Dieting with Purpose

On April 30th 2011, Rabab Khan, an editor with Gulf News in Dubai, e-mailed me:

I am currently working on a story for the Cut the Fat campaign and was hoping you could help me. We are focusing on children and teenagers and trying to understand the impact of what they eat and do in the long run. Having a PhD in Clinical psychology, your expert opinion would help us understand the details behind child behaviour. Could you kindly provide responses to the following questions? I will use these responses in my story.

What you eat as a child/teenager, how does it affect the life long fitness?
Do parents need to focus on children’s behaviour and activities? Why?
What advise would you give to parents?

To which I replied:

Children and teenagers are active sorts, from games and sports, to performing activities like drama and music, etc. So, in general, as far as fitness goes, I encourage parents to help their children on those particular things that naturally keep them interested and therefore active.

Yes, of course, eating habits, learned in childhood, have implications for life long fitness. There are already plenty of good advice on healthy eating in newspapers and on YouTube. But how we eat and what we eat are very much a part of our culture and family life. I hardly see this point addressed in dietary advice. So what healthy eating means for an Arab, an Asian or an European family can be radically different. More specifically, their diet has to suit their palate, and diet experts must account for this cultural aspect or else they risk their clients not following their advice.

For example, one good Arab friend of mine suggested I eat dates regularly during the course of the day, as part of trying to lose weight. I like the sweet taste of dates, and I know they're very healthy. But as a Filipino-American, I found that dates just don't suit my palate and aren't part of my overall culture. So I was not inclined to follow his suggestion.

In sum, then, eating and fitness are founded on a wonderful complex of family, personal and cultural factors. Parents may want more education or advice on this, as the guidance they provide their children and the values they impart around this will have a life long impact on their children.

(image credit)

Much of what I hear about healthy diets sound very good.  There is no arguing the benefits of fruit and vegetables, for example, over fatty fast food fare.  There is no questioning the merits of modest servings, over heaping platefuls at the all-you-eat luncheons.  But for better or for worse, I was raised on meat and rice, as a Filipino boy, and that is what I love most.  My palate and appetite simply are not geared for yogurt and cottage cheese, salads and fruits.  So give me the best of your scientifically-evidenced, doctor-recommended dietary advice, and it's meaningless to me - and perhaps for scores of others as well - if you don't take into account who I am, where I'm from, and what I like.

The Core Algorithm is simple enough in its 3-step process vis-a-vis dieting:

1. Clarify what you're aiming to do.
2. Map out what you need to do.
3. Do what you need to do.  

The personal, human element is a crucial part of dieting effectively, such as culture and palate.  The lady in the image above says a whole lot with her expression.  Some dietitians may present it just like that:  An either-or proposition between a healthy and an unhealthy plate.  In fact there are a host of options that may suit her better.  If she genuinely loves hamburgers, perhaps she can substitute them with a vegetable burger or chicken breast, instead.  Of she may decide it's workable to weave a couple of juicy hamburgers during the week, in an otherwise healthy fare.  Maybe there are particular fruits and vegetables she loves the most, which can be the mainstay of her diet.  For me, it's bananas and asparagus.  Perhaps there are alternative foods she can enjoy exploring, such as from different countries or cultures, other than hamburgers and salads.

Again, adopt a diet that works best for you and serves your purpose.  This means casting your eyes open and exploring options at your disposal.