confession #000021

... or the carbohydrate calculation

as you may have guessed by now, i do not eat meat.  it's partly a conscious choice following much internal debate and readings, and partly a biological choice since my body seems to respond strangely to other land mammals.  i do, however, eat fish and land mammal derivatives like eggs and dairy.  though, i must be careful with dairy, since this, as well, makes my body respond strangely ... and loudly.  but i'll stop there on this matter. 

being what can therefore be termed as a vegetarian, can actually make it a bit difficult to be on a diet. following a high-protein diet is practically a non-starter.  how many beans, nuts and pulses can a body ingest?  also, the idea of re-introducing meat in my diet does not appeal to me for the reasons above. besides, the added increased chances of heart, renal and cholesterol problems, as well as chronic bad breath, all of which are reported to be side-effects of this kind of diet (i'll let you do the googling on this), somewhat outweigh the cons of a carb-filled diet ... at least for me.  yes, it's true.  too much carbohydrates, if not expended by the body, can turn into sugars, thereby increasing the risk of diabetes, as well as weight gain.

but that's where the calculations kick in.

i've recently realised that i was having carbohydrates almost at every meal throughout the day.  and unfortunately, it was always the wrong type of carbs.  the whiter, the more refined, the better.  that was my mantra.  i confess that given half a chance, i would still opt for white rather than whole meal bread / rice / pasta.  but a change had to be done, and it had to be done quickly.  'white' carbs are absorbed by the body much more quickly, leading to sugar spikes - and lows - which in their turn lead to snacking ... possibly for more 'white' carbs.  take a look at this article to see what the experts have to say.

one way of shifting out of this rut was to actually make use of more 'body-friendly' carbs.  aside from opting for the whole meal / wheat varieties, i wanted to re-discover that little gem called, the potato.  this humble spud can be used in so many different - and healthy - ways as a carbohydrate base for meals.  have a little look at this comparison between pasta and potatoes and i'll let you be the judge.  last week, i craved mum's roast potatoes, and together with some other veggies, this made a meal on its own, with relatively low calorific value!  potato wedges are another great option, and so is potato mashed with carrot or turnip (but holding off the milk and/or butter!).  oh, and i'm dying to try my hand at making my own placki or polish potato pancakes ... but i need to check the calorific value of those first.

anyway, so today was 'potato day' in our little flat.  trying to find a culinary compromise for a voracious meat-eater and a dieting vegetarian is no mean feat.  however, i seem to have succeeded.  i prepared some jacket potatoes for lunch and topped them with cottage cheese instead of butter.  as a side, i must admit i had a little help from hortex.  frozen veg can really come in handy during busy days! i had a bag of peppers mixed with onions, tomatoes and zucchini which i just dry-fried with no oil and seasoned with a paprika mix. according to myfitnesspal app, the meal set me back a mere 254 kcal and i was quite nicely full.  i would recommend a more sizeable portion for a man or someone with a more robust physique than myself (based on my boyfriend's need to snack a couple of hours after lunch).

i think potatoes in general are given a very bad rep.  i think i shall make it my mission to avenge them and make them popular once again!

p.s. you may have noticed that i've made some changes to the blog's look.  i'm trying to find a way of visually conveying my eclectic personality through this little space i have on the web.  i hope you like it!  xoxo