Avatar photoSteven Savage

Food And Food B.S.

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(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

If you follow me or know me, you know I’m a nut for healthy eating (punctuated with intermittent chocolate and pizza because not giving those up). However as I get into eating healthy, I also find tons of BS, bad advice, and ignorant ideas. I’d like to cut loose on a few.

Read on. It’ll probably give you ammo next time some pretentious git gets up in your face.

Please note that, since so much BS surrounds food, I’m SURE some of my ideas are flawed as well. I did my best to cover the ones I’m sure of, but no doubt I’ll have some regrets later, at least from what I didn’t include.

THERE IS NO IDEAL DIET FOR EVERYONE

Anyone pitching the perfect diet is wrong. Even people I admire or who are 90% right about stuff tend to do this, and its sad and irritating and wrong. Some diets are so wrong for certain people they’re unhealthy.

We all have different needs, situations, challenges, and advantages. We have to find the diet that works for us. This is where reading up and a good doctor help.

(I also take this personally as it’s hard to recommend a book to someone, then add “but this part is BS.”)

The best advice I ever heard for diets that is applicable across the board boils down to:

  • Eat diversely (my fave is the power plate, equal amounts of grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables. If you add animal products its just a part of that)
  • Eat the least processed food you can.

THERE IS NO SUPERFOOD

Gods save us from the stupid “X food will solve your problems” diets. Yeah, they are usually obviously BS but still people fall for them and then the BS makes its way into mainstream though. This is simply not true.

This doesn’t mean there aren’t absolutely AWESOME foods that are great for various reasons. its just they won’t solve all your problems. I do recommend finding awesome foods you like, but none is your perfect food.

By the way my perfect foods are:

  • Cabbage – Low cal, so many nutrients, so easy to use.
  • Chickpea flour -You can make anything with it, it’s got protein and fiber.
  • Garbanzo beans – Serve them straight up, mash them into hummus, make them into a casserole.
  • Peanut Butter – Protein, fats, delicious.
  • Spinach – Just a good green.\

Anyway, find your own superfoods.

EATING OUT IS FINE

We often hear eating out is bad for us, but that usually focuses on restaurants delivering highly prepared calorie bombs. But that’s only one kind of eating out – going to some pricey place that loads you up with unhealthy stuff.

First, delis and supermarkets and local markets often have tons of great premade food. This food, prepared there (or nearby) is close to home cooking on a larger scale. Read labels, ask about preparations, and see if they do anything custom.

Secondly, plenty of places that make food have cold or frozen premade meals of equal quality to their deli (usually, they’re the deli in a package).

Finally, some restaurants make healthy food, post calorie counts and ingredients, and will do custom stuff for you. This lets you eat reasonably healthy.

Let’s face it, going to a deli, eating out, etc. is sometimes easier. So don’t feel guilty. Heck, in some cases it doesn’t cost much more than doing it yourself.

By the way, some of the best places I’ve found are specialty and ethnic markets. The food there is often fresh, well-made, and uses good ingredients. I usually go to a local Asian market for quick locally-made bentos, and another local market is my go-to for guacamole.

PRECUT/SHREDDED/SLICED FOOD IS OK

Look, I’m for decreasing unneeded packaging. I hate waste. I know that buying pre-cut foods and such may be excessive.

Know what? Some people need that.

Maybe you’re in such a rush you don’t want to shred a damn cabbage. Fine, buy pre-cut.

Maybe you’ve got a physical challenge and aren’t up for cutting vegetables for thirty minutes. Fine, buy pre-sliced.

Maybe you’re stressed or facing other mental challenges and don’t want to plan preparing something complex. Good, get something pre-shredded.

Yes, it involves waste, so recycle the containers properly. Sure, it’d be nice if you could take reusable containers to stores to get a quart of cut onions or something. Maybe we can work towards less waste as a people.

But until then, don’t shame people for using pre-cut food and the like. Life’s tough.

