A Vacation Of Simple Foods

I spent this past week in South Carolina, vacationing in Myrtle Beach and visiting a relative further down the coast. This picture was the view from my hotel room. Such an awesome beach to wake up to! What made this vacation different from others I've been on is that I had had access to a kitchen everyday. I had the majority of my meals in my hotel room. With the exception of eating at the beach, or dinner out with my family.


For the past few months, I've been training myself to not eat fried foods and to lean off of soda. It's been hard, especially since there is a lot of restaurants where I live. You know my opinion of fast food if you read my previous post. During my vacation, we did eat out a few times (not entirely my choice). If given the option to eat fried or grilled, I chose grilled. Only once this week did I eat fried food, and that was by accident. I ordered a flounder and shrimp dinner, but it didn't say on the menu it was fried. I ended up with a huge plate of fried seafood. My whole dinner was fried.


What I ate from restaurants:

• Turkey burger
• Scallops (grilled)
• Shrimp (grilled)
• Salads
• A wrap
• The ONE fried dinner of shrimp and flounder... Yuck...
• Sushi
• A pesto pizza shared with my father
• Homemade sandwiches
• Mangoes
• Bananas
• Yogurt

During my week on vacation, I managed to only drink soda twice. Once when my family was having dinner while visiting my uncle, and once on the drive home. 

After seeing how easy it is to eat healthy even when traveling, I realized how much easier it would be in everyday life! I know I usually eat fairly healthy, but I've felt so good this past week I plan on continuing this habit. I noticed how terrible I felt when I had that fried shrimp, or soda; not just because I broke my habit, but I physically felt awful. My body almost rejected the fried food, and I had do seriously gulp the soda down. 


Added to my now list of goals: to have a whole food diet. According to Wikipedia, a whole foods are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible, before being consumed. Whole foods typically do not contain added ingredients, such as salt, carbohydrates, or fat. I'm not "dieting" so to speak (I'm terribly skinny as it is), I just want to limit what I eat to non-processed (ideally organic, but that can be hard to do 100% of the time), and healthy foods all the time. Since I eat with my family, I don't think it's possible to always buy organic, or no-preservative food all the time. My family isn't taking on this habit, I am. 


I hope to be accustomed to a whole food diet by college, but we will see how that goes.

Fast Food Is Too Complicated

Yesterday, someone bought me lunch from Taco Bell. It was very thoughtful of them. But when they asked me what I wanted, I had no idea. I rarely eat fast food at all, and I've never even ordered from Taco Bell. I didn't know the menu. So they got me a burrito and a taco. I was pleased. So nice of them to buy me lunch.


I started to think. I don't know fast food menus off the top of my head. It makes sense, since I don't eat fast food a lot. How do people do it? If you eat from restaurants or fast food daily, how to you decide on what to eat? How can you afford paying for it everyday? Where's the common sense? Americans are at a point where they think it is easier to go somewhere, order food, wait for it, pay for it when you get it, and drive back; then to just pay for a week's worth of food at once. I don't want it to seem like I am bashing on the food industry, so bear with me.


Why I don't like fast food:

• It's unhealthy. I know eating fast food makes me feel bloated and sluggish. I can only imagine what eating it regularly could do to your body.
• It's rushed. You're rushing one of the most enjoyable parts of your day. Eating a meal should be spent conversing with friends, enjoying the food, and savoring the simple pleasure of eating.
• It's expensive. If you spend $50-75 (that can be a larger/smaller number. I'm just estimating.) at a grocery store for a week, that's roughly 3 meals a day. But if you spend about $5-6 per meal for fast food, that's over $100 a week. So shopping for food is cheaper in the long run.
• It's complicated. Instead of buying food at a grocery and planning out basic meals, you'd have to order a burger, get toppings, a side, a drink, sizes for all those things, and the classic: "Do you want fries with that?"

People will always have questions like, "Mike, what if I'm in a hurry?" or "What about school?"

Being in a hurry is one thing, I can understand that. Fast food might be a reasonable choice then. I suggest taking more time in your day to eat at home. If you must eat out, then go for it. But by all means, make a smart decision. Get a chicken sandwich, or a salad. Not only are they healthier than burgers, but sometimes even cheaper. Don't form a habit of eating out.

In high school, I know I struggled to eat simply. Most days I caved and got the main dish, fries, and drink. I thought it was simpler to go with the flow of eating what was provided than to think about my meal beforehand. 

In college, it can be different. You'll have much more selection and freedom. Go for wraps, salads, and sandwiches rather than burgers, pizza, and junk food. Most colleges have dorms with kitchens. Make use of it. Make your meals at your dorm instead of eating out. 

To sum up my rant, eating at home and buying from a grocery store is simpler, easier, and inexpensive compared to eating out. You'll be much happier and your body will thank you. 

Simple Living: Part 1

I have embarked on a journey to cut back on unnecessary things. To live simply. I'm not getting rid of the fun in my life, just what I don't really need. In high school, this is easier said than done.

The definition of "necessary" is really only food, clothes, and shelter. But that really isn't all. You have friends, hobbies, and everything else that makes you happy. Also, I'll look at all the time spent on commitments. Do I really need to be involved with all of them?

In short: eliminate everything that doesn't make you happy.

First is food. This is a struggle for most, and I am still battling this. My goal is to have a whole food diet, consisting of basic, all natural foods. Granted, I won't be able to eat sweets and candies, but a treat every now and then won't hurt. You could say that chocolate, coffee, or french fries make you happy. But isn't that the very thing I am talking about? Do you really need food to make you happy? Currently, I have my coffee intake to about once a month, when I am hanging out with friends at a coffee shop. Sometimes I even get tea, or a smoothie. Those are a treat!

Next is clothing. Everyone has a certain taste and style. I understand that. But spending hundreds of dollars on one "outfit" is just plain silly to me. A shirt, pair of jeans, and maybe a jacket is all I really wear; I am going to clear out all my unnecessary clothes soon.

Finally, commitments. So far, so good. I have already cut out a lot of unneeded commitments in my life. I play violin, and I enjoy it. But I was taking private lessons, and they bored the heck out of me. So I decided to quit. It wasn't doing me any good by continuing to go to them. It was a waste of money. I also am in Boy Scouts. That can take up a lot of time. I am already an Eagle Scout, so there is no need for me to be super involved. I still want to be a part of it, but I can focus on giving back to my troop, helping the younger Scouts, and let others take the lead.

What I've cut out so far:

• Coffee (still need to get rid of this completely)
• A few commitments

What I still need to cut out:

• Unnecessary clothes
• Knick-knacks in my room
• Eating out
• Candy and sweets
• Other commitments

I have cut out a lot so far. I am feeling less stressed, getting better grades, and spending more time with friends. I have a lot of work to do still, but I am enjoying it.