Taste of my own recipe…

As fitness bug did bite me all of a sudden, of late I was happy following some self-imposed restrictions on my food intake. With a detailed diet plan from a nutritionist, my resolve received a shot in an arm. If I said food was out of my purview and I was saving a lot of time, I would be eating my own words. I was spending more time on the thing I had refrained from, not just cooking, but reading and maybe, thinking about it …

There can be a lot more positivity about the thing you are trying to stay away from. Scientific and clinical information makes you more rational and intuitional. It may happen that giving up will not remain mere a resolve but it may come from within. To me, it was much more than food restriction. It was more about what to eat, when to eat and yes, how to it. There were so many essential aspects of food that I would not have paid heed to otherwise. I started reading extensively on right foods and so many things, which were associated with diet, were unfolded one by one.

The preparations for soups and salads were much more time-consuming than regular cooking. But no sweat, it was self –imposed. A person like me, who had barely any rapport with kitchen, was seen finely cutting veggies, arranging fruits and taking a keen interest in the menu. I was at the helm in deciding what should be on the platter the next day. At times, to meet low carb food standards, I also dished out some healthy recipes. It was all surprising, more to myself than others. Finally, all agreed, I was convinced and health food wasn’t new-found, fly by night, love.

My flavoursome friendship with food amazed many. It was delicious and had some spice too. No foods were eaten too much and no foods were too much refrained from. In family and friend circles, food consultation sessions held the centre-stage.  In one such encounter, the one who was seeking some information appeared unhappy. I just made it categorically clear that I wasn’t a professional nutritionist and she was free to approach one as what I would offer would be ‘vague guidelines’.  “You talked more about attitude that goes with food than food itself. But I was looking for concrete dos and don’ts…” she said with a tinge of nervousness. Yes, and I thanked her as she put what I had learnt over a period of time in black and white.

The whole episode was an eye-opener, and that lesson had got nothing to do with food. There are no golden rules that can be standardised but everything is so personal and subjective. The food plan that fit the bill for me may not do to others…

It’s like talking too much on the importance of silence and experiencing the joy of silence between two words…I was happy I was eating my cake and still having it!