People always told me that I like unhealthy food. Everything from pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, and candies to everything deep-fried tastes so good. However, there was one point when I was starting to go to the gym more where something felt wrong. After eating a burger, fries and a bunch of chips, I would feel satisfied and content, but that feeling quickly dissipated afterwards. I went to the gym hours after and could still feel that oil and lard in my body. I asked myself, why am I eating food that tastes good for a couple of seconds that eventually makes me feel horrible for hours or even days afterward? At this point, I made it a goal to redefine what the definition of feel-good food means to me.

Feel-Good Foods

I hear a lot about the book In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, and in it, he says, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” and it has stuck with me. In the quote, he first advocates eating food, not processed but whole foods. Then he speaks to how we shouldn’t be overeating. Lastly, eating more plants is better for my nutrition. Eating fruits and vegetables has been shown to help prevent cancer, control my weight, and have many other health benefits. All of these points should seem like common sense but I often get caught up in my cravings rather than just satiating my hunger. Pollan also says we should limit our diet, not restrict them. As long as my main diet consists of vegetables, fruits, proteins, and whole-grain foods, it’s okay to have processed foods as a treat. Though, it’s important to remember to know when is too much.

Cravings vs Hunger

What is the difference between having a craving and being hungry? I like potato chips and would have cravings for them. It felt, although my body was telling me I needed them, almost like an addiction. In reality, what I was doing was trying to find a way to distract myself from the work that I did not want to do. Without self-reflecting on my actions, I fall victim to my cravings and end up thinking I need to treat ourselves rather than finishing the work. Whenever I attempt to eat an unhealthy snack, I ask myself, do I need this right now? Am I at the point where I need something to make me feel good, or do I need something to satisfy my hunger? Looking back on my actions and determining if I made the right choices is a good lesson in being proactive than reactive.

Be Proactive

Asking questions is a great way to be proactive. While busy with projects moreor hanging out with friends, I never felt like I had time or energy to think about my food. I’d eat at the same restaurants and food courts that my friends would eat at; go home and eat whatever my family was eating. I never felt like I had the time to question if my diet was limiting what I was capable of doing. Now that I’m older and thinking more about how my food can fuel my body and brain more effectively, I take more time to decide what to eat to meet my goals. As I mentioned with my cravings, I also think about how my satisfaction diminishes over time. If I ate my favourite food every day, in the beginning, I would think about how great the food is, but over a couple of days or weeks, it wouldn’t taste as good as the first day I had it. Instead of thinking about eating the same bland food every day, I’ve been trying to explore different types of foods.

Plants That Tastes Good

I thought I was a picky eater. I was not fond of many vegetables and fruits like mushrooms, tomatoes, mustard, and celery. Since people always told me that I was a picky eater, I felt like this was who I was, as I was young and didn’t know any better. I now realize that I wasn’t a picky eater; I just liked food prepared differently. I wouldn’t say I like eating mushrooms raw or when the flavour is overpowering, but I think they taste great and add that wonderful umami flavour for many things like mushroom soup or stir fry. My eyes opened to new foods, and they let me explore how to prepare foods the way I would like them, rather than disregarding them from the start.

I’ve been eating primarily vegetarian at home, and it’s made me realize how limiting it is to make meat the focus of a dish. When we look at Indian cuisine with the most vegetarians in the world, they can make curries where the spices are the star. Many vegetarian Chinese soups make the broth from dried mushrooms that create such delicious umami flavour. What would Mexican food be without its salsa? Even when I thought I did not like the taste of raw tomatoes, when combined with cilantro, onions, and lime and made into pico de gallo, it tastes incredible. There is a whole world of delicious plant-based food out there that I never realized before.

Ethical Foods

We put a lot of trust in the manufacturers and businesses dealing with our food. Often, we grab the item off the shelf that either tastes the best, is the cheapest, or take it out of habit without knowing where our food was sourced. I have fears about how I could be supporting exploitive labour practices or damage to the environment. Still, I question if I am responsible or if this is the cause of our governments’ inadequate regulations. To me, eating feel-good foods isn’t just about the taste but how it makes me feel. I often think about how my food will impact others, which is why I aim to eat locally sourced and environmentally friendly food. It’s like I’m not just eating to satisfy my hunger or cravings but doing something to support others. Even if I play a small role in helping others, trying my best to help will always make me feel-good.

Gratitude

Who was the first person to put cheese and tomato sauce on a round piece of dough and cook it? How about the person who figured out how to create the cheese or dough? There are countless people who we should be thankful for to get the food that we have today. It’s easy to forget how privileged we are, so I have been taking the time to be thankful for having food on my plate and thinking about all the effort that took place, into getting it there. To all those who helped to give us all a meal, I genuinely thank you.

TL;DR

When I eat food, I aim to focus on the following:

• Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
• Be proactive and ask myself why I am having these cravings.
• Plant based dishes are underrated.
• Eat local and environmentally friendly foods.
• Have gratitude towards all the work that was needed to get the food to my plate.
• Focus on foods that not only taste good, but make me feel good.