foodage

Thanks in large part to my insomnia and inability to sleep before exams (though I seem to have no problem sleeping DURING them, as proven by nearly sleeping through an accounting exam last year) I think I'll write a blog. I want to talk about food this time. Food is such a large part of our lives! It represents our culture, our lifestyles and our vigor.
I guess I'll start with the three worst things in my diet at present that I really need to cut back on:

- Chipotle: Chipotle is a HUGE temptation; it's fast, easy, inexpensive and like a two minute walk from my apartment. Plus, I now have a Pavlovian response to the words "barbacoa tacos". Chipotle is sooooo bad for you, and I eat it probably twice a week now. Ideally it would be good to have it every other week or something, but just for now I'll make a goal to eat it once a week only.

-Starbucks: Starbucks is something that is really tempting for me, because alike Chipotle, it is very close to my apartment and I need caffeine to stay awake and study. It is very expensive for what you get though-- I could buy a bottle of flavored syrup and brew my own coffee and it wouldn't cost anywhere near what Starbucks charges per cup and would probably taste about the same. Not to mention that those frou-frou drinks have so much sugar in them! While I try to get nonfat milk and cut back on the sugary drinks whenever possible, I think I should try to cut back to going to Starbucks twice a week.

-Unhealthy snack foods: Cookies, Doritos and anything I eat packed with preservatives and random stuff that I can't pronounce on the package should NOT dominate my diet! But they seem so good to keep around because they are really cheap and satisfying to eat. However, they should go, but it's not going to be easy, so my goal is to only have one small-sized unhealthy snack each day (as opposed to like chowing down on an entire bag of Doritos unintentionally while surfing the internet).

Now, for the things in my diet that I am proud of:

-Salad: I eat salad almost every day now!! Caesar salad, with fresh romaine or green leaf lettuce, a low fat dressing, a sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese and just a couple croutons tossed in is such a fresh treat with not very much prep time. Plus, it makes me even more hungry for dinner usually.

-Yogurt: I read somewhere that eating yogurt before you work out can help you burn fat more effectively. (Unfortunately, the first time I tried this I was enough of an airhead to not realize that you shouldn't eat right before you work out...) I am happy to say that yogurt has found its way into my everyday diet and is a sufficient substitute for ice cream and some of the unhealthy snacks I mentioned earlier.

-Fruit: I used to buy a couple apples at the grocery store and then they would just sit in my fridge and rot until I threw them out and bought more. Now I'm trying to buy fruit every week and eat it. So far, buying a bunch of bananas and resolving to eat one every day has worked out pretty well (I ate more than half my bananas last week, which I am proud of). They also go well with yogurt and cereal, which is an added benefit. I'm trying to branch out and buy more fruit, but a lot of the stuff I buy at the grocery store doesn't do so well. I buy pears and plums and they don't ripen correctly-- they are unripe and then they rot, and they never actually get to that middle stage where they are ripe. and good to eat Nonetheless, I will keep trying...

As a whole, my diet really isn't that bad. But I feel like it could be better, and I feel like I could potentially have more energy, so I feel that it is important for me to write about it and make sure I am not headed in the wrong direction with it.