The Over 30 Girly's Edit

Oh, mindful eating, what an original idea, isn’t it?! I promise I won’t be telling you how to eat, or what diet to get on because I don’t even know!

Some background

Before we get into the semi-boring mindful eating topic, I must tell you that I love food, and I can really eat. Back in the old days (in my 20s), I used to have a photo album on Facebook called “Be jealous, this is what I eat”. I even entered a competition that Richmond city in British Columbia was running to find and send food enthusiasts to their town promoting the tourism by eating and writing about the restaurants and the famous Richmond night market, all paid for. I won that competition along with other 9 people; however, due to the visa complications, I had to drop out; devastating to say the least. I love eating and trying out new things, and I am proud to say that is part of my personality. Toby, my husband, always teases me about my “full meal” at lunch.

Now, I love food, but I also care about my health. And, I won’t be ashamed saying it – I do also care about how I look. I am all for inclusivity, in fact, I am 10000% pro “do what makes you feel good”. That means, if things make you happy and content, do it. If they don’t, then do something else. And I feel good when I also look & feel a certain way, so let me do me. Unfortunately, that also means that I have to balance it out, the love for food and the love for a very healthy and active lifestyle.

Why am I saying all this? Well, in the past year or so, I have realized that despite any efforts to stay fit, something wasn’t right. It wasn’t the weight gain at all, as I’ve stayed relatively the same ever since (all thanks to my exercise addiction). I just didn’t feel as healthy anymore. Some of it is obvious: getting older sucks! My lightning-fast metabolism has slowed down drastically, like most people’s. My energy is also suffering; I can’t chase my Peloton PRs as often as I used to. To put the cherry on top, I started the Invisalign 18 months ago, so now I only have 2 times a day to eat – lunch and dinner. Sure, I can eat more times a day, but being a very routine and rule follower as I am, I want to be a gold star patient (which I am; ask my orthodontist), so yes, twice a day and trying to keep the eating time down to 30-40 min each interval. And this is where things have gone really bad for me.

The Diagnosis

The thing is… I have experienced extreme bloating, abdominal pains, and nausea after every lunch for months. After a few unbearable pains and a couple visits at the doctor office, I was diagnosed with chronic acid reflux (GERD). I’m not a fast eater, nor do I go lie down or jump around right after eating. It all comes down to diet, but when I reviewed the “Don’t” food list shared by my physician, some of those were:

• Things I’ve never or barely eaten: dairy, bacon, cheese burger, carbonated drinks
• Things I would not live without: coffee, spicy food, chocolate, citrus fruits, and tomatoes

I was really baffled. Do I want to keep taking medication every day for the rest of my life? The answer was “not really”. So, I need to figure out what changes I needed to make in my diet so that I wouldn’t feel like vomiting and/or being in pain after every lunch. What a miserable life that would be!

Before being diagnosed with GERD, I would always have a big lunch. Usually, it was a “salad” – my own version of a salad: spinach, a lot of pre-cooked meat that I would buy from a grocery store or have delivered from a restaurant (hot meat! no cold shredded chicken for me), hot sauce, and a piece of Japanese milk bread toast. And I mean… lots of meat. Sometimes, it would just be a banh mi I ordered from a Vietnamese deli. Other times, it would be some sort of Vietnamese noodle soup or vermicelli bowl. I truly enjoyed my quality meals at lunch, and I loved it. Sadly, this is where I realized I had to make a change. I decided that I first needed to cut down on delivered food. They’re expensive, and frankly, unhealthy. The portion sizes in America are also ridiculous, but I got used to it and always finished the dish. Unnecessarily.

Entering Mindful Eating

On the surface, the term “mindful eating” tells me that I should be aware of the food I am eating. Okay that makes sense. However, I’ve recently really understood the meaning behind this term. According to Dr. Naomi Bernstein on “Oversharing” podcast, mindful eating means no distraction while eating so you really can taste the different flavor of the foods. It also means:

• Being in the moment
• Having no judgment towards the food (high or low calories, fatty or lean food, etc)
• No multitasking, which also includes no talking/socializing

The no socializing seems extreme to me, though. I have never once, in my life, eaten in silence. I do enjoy eating dinner with Toby, if we can. And if I am by myself, reading or listening to a podcast while I eat, is an easy reach. Most of the time, though, lunch time in the corporate world equals working and eating at the same time. Therefore, sorry “mindful eating”, the basic principle of the practice is lost on me.

But, I have to do mindful eating, but in my way and how I interpret it. I go back to basics, still my version of “salad” – spinach, a lot less meat (still store-bought, but no longer a giant tub for an entire week), and no bread if possible. I love bread, and I won’t give that up (think: freshly baked sourdough bread at a nice restaurant), but any grocery store’s bread (white, or Japanese milk bread) does make me feel sick. I also will still enjoy a good piece of pork, beef, fish, shrimp, or a hefty bowl of noodle soup if I’m in the mood. The goal is to eliminate the bad stuff that my body can’t digest, incorporate fresh ingredients, and more home-cooked meals.

The biggest difference, so far, is that I’ve started to add in a yogurt course. It sounds weird…more food? Right. I use coconut yogurt, some berries, added chia seeds and ground flaxseed. Let me tell you, besides acting as a dessert after lunch which tells my mind that the meal has concluded, it has helped me feel a lot better. No indigestion, no nausea, no heartburn, and no other abdominal pain, without taking the meds.

To be fair, this isn’t rocket science. Eating better, fresher, maybe home-cooked food without overeating is good for us. The challenge for me was to actually accept it. Accept that I am now older, and things are not easily forgiven like the youngsters have. Accept that I live in a country where processed food is dominating the food industry, and if you want to control what you eat, then food delivery frequency may need to be very, very, very minimal. To look good outside is to feel healthy inside first. To be able to do everything that is asked of you, you need to take care of yourself first. Easier said than done, but it’s doable.

Final thought: this doesn’t mean that finding great food every time we travel will not be on my agenda. It’s surely always on my agenda, and I can’t wait.

I am still on this personal journey of finding the right way to eat well, be healthy, stay active, and enjoy this life – altogether. I have a lot of dishes in mind that I want to cook rather than buying from the store, so I will share those once they go through a few tests in the kitchen. Until then, see you in the next post; it will be a thirst-quenching one!