Wendy Ouriel
If I had to describe my diet in one word, it would be “utilitarian.” I eat to live and I don’t live to eat. If I could take a pill that provided all the nutritional requirements for a day, I would because I find eating and dieting to be more of an annoying obligation to stay alive than a pleasure to indulge in. It is something that interferes with the day instead of decorating it.
I consider the utilitarian approach to food to be probably one of the healthiest aspects of my personality. I’m not someone who makes a day out of standing in line in Porto, or someone who spends a significant amount of their income on dining out, and I am part of the ever-shrinking pool of people in America who are not obese.
I think the obesity issue in America is due to many factors. A lot of it is a refusal to eat healthy every day, a lot of it is laziness or a lack of self-control combined with excuses for self-diagnosed medical disorders or the contrived idea that healthier is expensive.
All of the above are false and in the end just excuses. Anyone can choose a salad over a burger, but most people just don’t want to do that. It is easier to choose fast food than to go to the grocery store and cook products. It’s easier to pretend that the laws of thermodynamics don’t apply to you and that a sluggish thyroid is causing you to overeat and not exercise. And it’s easier to say you just can’t afford it when that bag of chips and bottle of soda costs as much as pounds of fresh vegetables and water.
But at the end of the day excuses only really hurt the person making them.
A crown only the sick can see
I make no excuses when it comes to my health and my health has always been my priority. The reason is because on the rare occasion that I do get sick, there is nothing more precious than the memory of when I was healthy. Even if it’s just a seasonal flu, I would change anything to feel better in that moment.
And this is just a flu. But for those who eat poorly, they are not just prone to communicable diseases more often, a lifetime of obesity, sedentary lifestyle and poor life choices will accumulate over time in accelerated aging, poor skin, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and shortened life.
All that is needed, nothing more, nothing less.
For this reason I take a utilitarian approach to food. I choose the foods that are best for my health, cover all the nutritional bases while keeping me as healthy as possible. And I can just eat what I need and move on to more important aspects of the day.
I believe my pragmatic approach to nutrition has had the following benefits:
1. Avoiding common worldwide communicable diseases
2. Low, but healthy body weight
3. Healthy skin that hasn’t had a pimple for years
4. All day energy to get through a full day at work and a strength workout at the gym
5. Low blood pressure and healthy blood sugar levels
6. Fast growing hair
7. Healthy bones
8. Quick recovery from injury or common cold
Diet routine
I also eat pretty much the same thing every day and with the diet below I can do that because it is rich in a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and has enough protein, fat and carbohydrates needed for sustainability.
There are many benefits to eating the same thing 5/7 or 6/7 days a week. First, I know exactly how much I need each week and I know exactly the things I need, so when I go to the store I know exactly how much to buy and I consume everything by the end of the week. No wasted food, no wasted money. The other benefit is that I don’t waste time figuring out what to eat or where to get it. This saves hours each week that are better spent on other pursuits.
I also eat vegetarian about 350 out of 365 days a year. Of the remaining 15 days, I would say I have fish on about 10-12 of those days out of the year. And about 3 times a year I eat red meat, but that’s only if I get sick with something like the stomach flu. I never eat chicken because I believe dietary chicken causes breast cancer among other diseases and I never eat pigs due to personal ethics.
Things I gave up
There are some food or drink choices I’ve given up over the years or only have occasionally:
1. Diet sodas. I was drinking soda 3-10 times a day. I would say I have a diet soda once a week now.
2. Soy milk. Soy can be heavily processed, so I try to avoid processed soy as much as possible. The soy in tofu is minimally processed, but in soy milk the process is a bit more complicated and involves a lot of sugar and artificial ingredients.
3. Cereals. I’ve always had a box of cheerios or other cereal in the house to snack on, but they’re so over-processed that I’ve stopped buying them. I’ve learned that if it’s not in the house, I have no desire to eat it.
In terms of pleasures, I don’t really see food that way. If I’m going to “treat” myself, once a year or whatever, I’d rather have a cigarette than a slice of cake. I don’t really think about a good time to eat a high calorie meal, so I don’t really go into “cheat meals” or “fun foods” because I don’t know what that would be for me and it sounds more like a punishment than a good time.
What do I eat in a day?
breakfast
1. Homemade Energy Bar- I started making my own version of Clif bars with peanut butter. I have been making them as my breakfast for at least 5 years. They have healthy carbs, fats and oats to keep me full for the morning without crashing my blood sugar or energy.
2. Coffee with salt, coconut oil and non-dairy cream.
3. Vitamin D Supplement
Lunch
1. Salad with spinach or romaine lettuce, feta cheese, tomatoes, tofu, avocado, lemon, vinegar and olive oil.
* Sometimes a side of pita if I need more than the salad. Usually if I exercised a lot the day before.
2. Water
3. Mulberry juice
Dinner
1. Vegetarian sandwich: Bread I bake myself, tofu or pumfu, cheese (usually mozzarella), broccoli sprouts, sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, hummus, avocado and mirepoix.
2. Side salad: spinach or romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, feta cheese, olives, olive oil, vinegar
3. Vegetable curry. I make a big batch of this early in the week and make it throughout the week: Eggplant, nopales, red peppers, onions, broccoli with turmeric, salt, pepper and coconut milk with red curry paste.
4. Water or sometimes Kombucha if I bought it that week.
After dinner
1. Rooibos tea with honey
2. Sometimes I’ll have some chocolate chips if I have a sweet or fruit like oranges or kiwi.
The above on a daily basis is probably around 1300-1800 calories which is all I need. Throughout the day I feel good, I don’t get hungry between meals and I don’t snack. I just don’t want snacks and I don’t crave them.
The above diet costs less than $10 a day.
I think the above diet is good for those who are moderately active throughout the day but not enough for young people who are very active. Those with more active lifestyles need more calories. But for me, someone who gets through about half a work day then does a one hour strength training session 3 days a week, this diet is more than adequate. Anything more would lead to weight gain and anything less would lead to weight loss. Neither are things I need.
