Category Archives: diet & nutrition

red meat kills!

14 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in cancer, death & dying, diet & nutrition, food & drink, health & happiness, wtf?

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First of all, read this very silly article – supposedly Health NEWS – from the BBC:

Red meat increases death, cancer and heart risk, says study

Now I ask you… who out there with even half a brain doesn’t know that eating a balanced diet is the healthiest option? Who hasn’t heard (all their lives) that it’s best to eat red meat in moderation? Same goes for fried food, rich sauces, bacon, butter, pâté, fatty cheeses … you know, all the good stuff. And so when I read that a study of over 120,000 people over almost 30 years “suggested red meat increased the risk of death from cancer and heart problems” I clutched my head in despair. In all seriousness, there is probably more “risk of death” every time you cross the street. And, although I don’t eat much red meat myself, I still ended up with colon cancer. So go figure. I honestly don’t see how articles like these are beneficial to anyone – must’ve been an especially slow news day at the BBC.

Meanwhile, that tasty looking dish up there is a divinely decadent combination of perfectly fried eggs (with slightly runny yolks), grilled spicy chorizo Ibérico and potatoes, topped with thin slices of gorgeous jamón Ibérico. But as delicious as it is, I wouldn’t dream of eating that every day. Why? Because I’m not stupid.

I still can’t believe that after years and years of going to the Vineria San Telmo I only tried that dish for the first time during my marathon tapas tours the other day. It truly is to die for. So to speak…

plz sir, we can haz sum more?

13 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in animals & pets, cats, diet & nutrition, health & happiness

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It’s official. Since last week’s visit to Yolanda the vet Loki & Luna are now on a diet. Or better said, their food intake is now being strictly monitored so that they end up getting the required amount and nothing extra.

To my chagrin, I knew Yolanda was right when she pointed out the obvious – that Loki was way overweight at 7.1 kilos and that even little Lunita was getting a belly on her. Thing is, I do measure their food every day and they don’t get more than they need of their own stuff, but they hang around like vultures when Azar gets treats and scoff whatever he leaves behind. And yes, I am guilty of leaving out food for Azar. I didn’t think it was that much but when you think about it, a few extra biccys several times a day can really add up. Obviously. Duh.

So now Loki & Luna are being fed three times a day and when Azar is given snacks (really, an all-day activity) either Peter or I grab a piece of string and keep the other two occupied. This has two benefits – L & L don’t eat Azar’s food and they get some exercise chasing the string. And they don’t even seem to mind. I mean, they are hardly going hungry, and after just a few days Loki has stopped begging for food (an annoying habit that he picked up from Azar), plus they seem to know when real mealtimes are now and start hanging around their bowls then.

I’ve always been a bit envious of people who can just dish out the cat biscuits in the morning and that’s that. Though with Sunny and Azar I noticed that the times both Peter and I were away for a few days and a big whack of food was left out, they barely ate anything. If I did that when we were at home they’d binge eat themselves into a cat food coma. Cats, eh?

fat tax

07 Friday Oct 2011

Posted by in diet & nutrition, food & drink

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This week I came across a couple of articles about the new “fat tax” that came into effect at the beginning of October in Denmark. And while this doesn’t seem to be a bad idea in principle, especially for fatty fast foods, and I applaud the fact that Denmark banned trans fats years ago, I think that taxing whole foods like butter and cheese is taking it too far.

Given that the two articles below mention BUTTER in their headlines it seems clear that this is the “sensational” way of presenting this new tax.

What do you think?

The tax applies to all saturated fats equally, regardless of whether they are contained in a McDonald’s hamburger or a quart of milk from grassfed cows.

Beating Butter: Denmark Imposes the World’s First Fat Tax

Body blow for butter-loving Danes as fat tax kicks in

5 kilos

09 Friday Sep 2011

Posted by in diet & nutrition, health & happiness

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This is a 5 kilo bag of potatoes. As of today I am no longer carrying this around with me everywhere I go.

Most of you will be aware of my struggle with losing weight over the years, especially after the cancer surgeries and chemo which really screwed up my metabolism. But after my recent bout of gastroenteritis followed by the emergency op I have dropped five kilos “without even trying”.

Yes, that last bit is meant to be facetious. And of course it’s just the tip of the iceberg because I still need to lose about four more bags of potatoes, but at least I seem to be heading in the right direction after years of being stuck at the same unhealthy weight.

This has actually inspired me to get super serious about getting fit as soon as I am recovered enough to go back to the gym. But the fact that I’ve lost these five kilos while basically sitting around on my butt since mid-August is also inspiring because it has made me realise how just a few small changes in my diet can make a huge difference. And these are changes that I know I can live with. Go me!

back to the gym… again!

08 Tuesday Mar 2011

Posted by in cancer, change, diet & nutrition, health & happiness

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Progress has been slow with my esguince, quite possibly because I missed the “crucial 48 hour period” during which I should have put it up and iced it constantly. Instead I not only finished a four-hour tapas tour immediately after spraining my ankle, but I didn’t get around to getting anything cold on it (in this case, a bag of frozen peas) until some time the following day. And of course I kept hobbling around on it because I’d just moved into my new place and there was so much to be done. So I was on crutches for at least two weeks afterwards, then graduated to one crutch. This was mostly because of all the cobbled streets here – I was getting around the house okay-ish without crutches but needed that extra security when out on the wobbly cobbles.

As walking on my own became easier and the pain in my ankle subsided (though it still hasn’t gone away completely) I decided last week that I would go back to the gym the following Monday. Then on Friday, whilst in a fit of organising stuff, I found my bathroom scale and, well, put it in the bathroom. But curiosity got the better of me and I weighed myself for the first time in about a month… and I almost died on the spot when it said I’d PUT ON 10 KILOS!! How was it possible? I mean okay, I was feeling extra flabby and gross from inactivity, but I hadn’t been eating more – though I had stopped going to the gym!  So I tested the scale later that evening by having Nog weigh himself when he got home from a class – and it showed his usual weight. I was devastated and the very next day I dragged my EXTRA FAT butt to the gym. Clearly this couldn’t wait until Monday. And catching glimpses of myself in The Wall Mirrors I was so upset at how EXTRA FAT I was, but was also determined to just take it a day at a time and make some serious diet changes.

Same thing Monday morning… went to the gym, did my workout and then came home to shower. After which I dared to get back on the scales thinking a weekend of careful eating might have made a kilo or so difference. And I was ten kilos less! Or rather, the same weight I’ve been for ages. I immediately called Nog over and had him weigh himself again and yep, he was his usual weight. So – phew! I can only guess that after the scale being upside down and knocked around during the move it wasn’t at its best when I first tried it out (Nog had tried it several hours later). Well, what a relief! And what the heck, got me back into my gym routine a couple of days sooner.

When I had my last appointment with my oncologist Dr Ana she gently suggested that now it seems I’ve got the worst of what I’ve been through behind me (for now) that I should probably think about losing some weight. She asked if I needed her to give me a diet, which I didn’t because I do know what to eat in order to lose weight. And I told her next time she saw me (June) I’d be 20 kilos lighter! Dr Ana just shook her head and said she’d be happy to see me at 8 kilos less.  A goal I am quite sure I can accomplish. One day at a time…