I remember somebody once said that there are three things you NEVER ask a person, especially a woman - 1. How old she is 2. How much she earns 3. How much she weighs. So I dare not risk losing family and valuable friendships by asking weighty matters. On the other hand, I would rather offer a little help to you all since I am not willing, as yet, to be exiled to Mars or Pluto.
I do know that for many, the battle of the bulge is a painful phenomenon, which continually haunts and torments their mental and emotional health - not to mention physical health of course. Well, let me just say that it need not be painful. There are simple and practical ways one can effectively employ to cut the fat and maintain a healthy weight for life and prevent diseases.
Here are some of the ways to your total fat intake:
Switch to low fat or skimmed milk
Opt for low fat versions of all food products
Bake, boil or gently grill foods instead of frying. Cut down on red meat and meat products;
Choose lean cuts of red meat, trim your meats, and skim the fat off when cooking
Remove skin from poultry;
Cut down on biscuits, cakes, confectionary and pastries;
Challenge yourself to use no more than 750ml of any cooking oil in three months
Cut out the mayonnaise and instead use simple vinaigrette (lemon juice, or vinegar with herbs and spices)
Read your food labels, if fat or oil is among the first three ingredients listed, tread carefully.
Eating too much fatty food not only increases your risk of cancer, but can also lead to obesity, itself a risk of cancer. It is critical that you reduce the amount of fat in your diet so that it does not make up more than a third of your total calorie intake.
This essentially means limiting your consumption of all fats – visible and hidden – but particularly animal (saturated) fats. Since meat usually goes with salt like hand in glove, this is also where more danger comes from. A high salt diet increases the risk of cancer and heart disease. Therefore eating less than 6grams or one teaspoon a day is recommended.
Many foods that are high in salt are also high in fat, so cutting back on products like cured meats, smoked meats, salty snacks and savoury biscuits is a good way to follow this guideline. Remember that many canned and packaged foods – especially ready meals, soups, and cereals - contain a lot of added salt.
I will not be surprised if all this is not new information to many of you. But the question and a real challenge is the gap between knowing and doing. What prevents us from good health seeking and proper nutritional behaviours? Peer pressure, lack of motivation, lack of vision, sheer neglect, lack of self-love and deep connection with the soul in us… I have not the answer. It remains an elusive million-dollar question that requires more introspection and self-analysis. I think.
Since your taste buds maybe used to oodles of fat – even without knowing it – food might taste bland and not very enticing in the beginning when you first apply the above tips. But, hey like any habit, once you kick the fat thing, your thighs, belly and heart and all other key organs will thank you for it.
Need I mention the positive comments you will get from everyone around you about how good you look? This is where now your morale gets boosted and you stick with the programme and build that kind of self-esteem and confidence that says: “I’ve regained myself, my life, my soul back. I can fit into that shirt that I bought five years ago without popping a button or sucking anything in. I know who and what I am, now I can move mountains etc.”. You literally feel like singing and dancing the famous James Brown rendition, ‘I feel good, I knew that I would now’…to that I say, you go brother, you go sister! Carpe diem!