CANNED/FROZEN/ANYTHING IS PROBABLY PRETTY GOOD

Look, as noted I love fresh food. It’s the best thing for you. Sometimes you have to get “fresh-ish” with canned or frozen foods. Look, I dunno about you but I’m not going to spend a ton of time preparing garbanzo beans just to mash them into hummus.

From what I can tell canned or frozen vegetables, prepared properly and right after harvest, are pretty good. Just make sure its not got a lot of added stuff that’s not good for you (added salt, preservatives).

Also cans are easy to store, take on trips, last long, and don’t use power to keep. So extra advantages.

THERE’S NO NEED TO COOK FANCY MEALS

Cookbooks and cooking magazines have lovely spreads with all sorts of beautiful foods. Then you read the recipes and some of them take a load of time and effort which you don’t have.

I love to cook. I love to make food. I also know sometimes we don’t have the time or ingredients or want to make an effort. Know what? It’s OK to not make fancy stuff or complex meals, no matter how the magazine pictures look.

Let’s take a look at a poki bowl, that food fad popping up everywhere. Know what it is? A bunch of stuff in a bowl with a sauce. “Stuff in a bowl with a sauce” is a common form of food all over the place, but we act like it’s fancy or special if we slap a name on it and charge fifteen bucks.

A few ideas for you:

  • A classic “bowl meal” Idea I’ve seen is just mix a cup of cooked rice, 1-2 cups of greens (probably steamed in a microwave), and half a can of beans. Then throw on some spices or flavoring, and you’re done.
  • Kimchi allows you to transform any pile of stuff into a spicy pile of stuff. It’s a staple for me.
  • Chazuke, the classic Japanese quickie of rice+green tea gave me plenty of ideas. Basically I make a bowl meal, but add an herbal tea (usually lemon or ginger) and a few spices, and instant soup. By the way, lemon tea and garlic tastes a lot like chicken for some reason.

Sometimes I have sat down to a pile of greens with lemon juice for dressing and a bowl of garbanzo beans in soy sauce. Done.

SO THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS

So that’s my thoughts on food and food BS. Hope they help out. Feel free to add other ideas, or tell me where I’m wrong – it’s not like I knew this stuff immediately, I had to learn it.

Steven Savage

Fun And Work: Double Doing

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(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

Last week in my seemingly (but not actually) endless discussion of how we ruin fun and why, I explored the possibility that we can combine work and fun effectively. As long as we have proper boundaries and goals and check-ins, it’s doable.

Building on this positive idea (since there’s many negative ones I want to explore), I’d like to talk about another way fun and work can actually reinforce themselves, but without “can I turn my hobby into a job.” It’s something I’ve referred to as “double doing” – finding things in your life that have double benefits beyond just their immediate one.

In this case, you can find ways your hobby benefits your job, and vice versa, without necessarily combining them. Think of it as finding fun that may help you elsewhere in life, and finding work things that help you in your hobbies.

Fun That Helps Work

Sometimes, the things we do for fun have benefits elsewhere. If we want, we can cultivate them and use them to help out in our careers and such. This is just beyond the benefits of “it’s fun” or “it’s relaxing,” while not risking stomping on those by turning something enjoyable into work.

For instance, with myself:

  • My writing is a hobby and always has been. However that helps me a lot at work as I can quickly create documents and so on. I don’t even have to work much at this, I just do it. Plus it makes work fun as I like writing.
  • Coding. Now I’m no longer a pro, so my coding is more of a hobby, but as I work in IT, I’m very aware of coding issues. This helps me work with engineers.
  • Graphic. I’m not a professional, but neither are many other people, so not only do I make book covers and such, I have some skills to bust out at work. Plus it’s nice to be the “graphics guy” when other people get asked to do less fun stuff.

I’d note that all of these things benefit my life in general, not just for fun or at work. I’m literally better at many things as I have fun with them – it’s almost as if not pressuring oneself and enjoying things helps you grow as a person . . .

