Musings of an adventurous eating, weight loss aspiring, yo yo dieting, six-pack hopeful, Xennial Gen Z wannabe
Every day, without fail, I ask myself one question: What will I eat today? Raise your hands if you also ask yourself this question. I can’t be the only one! I rarely eat breakfast. I typically don’t eat until around noon and sometimes, early afternoon. I know we’ve all been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but has anyone died from skipping breakfast? I eat when I feel hungry and I think I have conditioned myself to eat later in the day.
I love food and to the best of my knowledge, I do not have any food allergies or intolerances so I can eat anything. I am also not a picky eater so I eat almost everything except things like semo, starch and fufu. I will keep my thoughts about people who eat these foods personal, I am still young and want to live long. I will always give a meal at least one try before condemning it except it looks distasteful on sight in which case, I am unlikely to try it.
Growing up, my mum always cooked a lot: that’s probably her superpower, and the kitchen is her happy place. She was even a TV Cook on the Maggi Cooking Show. I remember her bringing home some of the food she had cooked in the studio: meals from diverse places around the country. Ironically, she rarely ate anything she wasn’t already used to, even to date.
Having a meal timetable that one adhered to fairly consistently was quite common when I was a child. For us, it was jollof rice on Sunday afternoons, beans and dodo or moin moin with garri on Saturday mornings, amala with either okro or ewedu on Saturday afternoons, and white rice on Friday afternoons (or any other afternoon we didn’t have eba and soup). Sometimes yam with eggs or fish stew (or bread and eggs or cereal) made an appearance on Saturday morning or even Sunday morning but only if we went for early morning service in which case, we ate after church.
Attending a military boarding school meant adapting to a rigid food calendar. I think this was one of the reasons I managed not to get too fat in school. Burnt beans on Monday morning with koko garri (I eventually stopped eating this), yam and fish stew on Tuesday and Thursday nights, jollof rice with fried fish on Sunday afternoons, eba with egusi on some afternoons. The order rarely ever changed although I remember one time when there was a nationwide curfew due to some riots during one of the military regimes. The purchaser couldn’t buy food items as markets were shut so the cooks had to make do with what was in the store. The Home Economics department took charge and made various dishes, one of which was kedgeree, a mishmash of boiled rice mixed with deboned and boiled fish, eggs, curry, and spices. I loved it so much, I made it at home when we went on holiday.
Boarding school marked my introduction to food like fufu (which I dislike) and eko/ agidi (which I love). I was also introduced to food combos like yam and beans, and bread and akara (which I can’t stand). I don’t remember experiencing any new food whilst at university in Ibadan, maybe semo which I don’t like. Going for youth service in Northern Nigeria exposed me to some dishes, some I never even expected, like Igbo soups. I remember eating oha soup and bitter leaf soup on our monthly visits to Potiskum when our allowances were paid. The 3-week camp experience had previously introduced me to tuwon shinkafa (which I knew as ground rice because my dad loved it), brabisco (a traditionally made couscous delicacy) and miyan gyada and miyan kuka. I don’t recall eating these dishes after camp though.
Work and travel have also introduced me to other Nigerian and international dishes, many of which I relish. I have also eaten food items which some people would run away from like crocodile and tortoise meat. I would love to go on a gastronomic holiday: eating my way through food from various cultures around the world. I wonder if my stomach is really up for it. What if I end up in the loo after the first day? I would probably hit the trail again after decongesting my bowels!
As someone who loves to eat, snacking is a regular feature of my day: groundnuts, biscuits, and pastries are high on the list. Nibbling is so comforting but also a major trigger for weight gain. Luckily, I don’t do midnight eating and my cravings are largely under control (I think). I am learning to replace these guilty pleasures with fruits and vegetables. Watermelon and not wafers, pineapple and not popcorn, carrot and not cake (but I like carrot cake though).
I have gained and lost and gained weight over the years. I was plump in primary school then I lost most of the weight in secondary school. I was probably average-sized in university and then started adding more weight once I started working. At some point, I got a weight loss consultant to help me lose some weight which I gained back once the plan ended. In recent times, I have tried quite a few diets and eating patterns: keto diet, no carbs, protein diet, one meal a day (OMAD), and intermittent fasting (IF) to name a few. I lost about 30kg over 3 years. I have managed to keep most of the weight off even though I have gained a bit of the weight back (I blame all those irresistible pastries and carbs!).
I am still trying to lose weight, although I recognise it’s more about staying healthy than just losing weight. I am more physically active than I used to be so that helps somewhat. I know a lot of people now use drugs designed to manage blood sugar levels as a form of achieving weight loss but I haven’t been tempted to try them. I will admit though that I have given thought to having a gastric ball inserted in my stomach but I honestly don’t think I need it.
So, back to the question, what will I eat today? I have no idea. I suspect that indecision will lead me to eat something I know I shouldn’t be eating. I will spend an hour thinking about what to eat and then go ahead to eat the same thing I had previously decided not to eat! The struggles of a foodie indeed! Should I prepare a food calendar? Would you join my support group if I formed one? We can have weekly check-ins over some decadent delights. We can make it our cheat day, who am I kidding?
At the end of the day, I believe everyone should be more open to trying out various types of food even if they are packed with calories. Live a little, and let your taste buds revel in some gastronomic creations, whether it is fine dining or street food. After all, we are only on earth for a limited period, right? This is the way I see things today.