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Friday, January 9, 2015

HOW MUCH SHOULD WE EAT?



Epicurians will say we should enjoy life and eat as much as possible in our life time. The Stoics on the other  hand will say that we should live a frugal life, eat as little as possible to survive and be immune to pleasure , pain and suffering. 

There are others who say that we should LIVE TO EAT and yet others will tell us that we should EAT TO LIVE. 
 

From the net I got the following information.

quote
People today eat way more than they used to — and way more than they need to. This means that they're constantly taking in more calories than their bodies can burn. Unfortunately, lots of us don't realize that we're eating too much because we've become so used to seeing (and eating!) large portions.
Portion sizes began to increase in the 1980s and have been ballooning ever since. Take bagels, for example: 20 years ago, the average bagel had a 3-inch diameter and 140 calories. Today, bagels often have a 6-inch diameter and 350 calories. One bagel that size actually contains half a person's recommended number of grain servings for an entire day!
The price of such overabundance is high. It's common knowledge that people who consistently overeat are likely to become overweight. But they also risk getting a number of medical problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, bone and joint problems, breathing and sleeping problems, and even depression. Later in life, people who overeat are at greater risk for heart disease, heart failure, and stroke.
It's easy to understand why the food industry tends to serve way more food than is necessary: Customers love to feel like they're getting the best value for their money! But the value meal is no deal when it triples our calories and sets the stage for health problems.

unquote

I generally eat very moderately. But after some days of moderate eating the temptation to eat a full stomach overcomes me. On one such day, I was walking on MG Road and saw a menu board on the sidewalk in front of a restaurant with the word KABSA. I was curious. I went in and asked the man at the counter about the word KABSA. He explained to me that it is a delicious biriyani eaten by the people  of Arabia. I couldn’t control myself. So I ordered a plate of chicken kabsa and ate a stomach full. I felt sick due to over eating, tired and sleepy too. With great difficulty I got up, paid the bill and went to Lourdes Hospital to meet a friend who was admitted there for  heart ailment.

Since I was feeling sick due to over eating, I went to the cafeteria in the hospital, bought a cup of coffee and sat at one of the round tables and started sipping the   coffee. My attention was caught by a slim middle aged woman who briskly walked towards my table and sat on a chair. She looked at me but I pretended to look the other way. She quickly took out a stainless steel container and a small plastic container. She opened them and I saw the stainless steel container had plain boiled rice and the small plastic container had some vegetable curry. Once again she looked at me but I pretended not to notice her. She then took a pinch of vegetable curry and put it on top of the rice and ate it. Then she ate three or four handful of plain rice. Since the plain rice was not going down her throat she pulled out a plastic bottle with water  from her bag and gulped down some water. Again she took little vegetable curry and ate it with the rice. Then she repeated the procedure of eating three or four handful of plain rice and gulp down some water. In this way she finished eating the entire rice. Then she got up, took the containers to the nearby tap, washed them, put them back in her bag.and walked away. May be she didn’t have enough money to buy a decent meal, I thought. But she looked very strong and healthy whereas I was sitting there feeling sick, tired and sleepy on account of over eating.


So this brings us back to the question HOW MUCH SHOULD WE EAT? 
I am sure you have your own views on the subject. Best wishes.



22 comments:

  1. We so overeat. I am guilty of the same. I had serious stomach surgery several years ago and came to realize that I tend to eat to satisify yearnings other than hunger. When I physically could not eat, that was all I thought about. All of our celebrations tend to center around food whether it is a wedding, a birth, an anniversary or even a death. This is an interesting topic.

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  2. we really do overeat, most of the time not even realizing that we do so. not only the size of food has increased, but also plate sizes, making it easier and more encouraged to eat more. the food in the world just isn't distributed right in the world. i think it's hard to say how much we should eat, but i think it's also clear that most people do eat too much (myself included). x

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  3. we do eat a lot, and we waste a lot as well...to me the distance between the haves and nots is sad..how much should we eat? enough...and not too much...if we all took what we need (not what we want) would we not have enough for all...

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  4. Too much of anything s good for nothing..if we take balanced meal it wont affect even we take a bit more..filling with liquid foods help us to eat less..try it and live healthy.

