Fire crackers and prawn crackers - being mindful about food choices

It's Sunday and indeed the sun was out today so it wasn't too difficult getting early out of bed. I was going with a friend to Chinatown to see the Chinese New Year celebrations. On the way there I managed to find a suitable breakfast in Pret a Manger consisting of two boiled eggs, some spinach, a bag of nuts and a black cup of coffee.

After the parade we wanted to get a bit of lunch and I ordered some stir fried duck with spring onions and ginger along with some green tea. We also had some prawn crackers because it was a special day and we both felt we had been eating clean enough over the week to chose a snack that was less nutritious. 

I am telling you about my dietary choices of today because I wanted to share one of the strategies that has been working for me for a long time now: I eat clean enough to sustain my health (including my weight) but I also allow myself to eat other things occasionally as long as I am being mindful about my choices. This means that I don't feel bad about eating a bit outside of what I know is best for me as long as the detrimental effect is not too big and I don't do it too often. It's about finding the balance between what is good for you and not denying yourself things. It requires that you are honest with yourself, though, and don't talk yourself into something you will regret after. So when you are tempted you should think carefully about whether this choice is OK for you right now in relation to your overall state and your goals. Be mindful about it. If I had chosen a croissant and coffee with milk for breakfast I wouldn't have taken the prawn crackers. Not today anyway.

This is not as hard as it sounds. As you learn about nutrition and experience what the right foods do for your health and well-being, you will find yourself becoming very selective with what you eat outside your normal diet and perhaps end up abstaining from some foods altogether because they make you feel bad or keep you from reaching your goals. Remember, it's not helpful saying to yourself that you can never eat prawn crackers again, just say to yourself "I don't need those prawn crackers today. Perhaps next time." Try it. It really works. 

Anyway, I just wanted to share this with you and I really enjoyed both the prawn crackers and the fire crackers. Happy New Year :-)