Health is Wealth - Notes on nutrition

As you may have read on here before, this year is my year for getting healthy. Hence engaging Silent Evil, the Personal Trainer, and Softly Concerned, the Nutritionist.

The first meeting with Softly Concerned went well. She takes the slow but steady approach and doesn't bang a big fat health drum in your face, which is encouraging. Then again, she's no pushover.

We started by discussing the medications and supplements I take every day. I'm not sure she was expecting two bags full of powders and pills. 7 daily medications, which I wont go into, and then the supplements:

• Vitamin C powder
• Probiotic
• Multi-vitamin
• Omega 3 oil
• Vitamin D oil
• Fibre powder
• Fruit powder
• Vegetable powder
• Calcium
• For when I know I am going to have a big meal with lots of meat, a digestive enzyme.

The digestive enzyme made her pause.

"I always suggest to clients that they take a plant based enzyme," she said, squinting at the label. "This one has ox bile and porcine - that's pig - extract in it."

"It has what?!?!?!"

Well those pills were introduced to her trash can then and there.

She asked me questions about any digestive issues, my medical history and my family's medical history. She asked about exercise, and I told her about working out with Silent Evil.

"Do you do any stretching?" she asked.

"We do stretching as part of the routine, and I do yoga at home in front of a DVD. I try to get to the gym to do their yoga classes, but it's hard. They tend to schedule them at Housewife Times."

I laughed. She didn't. She took notes.

Then I had to talk through a typical day... what I have for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was amazing, once I had to think back and actually say it out loud, how inconsistent my daily diet is. I wanted to talk about a perfect day, when I'd have cereal for breakfast, a salad for lunch and something nice like fish for dinner, but with the realities of our lives - business travel, work, social life - there just aren't many days like that.

And so I fessed up to those days when I buy a piece of banana bread with a soy latte for breakfast, eat 5 protein bars because I am too busy to go and get food, reheat bolognaise from the freezer without making any vegetables to go with it, get takeout or eat a pint of Chunky Monkey.

She took copious notes at high speed, making no comment. I felt like a child in front of the school Principal.

She said that it was clear from the description of my diet that I eat too many carbs, and that I probably have a tolerance level which, once exceeded, results in some pretty horrible digestive issues. She also said that I should think more about portion sizes.

"What do you cook as one portion of pasta?" she asked.

"75 grams."

"The right portion size for one person is 56 grams."

My eyes widened in horror.

"Yes," she reaffirmed, "it really is. You have to reverse your thinking - more sauce, less pasta."

"I can eat pasta with nothing on it but some chilli oil and grated cheese!"

She said nothing, taking more notes.

"Do you like tofu?" she asked.

I nodded.

"A great way to prepare tofu is to marinade it in the morning and then cook it on a George Forman grill when you get home."

I liked that idea, and smiled. "That sounds great! So far I only really eat fried tofu, but I can see myself cooking that. At least it's not cold and wet and squisy like the tofu they serve at the salad bar."

"Well," she paused... "some people like that kind of tofu. I do."

And she took more notes.

"You said you made bolognese without making salad," she continued. "What I advise clients to do is a veggie selection. Just put out a tray with some baby carrots, olives, cut raw zucchini... even some canned baby corn."

"Oh, riiiight! Then I can just pick at it as I am cooking the bolognese?"

"Yes," she nodded, "and you can even throw whatever is left into your bolognese sauce if you want to."

"Great idea!"

She smiled, and didn't take any notes. I breathed a soft sigh of relief.

"What I also suggest is an Appetizer," she said, "like half a canteloupe."

"Then you are filling up on the fruit before you even have dinner!" I yelped, anxious now to keep her pen away from her pad at any cost.

"Exactly," she replied.

No notes. Success!

We talked a little more about shopping, what products to buy, what we'd do in the next session. And then I was free to come home and order my grill from Amazon, change my shopping list and eat the last of my protein bars and Chunky Monkey.

This is going to be interesting... next time I'm taking a notepad.