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  5. Interesting. A friend says to eat only when hungry. Some do tend to eat even when still feeling full. I think we should pay attention to portions... meaning eat only that which you are able to consume and be satisfied. Doctors suggest five small meals a day to aid in the body's digestion of food.

    Thank you for this interesting post.

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  6. We do eat more than we need, and exercise less. In olden days my parents and grandparents used to work so hard, and they only ate 3 times a day, and that too only lunch which they would eat very early around 8-9 am, then have some light tiffin with their coffee, and then dinner at around 8 pm. Even now in many homes in Chennai they follow this timing for this the most convenient one for them, as they finish off their lunch while it is cooked hot and leave for their work, and take some curd rice or some light tiffen in their lunch box.
    However, more and more people are tempted to eat too much fast food which is easily available in their office / college canteens, and with more money in their pockets, they don't grudge this temptation.
    They either don't have the time to exercise, or make time for exercise, or they are mostly very lazy.
    Can you imagine, i used to see my periappa ride his cycle all the way from Anna Nagar to Besant Nagar just to meet us and have some coffee, and some tit bits made by my mother, and he was in his late sixties
    My father used to cycle from his place to Avadi, can you imagine anybody doing it now, they would simply die thinking of it.
    I think we are much better off than the west, where they hog like anything, and the portions served there are huge. There either you have very obese people or very fit people no in between like we get to see in India.
    I feel once in a while we can give in to temptation, but not make it a habit to keep indulging in unhealthy food.

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  7. I’m taking a drug, one of the side effects of which is increased appetite. I try to hold my weight to under 160 pounds, but it’s now at 174, and I’m very distressed. Maybe what this drug is making me feel is what people who get really fat feel all the time.

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  8. I try to follow the Canada Food Guide as best I can. It's tough.

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  9. When I traveled to Italy I expected to see heavy Italians. Much to my surprise the hefty and beefy people that I saw always turned out to be Americans !! I found it embarassing. I hate that we are known for our large portions while so many in the world have not enough to eat.

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  10. Namaste....
    Happy New Year.
    Too much of anything is good for nothing.
    Balance

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  11. Husband and I are really working on changing our diet. We've found out the secret is to eat very little meat and carbohydrates. In their place we substitute vegetables and fruit. It's made quite a difference.

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  12. I eat. Period. I try to understand the obsession in the west with diets and fads. Enjoy what you eat, even better if you cook it yourself. Period. Simple as. End of. Thanks. :-)

    Greetings from London.

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  13. I love my food however it does seem to find its way down to my waist.!

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  14. I think it is important to eat a balance diet and be thankful:)

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  15. yes over eating is harmful for health and one needs to control the desire
    well written with example

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  16. We do eat too much, and I agree it is because we are used to seeing larger portions. We'd probably all feel better if we cut back on how much we consume.

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  17. I eat until I feel satisfied as opposed to feeling stuffed, if you get what I mean. I feel much better this way and am happier and have more energy, too.

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  18. I think we should strive to eat moderately most of the time; but on occasion if we overeat, it's okay. I know I have a weakness for sweets, which I think it's highly unlikely that I'll conquer... I also know I need to exercise more. Interesting musings...

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  19. As much as you feel like you need to. For example, you want an ice cream but you need veggies really. I think a balance is important. I'm not an expert though.

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  20. My philosophy is eat well but eat healthy food. No point starving yourself to stay slim.What you need to do is work more,exercise more to help dissipate your calories.No need to visit a gym.Walk4-5 kms every day..

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  21. I would say... Eat half of your stomac... Never eat full!
    And I think that the lady ate healthy food... On a daily basis that is what is required... But sir, once in a while, indulging in a feast or kabsa is not a bad idea either... So the key is to have a good balance and control of course... or eat several small meals!!!

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  22. See to it that you don't eat much at night. Go for morning walks and do yoga or any sort of exercise. Eating well in the morning and afternoon is OK, but non-oily food is better. Drink water as much as you can and definitely first thing in the morning, at least 2-3 cups. Nap for maximum half an hour in the afternoon, if possible. You will be hale and healthy without much problem.

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