Luis the Angolan Dietitian

Luis is from Angola. He has a sense of humor and a very calm presence. I like calm presences a lot these days. So my diet is:

Breakfast

12 almonds

6 dried apricots

Soy Yogurt

A fresh juice of carrots, apples and celery

Fresh Fruit

Lunch

Well it varies but basically its a mixed salad followed by a plato combinado of a protein like eggs, fish, meat or tofu and some sort of vegetable and a non gluten starch like rice or potatoes. Highlights include:

Boiled vegetables with a poached egg

Rice noodles with poached fish

Quinoa (a grain from South America) with a tofu burger

Dinner

Repeat breakfast

I cannot have salt, wheat or dairy products. I am supposed to take a nice walk twice a day and make a tea of this strange weed called Maria Luisa after each meal.

So after the first month I told Luis that he might be a good dietitian but he is a lousy menu designer. I asked him if I could take his basic components and use them to make up my own menu. He agreed so I pretty much divvy up the week between fish, meat and eggs and make sure to have salad, a starch and vegetables at each lunch. Dinner and breakfast are pretty much lost causes so I just toe the line.

The problem is that I live with people and I have always loved to cook and eat. Breakfasts are fine but dinners are a disaster. I eat my fruit and watch Zoe and Benedicte eat real food. And since I am kind of the man in the kitchen the dinners have been getting progressively simpler. Zoe gets a few slices of ham, a couple of tomato slices and rice or potatoes. Benedicte might have salad or just hit the taco chips if she is just up to opening a bag and stuffing her face.

The positive aspects are that my obsession with food is now waining. I am beginning to see it as more of a sustenance delivery system and less of a religious experience. Perspective is good but there was much I loved about being obsessed with chow. I really need to find a balance. The other good thing is that I have found quinoa... OK I 'm reaching for positives but it really is an interesting alternative to mono culture crops like wheat. Hey and it tastes good.

Ultimately as I mentioned in my previous entry after 3 months it's not obvious to me that the diet is having any effect. Yes I would like to attribute a bad day to that gram of pie crust that I snuck into my mouth but it's just not clear that this is the case. We'll see.