My unhealthy faves are (yummy lol):
1. Fries - I love fries (hence the #1 spot). I'll eat them by themselves, with a burger, chicken with a salad, etc. My hot spots for fries include Island Grill (they have amazing seasoned fries mmmmm mmmmm sweet island goodness), Tastee (they give you a lot for a fair prices especially the Cross Roads branch & they are served hot as they are done to order) and Burger King (taste good at any branch).
2. Ice cream - Awesome stuff. Ice cream is an amazing treat. I love the Devon House and Haagen Daaz brands a lot. Then again I'll eat any brand except the yucky soy brands. Dat nah go happen! I'll eat ice cream anytime anywhere. I've even had ice cream till I got sick - one time landing me in the hospital. Still gotta have it.
3. Pizza - As much as I try pizza is unavoidable. I love pizza and I intend to still have it - in moderation of course. I like both Pizza Hut and Dominoes, however Pricesmart sells a slice at a decent price (you need membership to enter Pricesmart though).
4. Fast food e.g. KFC, Burger King - A zinger from KFC or a whopper from BK was ideal. I love having any of these. It has been awhile since I have had any of these (over 2 months). I still get cravings but I hold off and have some healthier to eat. It is not easy at all. I can't pretend and say that it is.
5. Juice - I am convinced I am addicted to juice. I usually drink at least 3 glasses or more of juice per day. I usually have Tropicana Tropics (Strawberry Melon and Fruit Punch flavours are my favourite), Minute Maid, Freshhh OJ, Cran-Wata. I'll even resort to Pepsi or some other soda flavour just to satisfy my juice fix. Now I can say I have a glass of little or no juice for an entire day. I drink more water now. Sometimes it's not willing but I do. I try not to buy juice as well. It is easier to do without juice especially if it is not in my house.
6. Chips & cookies - Oreos and Lays sour cream and onion are my poisons under this food type. I have cookies still but the rate at which I would have them has gone way down. I feel tempted to buy when I go down the supermarket aisle. I ignore the temptation and look for healthier option (usually fruit).
7. Cake & other pastries - Chocolate cake, plantain tart, cupcakes, gizzada- I could go on all day. The sugary the better. I am not completely weaned and nor do I expect to be. The good thing is that I don't feel the urge to have them often since I have started cutting down on my sugar intake.
8. Donuts - Now there is a bakery on Orange Street called Prestige Bakery (downtown Kingston) that makes the most amazing donuts ever! I want one right now just thinking about it. Every time I go downtown I buy a box of 6. I'm always tempted to buy more cause I always share the donuts and they taste soooooo good. Think I need to stop right here lol.
9. Sugary cereals like Lucky Charms & Frosted Flakes - I love cereals a lot. These days I mostly buy Post's Honey Bunches of Oats. I buy Frosted Flakes with more frequency than I do Lucky Charms. This is due the packaging size of the Frosted Flakes- they are sold in miniature packets. Cause of the size it is convenient and great for eating on the go.
10. Other fixed treats e.g fried plantain, fritters, breadfruit - Love fried food. I've invested in a toaster oven in an effort to cut back on the frying. I bake, steam, boil, etc instead. I am still not at a level where I want to be but I'm getting there one day at a time.
My Healthy Faves are a work in progress:
Eating healthy is a challenge for me. It sometimes feels insurmountable and other times I think I really can do it. I love the bad stuff but then you can eat the bad stuff for so long until you can't anymore without it having a negative long term effect. I have had to retrain my brain into eating healthy foods that I like and not the unhealthy foods I love.
I am taking steps one day at a time to change my eating habits. I cannot think of this journey as diet but rather as a permanent lifestyle change. I have started the following as an effort to make eating healthy a habit:
1. I've started a food diary. Well technically I have. You can opt to use excel, outlook or any generic calender on your pc/laptop/tablet. Pen and paper will also do. I currently use an app (on my Windows phone) from Livestrong.com called Calorie Tracker. It is really good as it allows you to create a profile and the foods you eat, calories consumed & burned (exercise). The food database is awesome as it include Jamaican foods as well. My usual experience is that most of the food/calorie tracker websites/apps don't include Jamaican food items. You are also allowed to add customised foods. It allows you to enter information even if you are day or two late. Disadvantage with this app - it ain't for free & doesn't sync with Livestrong.com.
2. I plan my meals and try making better choices especially for snacks. I hardly buy snacks these days but when I do I only buy one instead of my normal 3 packs (of snacks).
3. I constantly Google & think about ways to create healthier meals. If there is a recipe or food I like I try to find ways to make the meal healthier to have.
4. I am no longer afraid to experiment in my kitchen. I was never a fan of cooking (I freely admit). My confidence level is just not where I want it to be in that arena and as a result I avoid it (as best as I can). I would dabble in the kitchen every now and then. I realise now that taking a permanent place in my kitchen is key to achieving healthy eating habits. How else will you know what you are eating? I find myself trying different recipes, creating stuff - any food that will soothe my junk food, unhealthy food cravings.
5. I try not to (most times I succeed) to stock my kitchen cupboard with food items that I shouldn't have. Most times these contraband items include chips & cookies. As such I am on a never ending quest to find healthy alternatives. My Google search so far has led me to healthy recipe versions for potato, apple, carrot, plantain and banana chips. I have not tried the recipes yet (what I am waiting on I am not quite sure). This I plan to rectify by tackling at least one recipe a week.
In regards to the finding a healthy cookie recipe I did not go searching for a healthy cookie recipe but rather the healthy cookie recipe found me. In my usual perusal of Youtube I stumbled across a cookie recipe by Cassey Ho (Blogilates TV channel on YouTube - Easiest Cookie in the World!). I gotta give my girl, Cassey, mad love for this recipe. Amazing and super simple recipe. You need only 3 ingredients - one ripe banana (I don't like overly ripe bananas though), raisins (totally optional - I didn't use them cause I do not like them so much & I didn't have any on hand) & oats (I used the Foska brand - available in corner shops, wholesales & supermarkets islandwide). Now I tried this recipe like two weeks ago (August 11, 2013) and it came out all right. The sweetness in the banana helped but the cookie tasted like it lacked something. I have decided to try the recipe again, however, I decided that I will be adding some spices to make it my own. After all healthy doesn't mean the food has to taste bland. Keep y'all posted on this.
Eating healthy is a constant work in progress and should not be thought of as a diet but rather a permanent lifestyle change. I hear this often enough. Also eating unhealthy foods every now and then do not make you overweight & unhealthy but the constant eating of them do. I am firm believer in moderation. Everything in moderation. When you cut yourself off the "bad" stuff cold turkey you end up binge-ing (I pray that this is a word lol) at the first hint of emotional turmoil, etc. As a result all the progress you made is all for nothing and you will have to start over. You will have to start over!
I take eating healthy one day at a time. Even with a lapse in judgement I do not beat myself over it but vow to do better next time. I can't "un-eat" the food now can I?
With all that said above I focus on these key words:
Eat healthy - one day at a time - work in progress - every in moderation - cheat sparingly (lol)
