Eating Habits

I had another Living Social deal, so I met up with a friend to have a prix fixe dinner at Leek American Bistro.While this kind of deal sounds awesome and saves you money, it's very difficult for me to eat three courses without feeling incredibly full (disgustingly so) afterwards. And that's exactly what happened. We started with a little bread, then I had soup, a chicken entree, and then we split two desserts between the two of us. The food was all very good, but even hours after the meal I felt like I wouldn't be able to eat anything for two days.

In general I try to prevent feeling this way whenever possible. Gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins, and it really just makes me feel completely gross. So, when I eat out, I almost always try to cut the meal in half, planning on eating part of it there, and taking the rest home as leftovers. Of course some food isn't very good the next day (salads and seafood just don't seem to last very long), but then again I don't order those types of things too often. But this cut-in-half rule is a good one to live by all the time, even at home. I usually only eat half an apple at a time; the same goes for sandwiches. I've heard a lot of talk about how eating several smaller meals a day rather than 2 or 3 large ones is better for you (stabilizes your metabolism, etc.), so this rule fits right into that. You eat a half of sandwich at noon for lunch, and if you start getting hungry around 3, eat the other half then. This is a very easy way to keep from gorging yourself.

And while I have a HUGE sweet tooth, I general skip dessert at restaurants. One, it saves me money (when you're living on a budget when you're at your first job out of college, you don't spend frivolously). But desserts are empty calories that have no nutritional value. Now I'm not saying never eat sweets: I keep candy in my desk at work, and you know I love a free treat from Georgetown Cupcake on the weekends. But everything in moderation. So if you've just finished dinner and you feel content (full, but not too full), just stop there. Don't get dessert just because you can; you'll feel sick (and guilty, most likely). Just say no.

Recap: Two great eating habits I try to follow is cutting meals in half and limiting myself on desserts. While most Americans would probably consider this close to anorexia due to the obesity epidemic that is sweeping our nation, a HEALTHY human body can survive just fine on limited resources. I went a week once without eating and only drinking ginger ale, and I'm still alive. So don't pig out!