Let's eat fat and carbs

Let's eat fat and carbs

Did you hear the recent news that a low fat diet actually contributed to obesity? On the other hand, I don’t believe in photogenic yet super sugary fruit-loaded breakfast to be healthy either. Are we being fed many food lies all our lives? I knew something was not quite right all along though. My gut feeling. Up until recently, a low fat diet was considered the gold standard of healthy eating, promoted even by the medical professions. Then there was the low carb diet. Guys, that means no cake. Masochist!

All these diets look at food as if it’s some sort of enemy to eliminate from your life in order to achieve a certain body shape. But I knew they didn’t seem quite right, because I tried them myself when I was younger and it made me unhappy. Surely lacklustre skin and lank hair for the low fat diet, and constipation and spots are not the goals we want to achieve. And the constant mood swings, not able to go to sleep properly, because my body was not happy about what I was putting it through. Oh, and I must have been a terrible date to take out as I was more worried about what to eat than enjoying the occasion. I was not even overweight, but I felt I was not pretty enough. I didn’t have a specific goal, but I just felt I had to be skinnier. The keyword here is ‘skinnier’. I was not focused on what is healthier or physical fitness.

Then one day, I just thought, I want to enjoy my life. So instead of choosing the low fat or low carb option, I started eating the unadulterated real food. It was bliss. Then I found out they made me happier, started to regain the sparkle in my eyes, hair silkier, skin smoother, and I was generally fitter. Actually, when you think about it logically, stepping away from the emotional guilt trap, fat helps you feel satisfied and fuller quicker, so you end up not overeating. For example, I started to choose real butter. When you look at the ingredients, you’d be horrified to eat margarine touted as the healthier option. In a similar vein, skinless-boneless chicken breast has been marketed as the healthier option, but under the skin and in between the bone is where the vital nutrients such as collagen are hiding. Don’t believe the marketing hype. And whoever said no carbs after 6pm? Having some banana or oat biscuits in the evening actually helps me sleep better. And you know what? Quality sleep is important for your health, more than being able to fit into a certain dress size. Sorry, this sounds like common sense, but it took me a while to actually realise.

These days I don’t see food as my enemies, but rather the pleasures of life. It is also the source of energy before exercise and helps me recover after exercise. What I believe to be more important now is not the elimination of one food group, but rather the variety and the balance of what you eat. It was so simple all along, and I was making it more complicated. I should have listened to my body years ago.

I have a confession to make. All the while you were reading this piece with a serious face, you probably weren’t even aware that I have been secretly nibbling on my favourite dark chocolate beauty from Hotel Chocolat as I type up this piece…life is beautiful. Peace❤️

More on what I actually mean by the ‘variety and balance’ in the blog coming soon.

Love,

Asako xxx