This is an absolutely personal reflection and opinion, but I'd like to invite you for your thoughts on this.
I know of many humans who indulge in the pleasures of eating. Eating is not only a past-time for them, but it's an indulgence. They LIVE TO EAT. They would drive kms far away just to savour a particular dish or taste. When they visit places, they MUST eat a particular dish that's a specialty in that place.
Eating is a hobby for them. For some, it is an indulgence.
I've always thought that we humans EAT TO LIVE. We eat so that we have the energy and health to do better things in life.
Let's take a look at Maslow's hierarchy of needs....
Eating is WAY down there at the bottom of the list. Yes, it is a very basic need. We need to eat to go on living, so by all means, yes, please eat.
But to eat for pleasure? Or to gorge ourselves silly just to satisfy the pleasure of our tongue?
Maslow theorises that humans need to satisfy their basic needs (survival and safety) and thereafter, pursue higher needs in life. At least, that's what Maslow said.
Animals probably do not have higher needs. For them, it is about eating enough for survival and ensuring their safety. Yet, despite this, animals do not eat for pleasure. They only eat when hungry and even if you offer them more food, they will walk away because they know they do not need anymore of it.
Animals know how much they need to eat, and they should eat. They don't eat extra.
But walk into a restaurant or hotel where buffet is offered for RM45++ per head and look at how much humans eat (or think they can eat). They line up in front of the door before the restaurant opens (they've already skipped breakfast at home). Then, they rush in and pile up their plates with food, rounds after rounds, until the restaurant closes for the day in the late afternoon. That would be breakfast, lunch and high tea, all rolled into one to get their money's worth.
The next day, they suffer from indigestion. Eno salts to the rescue!
Many years later, they wonder why they have cancers, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attack or any of these modern-day diseases that afflict the modern human.
A few weeks ago, our house renovation came to a standstill because our contractor landed up in hospital...for the umpteenth time. He used to smoke in his heyday, and he loves to eat meat, especially bak kut teh. When he was finally discharged, he only had this to say: Don't eat meat. I've had three bypasses already. Don't eat meat. Ironically, just one week before landing up in hospital, we were talking about food, and he said to me, "How can you not eat meat? Of course you have to eat some meat!". The hospital stay probably changed his mind.
Shall we just eat enough, eat healthily and correctly with the sole purpose of sustaining our bodies and minds so that we have the energy to embark on more altruistic activities?
Think of the billions of animals that are slaughtered every day in abattoirs and other slaughter places all over the world.
Go veggie today?
Eat less meat every day?
This is an example of my meals when I'm home alone (see photo below). You'd gather from this that I'm a totally hopeless cook, but that's because I believe we should just eat to live. Why bother whipping up exotic dishes just to satisfy the tongue? Eventually, doesn't it all end up in the stomach, mixed and chewed up! But that's just my opinion and that is why I am not interested in cooking.
A blend of fruits and veggies (throw in a potato or a sweet potato, if you need the carbo, which I do, because I climb stairs at work and stand for hours).
Last week, my herbalist-friend advised I should put in more veggies than fruits, and even if I use fruits, it should be half-ripen. He said it is a mistake to use ripen fruit because it has too much sugar and that causes toxicity due to a rise in the glycemic level. Green veggies would be much better. Yes, all raw. If you think you cannot eat it raw, then blanch it in boiling water for a minute or two.
There is a school of thought that says our bodies have not changed biologically for thousands of years so we should eat raw food. It also says that diseases started after man discovered fire (and started cooking their food). But that's just a school of thought.
Anyway, this morning, I threw in siew pak choy, a sweet potato, cucumber, carrot, pumpkin (all raw), a green apple and a bottle of Yakult for probiotics. Blend it for 30 seconds, and voila, you have your energy for the day!
People ask me, how do you have so much energy to run around all day? There...there's my supply of energy for the day - raw foods. I find that if I throw in a potato, it's so filling, I don't even need lunch. And the best thing is, the fruit and veggie blend keeps me hydrated for many, many hours despite teaching four hours straight.
In eating, I find that the best judge is our own bodies. We have to listen to our body. It will tell us what we need, how much we need and what we should not eat. For example, I don't feel good if I eat biscuits, cake or flour products.
Recently, I found out, after so many decades, that I am probably allergic to oat!! Would you believe that? The humble oat; and I've been eating oats religiously for decades thinking it's good for my body. So, I cut off oats from my daily diet and my eczema healed. That stubborn eczema spot has been troubling me for years. It's gone now. But I ate bread the other day and it started itching again. Wheat?
My herbalist-friend says it's very likely I'm allergic to gluten. We're not matsallehs, he said. We probably cannot digest gluten very well. Eat rice, he said. Okay, brown rice, of course.
So, listen to your body. It's smarter than we think!
Have a happy and healthy Sunday!
Disclaimer: This is just a personal sharing and does not serve as nutritional advice. Each body is different. Kindly consult your physician or nutritionist for your nutritional needs.
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