Eat better not less
Eat better, not less
“Whatever
the problem is, the answer is not in the fridge”
Food. The source of energy and at times my ultimate weakness.
In a time when you are not allowed a reassuring hug from family or a pat on the
back from a friend or colleague, a tasty chocolate bar or delicious bag of
crisps seems to take on that role. The role of comfort blanket and soother who
makes the rubbish day or tiredness go away and gives you that silver lining. Or
does it?
This week’s theme is quite a personal one to me as it is
something I struggle to maintain consistency with. I certainly will not and
more importantly cannot write this as any sort of informed expert. I can,
however, share with you some of my battles with food and how with it, the rest
of my life then falls into line. What line? Well, more often than not, that
depends on the food I have chosen to consume.
We
hear this term comfort food which leads me to think this is what I need to pick
me up or be the game changer when my mood has plummeted. However, time and time
again, I wake up the next day feeling bloated, dehydrated or lacking energy. This
is something I am fully aware of but sometimes, particularly at the business
end of the term
(week 4 onwards) it just doesn’t seem to process. Now I am certainly not
advocating a treat free diet. Well done if this is the path you are taking but
I don’t think the pandemic lends itself to withdrawing ALL treats! But I am suggesting
we think about whether or not we need as many snacks of that ilk or whether, on
occasions, we can seek satisfaction from healthier alternatives. Easier said
than done but, if our sole source of comfort is food then perhaps we should
consider a change. For me, exercise is a much better form of escapism which
then gives you that golden ticket to enjoy that Double Decker (just one mind)
without a sense of regret the next day.
A
lot of my reflections are as a working dad, under pressure as we all are to
balance jobs, family, health etc. but I’d also like to share with you the
reflections of a working mum. This parent has very kindly written down her
thoughts on food.
We
Need To Talk About Biscuits
Eating
healthily can be a real challenge at the moment. Being at home and grappling with the
temptation to raid the cupboard may sound familiar to some. As parents, we often place ourselves at the
bottom of the pile. For example, I am
terrible at eating breakfast. Mornings
for me are rushing around getting everyone else prepared for the day. Then, somehow, it’s 11 o’ clock and I realise
I am hungry! I’ve got a call in five
minutes, there’s another Zoom lesson about to start and child number one is demanding
their fifth snack of the day. So the
kettle goes on, and while I’m waiting for it to boil, before I know it I’ve
eaten half a packet of Jammy Dodgers.
Looking
at your eating habits, being honest with yourself and identifying what is the
driving force behind those bad food choices is key to making changes. I realised where I was going wrong, and it
comes back round to, surprise, surprise, not looking after myself. So, I identified the problem – I felt like I
didn’t have time in the mornings to make myself a decent breakfast, leading to
feeling ravenous mid-morning and reaching for the biscuit tin. I needed something quick, healthy and filling
in the morning to stop me from falling into the same trap, again and
again.
I
researched breakfast bar recipes. I
found one I liked the look of on the BBC GoodFood website https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/cinnamon-berry-granola-bars and on Sunday night I made a batch for the
week ahead. I eat one with my morning
cuppa and, honestly, they are delicious, packed with goodness and can keep me
going through ‘til lunch. Mine were full
of oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruit but the good thing is, if you don’t like
something, substitute! Don’t like
nuts? Use some wholegrain cereal. Not keen on dried fruit? Maybe add a few dark chocolate chips. This recipe did call for butter and sugar so
they’re not completely angelic,
but, for me, it’s a positive change and there are, of course, loads of recipes
out there. They are great for getting
the kids involved too and one of the best things about them is, you’ve made
them yourself, which can give you a boost on its own. Me - 1, biscuits - nil!
Gemma
Frank, biscuit lover and parent
A
big thank you to Gemma Frank for her contribution and hopefully something you
can relate to.
This
blog is not about preaching healthy eating or even suggesting we all need to
diet; it’s simply about making sure we understand that clichés such as, “We are
what we eat” although annoying when someone quotes them at you, actually do
carry some weight. Sensible food choices can provide us with more energy (not
the forlorn body that awakes the day after a takeaway or is that just me?), can
help improve the mood (contradicting my chocolate bar mood improver theory) and
helps us to think more clearly. If ever there is a time I need to think
clearly, it is now. Therefore, if I can reduce my crisp and Double Decker
intake, improve my mood, have more energy for family, work and exercise in the
process, then surely eating a bit better may not be all bad after all?
I
have included a link with a bit more information:
I’d
really like to hear your thoughts on this and all the blog posts so if there is
something you can relate to or wish to get off your chest please do comment.
Alternatively, if you wish to contribute to the blog, please get in touch.
That’s
it from me- I’m off for a cereal bar and to hide the Jaffa Cakes.
Stay
safe
Darren
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