Sometimes, these long lists of foods to eat or not eat get really confusing.
This said, the more useful and simple of the "wise" sayings on nutrition I've picked up are two:
One...
seven raw colors.
An athlete and wellness coach I spoke with gave this tip: whenever we eat, we should always look for 7 different colors that occur naturally in our food.
In a starter for instance, (1) dark green from spinach, (2) light green from cucumber, (3) purple from grape, (4) white from cottage cheese, (5) red from bell peppers, (6) gold from apple cider vinegar and olive oil, and light brown from grilled chicken breast or tuna.
Then for the main course (1) brown from whole wheat pasta, (2) red from tomatoes--sun-dried if you want something more in-you-face tasting, (3) yellow from grated parmesan, (4) green from fresh basil, (5) dark red / brown from chili flakes, (6) white from garlic, (7) pink from salmon.
Just don't go crazy on dessert with 7 scoops of different colored ice cream! Trust me, I tried.
Teka, ilang kulay ba ang nasa lechon: (1) red for the skin, (2) white for the fat, (3) another kind of white for the meat, (4) some green if marinated in lemongrass, (5) brown for the Mang Tomas sauce, (6) black for the pepper in the Mang Tomas sauce. Hmm..kulang ng isa. (7) Gold from beer. Pasok ito sa 7 color rule!
Two...
balanceI've been seeing an endocrinologist for regular check-ups as I so wanted to blame some metabolic issues for difficulty in losing weight.
Seriously, part of my inheritance can be diabetes so I'd like to keep a close watch on my sugar control system. Thank God that I'm not sweet, though my wife would attest that with no need for blood samples!
One thing that I learned from this experience is that health isn't just about eating all the right stuff, it's also about keeping our body's functions and chemicals in balance.
For instance, taking lots of extra virgin gives us good cholesterol--I mean olive oil ha. But it's an oil so it also comes with lots of calories from fat.
Almonds are a reputed good fix for bad cholesterol but it's a nut so again, lots of calories there and if one has gout, almonds create a different problem altogether. I've been told to take about 7 a day--unsalted, unsweetened, and you know what, I learned to like it that way!
The list goes on and on. One thing I learned as I get older is that just as important as exercise is the recovery after. Too much exercise and one becomes prone to stuff like lactic acidosis (I'll let the real triathletes and other endurance athletes explain that), repetitive strain injuries, or even persistent putok!
The ancients understood this "balance" thing with concepts like Yin and Yang. Obvious ba I've been reading Dan Brown's latest--The Lost Symbol is highly recommended, BTW.
Live long and prosper, my Wiredstate friends!