So for yourself, a challenge:

  • What are your hobbies and interests you truly enjoy?
  • How have they benefitted you on the job. Take time to dig deep, you may be surprised.
  • Is there anything you know how to do that might help at work or make it more fun?

Remember, as always, it’s OK to just say “it’s fun, letting it stay there.”

Work That Helps Fun

However, we should also remember our jobs can be a source of skills, experience, and more that helps us have fun. We’re going to learn things, go places, and meet people that we may actually enjoy. Be open to that.

For myself:

  • Management and productivity. I was always the organized type, but my work skills have helped me a great deal in my hobbies. I’m more organized, better able to pace myself, and more aware of what’s important.
  • Meeting awesome people. I meet great people at work, and I stay in touch with some of them.
  • Industry news. Being in tech, everything I hear abot at work is probably relevant to my life at home. New tech, security updates, and more all impact me.

Now, sometimes I’ve actually overdone using my work experiences for fun – especially my work on self-management, which I’ve overdone. But it’s nice to realize that your job might give you ways to enjoy life more.

I wont lie – many jobs are awful. Some are probably hopeless hellholes. May you get out of those jobs quickly.

Double Doing Does The Job

There’s my thoughts on fun helping work and vice versa without making them the same thing. It won’t apply to you the same it does for me, we are in different situations. It’s my hope you can make this work (and maybe help you find a better job if you can’t).

Steven Savage

Eating Cheap And Healthy At Cons

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(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr.  Find out more at my newsletter.)

After reading fabrickind’s posts on eating healthy at a con, I figured I’d take a break from my usual posts on writing, psychology, and so on to talk food. Well, you know eating at a convention in a cheap and healthy way.

This is based on a number of years of doing this and my own experiments. I’ve put this into practice various ways, so some ideas are still experimental. Still, this should help you out.

I’m not focusing a lot on premade meals, which may be good if you can freeze them and take them with you. I’ll focus more on doing stuff at the convention and using easy food to get.

One warning: BE CAREFUL HOW YOU KEEP FOOD. If something has to be refrigerated, refrigerate it. If something sits out for awhile, don’t eat it. If your cooler fails, anything that has to be kept cool is suspect. Don’t make yourself sick.

By the way, also remember this is a con. You’re probably not gonna eat perfectly nutritiously, or as regular as you’d like, and you might have a fancy meal out. That’s fine.

THE BASICS

The basics of eating healthy are actually pretty easy: the more diverse types of food you eat and the less processed it is, the better. So really that’s your goal.

I’d also add that healthy eating usually has enough fiber in it so you avoid unpleasant consequences post con.

I use the classic power plate – equal parts whole grains, fruit, vegetables, and legumes. Note of all of those, only one (vegetables) is hard to store outside of a can or a cooler. Now I eat little animal products, but there are options below.

THE LOCATION

First, scope the location of the convention. Here’s what you want to look for:

  • DELI AND LOCAL MARKETS: You can get a lot of premade, healthy, and reasonably priced stuff here. Plus fresher ingredients.
  • CONVENIENCE STORES: Some carry fruit, nuts, and other reasonably healthy foods. You might be surprised (but do read labels)
  • GROCERY STORIES: If you can get near one and stock up, great.
  • BULK FOOD STORES: I had great success for years at a con using one of these for oatmeal, dried fruit, etc.

Look for ways to get ingredients and fast healthy cheap food. Obviously, avoid fast food.

THE ROOM

Your room and what you bring with you affects how you’ll eat.

A COOLER: If you can bring a cooler, awesome. You can store stuff in it, like vegetables or premade meals if you keep it cool. Sure you have to change the ice, but things should keep pretty well.

A MICROWAVE: Awesome. A microwave is going to let you prepare all sorts of stuff, like steamed vegetables (put them in a bowl with a bit of water, heat a few minutes) or packaged rice. Some hotels also have public microwaves you can use.

A REFRIGERATOR: Score! You can keep anything in there. In fact you can premake stuff, freeze it, then microwave it.

