
Only Rich people can afford good food in Africa/ Good food is expensive.
This is wrong.
Do you know you have more to gain from drinking garri (soaked cassava flakes) and groundnut than eating pizza?
To understand that is to understand the classes and content of food. However, that is another topic for another day.
What you should know is this.
The best food are cheap.
You would be amazed what Fluted Pumpkin leave (ugwu – in Nigeria) can do for your blood.
Or what eating groundnut can do for your skin or blood cholesterol level.
Basic food is the most important source of nutrient for the body and you only have to be creative with it.
Finally on common myths about good food,
Some foods can burn fat.
Every food contains calories. Every FOOD contains fat. The difference is in quantity.
There are bad fats (ldl) and there are good fats (hdl).
The trick is to know what food contains which type of fat.
And as long as you are a living thing, you have the capacity to add body fats.
In other words, fitness is a lifestyle because as long as you are alive, your body always seeks to betray you.
Alright. Let’s head on to Why you eat.
Which is quite a silly question at first until you actually sit to consider.
Remember, our goal is to change our perspective on food.
Why do you eat, Survival or Enjoyment?
Of course it doesn’t take a genius to know that if you do not eat, You will surely die. Simple.
But do you also know that not eating right might make you die… even slower and more painful?
Some people don’t even know that their source of depression is as a result of lifestyle of which food plays a major role.
When we talk about Survival, we should realize that it’s more about giving the body what it needs (nutrients and hydration) than giving it enough content to live to the next day.
Imagine your body as your car or generator.
Will you put adulterated fuel in it, just to make it come alive to get you to your destination?
Or would you put kerosene/gasoline/crude oil in it simply because they are all forms of fuel?
On to Eating for enjoyment… Here’s a popular question…
Isn’t food meant to be enjoyed?
Yes of course! One of the best things in life is to eat food. Good food.
But what do you call good food?
Do you know that in Space missions, Astronauts are fed through pipe (liquid food). This food contains the necessary nutrients the body needs. Hence, an astronaut can stay off his/her station for long periods of time.
You might say; So, I’m not an astronaut.
Have you ever questioned why some foods enjoyed on other continents looks and taste horrible to us?
Enjoyment is a function of the brain. The stomach doesn’t understand enjoyment. It understands nutrients.
So yeah, you should enjoy your food. But what are you to eat and enjoy that won’t hurt you? (I don’t like dictating meals to people but perhaps I will extend my lectures on that topic for another date).
Just like people enjoy smoking and drinking, it doesn’t necessarily make it is a healthy habit.
So, please ask yourself, why do you eat? For Survival or Enjoyment?
If it is for Survival… Are you sure that food isn’t injuring you and can cause damage in the long run?
If you eat for enjoyment. Remember that even one of the most enjoyable acts (sex) is advised to be done with protection.
Which would lead us to a very important aspect.
‘How should you eat?’
How You Should Eat
1. Slowly.
I know the food is sweet but Please slow down. It won’t run away.
2. With Water.
While most of us prefer drinks, water is the best digestive. Drink at intervals during meals. It helps you get filled better. Gluttony is a mind trick not a body demand.
3. Suppress Cravings with nuts.
I know you feel like taking Vanilla Ice cream and French fries but frequently indulging your cravings does not speak well of your psychological and physical well-being. If you feel the craving for snacks or sweets, once in a while, suppress such craving with Date nut, groundnut, cashew nut, etc. Or you can get a fruit of your craving’s flavor. (Not fruit juice. Whole fruits)
4. Spice up your Rice, beans with fruits/vegetables.
Even little carrots/vegetables diced on your food can save your life.
5. Forget Calories count for now, focus on food class.
Perfectionist will tell you focus on the amount of calories that you eat.
They forget that in Africa, we have factors like ‘High heat level Climate and poor economy leading to a stressful lifestyle’.
Although African food provides more calories, it is better to focus on food class. And I have just one word advice for that: Proteins.
Still on how you should eat. (In relation to manipulating food for your body goal) I will speak briefly on Bulking and Shredding.
(We’ll discuss further on this on another date).
Bulking
This is simply adding body mass by increasing calorie intake and intense body building exercise.
When it comes to food, Protein is known as the ‘Body Building’ food.
So logically,
An increase in the proteins you eat, signals for bigger body mass.
Ironically, people believe that eating more carbohydrates or fries will increase body mass.
My question to them is, do you want to be fat or muscular?
Increase in carbs is only advisable when a person is spending lots of energy in the gym. (As carbs are energy giving food).
Shredding
To shred is to cut out body fats so as to look leaner.
You achieve this by reducing carbohydrates but maintaining level of proteins. And also engaging in lots of cardio exercises.
Ironically, people tend to cut down food in total, in the name of losing weight or getting ripped.
You will only end up appearing lean and sick, with excess skin flaps.
I will now discuss the final point.
When to eat.
When Should you Eat?
Do you know that Ulcer is mostly caused by consistently missing Breakfast?
Do you know eating past 8pm affects your Circadian rhythm and mostly leads to indigestion and ‘big stomach’, which can in turn lead to heartburn/hypertension/death?
But let us face facts, not all of us get the chance to prepare breakfast. Not all of us can meet up with dinner before 8pm.
So what do we do?
- Stock on Banana or other non-Citrus fruits.
- Popping 3-4 bananas in the morning can save your breakfast.
- Sometimes just eating boiled eggs alone is enough for breakfast.
- Eat healthy sized lunch.
- Try to mix your meals.
- When you see eggs/fish/meat/chicken breast think PROTEIN. Add it to your rice.
- Put some beans on your rice. Put some vegetables in your beans.
- When you eat a healthy lunch, it could give you the cheat to forgo dinner or take something very light and easy as dinner altogether.
- Late dinner? Take a walk.
- If you can’t meet up with your 8pm dinner deadline, take a long walk after dinner. This will help quicken your metabolism rate and digest the food faster.
- Don’t lie down Immediately after dinner. Stay up at least for a hour.
That’s all for today’s lecture.
Don’t miss the next lecture on Fit and Feline Community.
