Lim: Eat well

THERE are the health nuts. And there are the naysayers. I’d like to think I’m neither. I try to eat healthy but I don’t go out of my way to eat superfoods.

I made the decision a long time ago not to restrict myself to a special diet. Because, well, I just want to be practical. I travel a lot and eating special food can be an inconvenience, not to mention an encumbrance to the enjoyment of the people traveling with you.

I went on a plant-based diet some time ago and avoided as much processed food as I could. Clean eating was great. It rid me of my migraines but I later came to the conclusion that a healthy balance of all food groups was a more practical and sustainable alternative in the long run if the goal is to live well and to celebrate life.

I eat a lot of fish but I don’t do so out of health reasons. I’m an island girl at heart. I love fish and all the other creatures of the sea. I don’t abstain from pork, beef or chicken but given a choice, I would pick seafood—every time

I prefer tropical fruits—you know, the ones found on our islands. The farther the fruit comes from, the less appealing it becomes to me because I can imagine what they had to put in the fruit to keep it fresh all the way to our country.

I prefer vegetables that are fresh and green not overcooked to death. I’m not a huge fan of rice. I prefer pasta for my carbo cravings.

I am trying to cut down “added sugar” in my diet so I no longer eat cake, cookies, pastries, desserts, chips or chocolates—except on vacation or on a special occasion.

Same rule with the drinks on added sugar. That means my favorite beverage is still water. I don’t measure how much water I drink but as a rule, I just obey my thirst.

I do eat whatever the cook puts on the table. I don’t check the amount of salt or sugar in her recipes because I do not want a resignation in the offing. She already has to put up with my constant remarks of “too salty” or “put less salt” all the time.

Some things in life, I just accept. If I don’t want to do the cooking myself, I have to eat whatever the cook puts on the table. I just eat less to mitigate the damage. And if I’m still hungry, I forage for food from other sources.

On vacation, I eat whatever I want. It’s trite but true. Just listen to your body. If eating something upsets your stomach then stop. Your food choices matter because when you find the right choices, your body actually feels better.

My mother did not abstain from anything—not from sugar, salt, oil, fat, gluten or anything remotely sinister. She ate everything with gusto but she never ate a lot of anything. She ate in moderation and lived a full life until 89.

I think that to eat well means to eat a little bit of everything and to enjoy every morsel at every moment.

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