A COFFEE MAKER: Even if this is the only tool you have, it lets you make oatmeal or soup (more later).

WHAT TO BRING

So let’s talk food and nutrition here. I’ll talk my faves and where they fit in.

GRAINS

  • BROWN RICE: I love those little heat-up-in-a-microwave single cups of rice.
  • WHOLE WHEAT BREAD: I get locally made stuff that’s basically sugar free and made of like 4 ingredients.
  • CORN CHIPS: Doesn’t sound healthy, but many local brands actually are pretty good.
  • OAT BRAN: I love this stuff. Basically higher protein part of Oatmeal. You can make it in a micowave or hot water from your coffee maker.
  • OATMEAL: Also I love this stuff.
  • TORTILLAS: ’nuff said. Always useful.

LEGUMES AND PROTEINS

  • PEANUT BUTTER: You’ll want a fridge or cooler for most of the no-additive peanut butter (or keep it in an ice container). Peanut butter is a protein bomb with nice fats. Slap that on some whole wheat bread and boom.
  • CANNED BEANS: Canned beans are awesome, especially garbanzos which are nice and solid. You can open a can, drain it in the sink, rinse in the can, toss some soy sauce on them and you got a protein cource for two or three.
  • TOFU: You’ll need a cooler or fridge to keep it, but rip it open, dump on some spices and eat.

If you eat animal products, think outside of meat. Precooked harboiled eggs and cheese are good if you can keep them properly.

FRUITS

Most fruits keep without refrigeration so you’re good there. Bring a nice amount. Also don’t forget dried fruit as well – but avoid the stuff with added sugar.

VEGETABLES

Ok this is a tough one. Getting your veggies is hard, but there’s a few ways.

  • CANNED VEGGIES: Don’t discount canned veggies. They may be a bit processed, but good quality ones keep and are decent sources of nutrition. I’m fond of canned spinach which I can drain, microwave, or use in soup. A bit of soy sauce and sesame seeds and you’re good.
  • GREENS: If you have a fridge or a cooler you can keep some greens around like spinach, broccoli, or cabbage. Get the prepackaged, pre-washed, and pre-shredded stuff if possible. Some of this you can eat straight, or steam in a microwave.

SPICES

Keep some spices with you. Some may need refrigeration or being kept away from moisture, but its worth it.

  • BLACK PEPPER: A forgotten spice, but adds a kick.
  • CURRY POWDER: A good curry (I recommend S&B) spices up soups, beans, and so on.
  • GARLIC POWDER: Adds that garlic flavor to anything, and it lasts.
  • LEMON JUICE: Lemon juice and a dash of pepper and garlic powder is instant salad dressing.
  • SALT: Also good for spicing.
  • SESAME SEEDS: Great if you make bowl meals or salads or want to jazz up some steamed or canned veggies.
  • SOY SAUCE: Works on everything.

SO WHAT CAN I PREPARE?

Some of the above is kinda obvious for food. Peanut butter sandwiches. Oatmeal and fruit. But how can you go farther with what you have? A few of my favorites . . .

COFFEE MAKER SOUP/CHAZUKE: This is one of my faves. Make an herbal team (I reccomend lemon or ginger) in your coffee maker. Dump it over some beans and shredded greens, and some soy sauce, and let it sit for a bit until the greens soften. Then you have soup.

BOWLS: If you have a microwave (or can make rice in the coffee maker, I think it might be possible with precooked rice, don’t know), you can make a bowl meal. Rice, some canned beans, shredded veggies, and some spices. You’re good.

HUMMUS: No, really. Pour that can of drained beans into a bowl, add spices, mash with a fork, serve with bread or chips. Done.

SALAD: Throw some greens in a bowl, add beans, add soy sauce and lemon juice. Salad.

GO FORTH AND EAT

That should give you a few good, cheap ideas. Using these at one con I bought only ONE meal over the weekend. Some of this advice is used day-to-day when I get lazy at home . . .

Steven Savage