I am only now starting to realise how much I know about dieting and nutrition.

Since hubby went on a dieting bender three years ago I have been accumulating- willingly or not- a lot of information about dieting. It happened mostly because I did the cooking and the portioning (at some point he lived for entire months on microscopical 100g portions of lean meat and wholegrain rice !!). Then when we travelled to see his family I noticed his brother eating an equally strict but slightly more varied diet, including “good” fats like peanut butter, tahini and fruit. Needless to say they  were both the beaux of the beach wherever we went and got all the attention but many times I wondered at what cost. Well, I got my answer this weekend when hubby had what I called a “48-hour body shut down.” He had felt tired and slightly run down for a month with a couple of bouts of cold but then we attributed it to work stress. What I never expected was for  my Duracell-rabbit-kind-of-a-hubby to go into complete exhaustion mode and lie in bed for almost a full weekend!! He’s better now but I still think he needs to see a doctor and get some blood tests. I suspect a massive lack of iron and other essential minerals due to his extreme dieting in the last few years.

And then here I was today feeling all chuffed with myself because I am on a what I thought to be a much more balanced diet. My bubble burst when I read a post on Facebook from Maria Mind Body Health on beans and legumes.  Maria claims that just like grains, things like chickpeas and beans contain lectins which have a negative influence on leptin, the hormone responsible for the “feel-full feeling”. So my “healthy” snacking on hummus(made of chickpeas) could be not so healthy after all…

But then I thought, wait a minute! I went from snacking on toast and pancakes basically all week around to snacking on things like hummus and celery. It could not be the best solution(and in time I might consider replacing hummus with other dips if I see any alteration to my appetite) but I have made a step towards better eating. I try to have as many veggies and fruit as I can, I try to integrate healthy oils into my diet and I am being a better example for my three-year old.Well, you know what, for the moment, that is good enough for me!! I know for a fact that overdoing it is as bad to your body as not doing it at all.

This is day 5, there are only 35 days left of this challenge! Whatever you do, enjoy the small steps you take towards a better you!!

P.S. – I should put a photo of the two beaux to delight your eyes with but I haven’t asked for their permission, so, sorry, it’s again, salad pics ;-).

Craving a real Greek salad tonight with veggies fresh from the market! Summer, hurry up!