A post not entirely about snacks for once.

[ddrjt]

I've been doing a lot of sitting on my couch and staring off into space this past week, but I still managed to get some things done.

I made the two J-Treats episodes that I've already uploaded, and I filmed a special episode talking about the chocolate-covered habanero chips that I really like:

Comments

[shinukyo]

Don't stress too much about the diet thing. And if anything, as I was telling Pernell recently, you don't necessarily have to cut out all the junkie foods in life. Just cut back on the ones that make the most impact, or etc. Like in my case, because I can't afford it, I almost never eat fast food anymore. Usually I have fast food once per week, on average. Otherwise, I live off grocery store food. And when I do, I make sure to stay away from frozen dinners or other such uber-convenient hot meals. They tend to be loaded with bad stuff, from high saturated fat to chemicals galore.

I started drinking soda again, and go through an average of four cans per day. But I can manage it, because the food I eat balances it out. I eat 100% whole wheat bread, Sargento cheese, and natural deli meats. I buy them on sale; and I eat a standardized amount for each meal, two meals per day (meaning that they're actually affordable, this way). After each meal, I drink two or three full glasses of water. I only drink my soda between meals, and never less than two hours before/after any given meal. The caffeine helps to satiate your hunger between meals, and eliminates the need for snacks of any kind during the day.

So in a day, I'll end up with over 1600 calories. Good amount of fiber, protein, and dairy. I always take a Centrum, too, during one meal. No snacks of any kind, and my only consumed beverages are water (with meals) and soda (between meals). It works out well, and is cost-effective. Never more than maybe four bucks per day. I'm quite tiny now, much smaller than the last time you saw me. But in a healthy way, as my energy levels are no different than they ever were when I was bigger. And I haven't gotten sick in more than a year-and-a-half.

Now as for a Japanese equivalent to what I've said, I'm not sure. Obviously, white rice is healthy... but it's also got loads of sugars/calories. Replacing your white rice with 100% whole-grain brown rice would help a lot. But I'm not sure if that stuff is cost-effective by any means. Otherwise yeah, like you said, loading up on vegetables and lean meats is good. Cutting out the milk from lunch was a good idea, too. And trying to eliminate a good amount of both fast food and snack treats would help. I know it's tough to do, when it's so much more convenient. The thing that ultimately forced me out of eating that stuff, at least to begin with, was being dirt poor. And that's not something I recommend for anyone, haha.

[ddrjt]

The only fast food place in town is McDonalds, so I've pretty much eliminated all of that, except for when I go to Tokyo usually, and that's only once a month at most. I drink about 3 glasses of skim(ish) milk a day, and probably a liter of water as well.

You're right about brown rice not being cost effective. That stuff is expensive as hell here. Not surprising. Also, the only bread here is white, white, and more white. Ugh.