Flip-Flop!
“What would Linda say?” I keep asking myself, as I consider completely reversing 70+ years of eating regimen.
“Linda,” of course, is my wife, who died five years ago.
I admit being obsessed with order. It’s probably a stroke-effect. But it also comes from growing up in what I perceived a madhouse, where my father could suddenly go ballistic and start clobbering me.
I rarely knew why, but was supposed to know. It was that old saw reversed: “spare the child, and spoil the rod.”
My antidote was predictability. That required order; knowing what came next.
My stroke contributed. It left me utterly whacked. The solution was even more order.
This manifested itself in daily eating menus.
For example: tilapia/corn/broccoli on Monday, mashed-potatoes/soy-burger/soybeans on Wednesday, salmon/carrots/spinach or asparagus on Thursday.
Stewed-tomatoes/grilled-cheese sandwich, or pea soup with unbuttered toast, on Friday. Every other Saturday is hotdogs/baked beans/coleslaw or pizza. Tuesdays I eat out, and Sunday I eat something I purchased, like at Micky D’s, Taco Bell (BONG!), or a delicatessen.
This regimen is ridiculous, but I follow it religiously.
It avoids having to make up my mind at the last minute. It also allows me to plan food purchases.
My refrigerator and freezer are nearly empty. I’m not feeding a family of five. If I stocked up, stuff would rot.
More is at play here.
For 70+ years I been eating cereal for breakfast.
Not too long ago I viewed a report on the national TV news saying cereal for breakfast was backwards.
What you need is protein, and cereal ain’t protein.
The suggestion was supper in the morning, and breakfast at suppertime.
No way could I do that. Not only did it seem silly, I’d been eating cereal for breakfast for 70+ years.
My aquacise class at the Canandaigua YMCA demanded change.
Cereal for breakfast before class meant having to go to the bathroom every 10-15 minutes. It was the milk on the cereal.
So I decided to eat eggs instead, and not drink anything.
I’d eat my cereal home after class.
A few weeks ago I was to drive to south Jersey to visit a remaining aunt. I’m 73; she’s soon to be 87.
It’s a 6-7 hour drive.
I ate breakfast cereal before starting out. Within minutes I was utterly fagged out. I could hardly keep my eyes open.
This happened before. Eat cereal before driving to Altoona (PA), where I chase trains with my brother. It’s a struggle to stay awake the first couple hours.
Driving home from my aunt I faced another 6-7 hour trip.
But this time I decided to eat scrambled eggs: protein instead of carbohydrates.
No problem at all.
I asked my doctor about it.
“Of course you had trouble staying awake,” he said. “You hit your system with maximum carbohydrates. Protein, my friend, eggs.”
“What about cholesterol?” I asked.
“EggBeaters. Your cholesterol is fine anyway.”
Can I switch? Supper for breakfast, and breakfast for supper?
Don’t know as I can go that far, but eggs instead of cereal before aquacise I can handle.
Plus EggBeaters every morning, and cereal for lunch. I can do that. I live alone. No nattering-nabobs-of-negativism to criticize my eating habits.
Supper-for-breakfast and breakfast-for-supper is radical, especially to General Mills, Kellogg, etc.
But I think my wife coulda handled it.
You know what they say: “Too many Froot-Loops or Choco-Puffs and ya become a serial killer.”
• I had a stroke October 26th, 1993, from which I pretty much recovered. Just tiny detriments; I can pass for never having had a stroke.
• “Micky D’s” is McDonald's. Every Taco-Bell ad seems to have “BONG” in it.
“Linda,” of course, is my wife, who died five years ago.
I admit being obsessed with order. It’s probably a stroke-effect. But it also comes from growing up in what I perceived a madhouse, where my father could suddenly go ballistic and start clobbering me.
I rarely knew why, but was supposed to know. It was that old saw reversed: “spare the child, and spoil the rod.”
My antidote was predictability. That required order; knowing what came next.
My stroke contributed. It left me utterly whacked. The solution was even more order.
This manifested itself in daily eating menus.
For example: tilapia/corn/broccoli on Monday, mashed-potatoes/soy-burger/soybeans on Wednesday, salmon/carrots/spinach or asparagus on Thursday.
Stewed-tomatoes/grilled-cheese sandwich, or pea soup with unbuttered toast, on Friday. Every other Saturday is hotdogs/baked beans/coleslaw or pizza. Tuesdays I eat out, and Sunday I eat something I purchased, like at Micky D’s, Taco Bell (BONG!), or a delicatessen.
This regimen is ridiculous, but I follow it religiously.
It avoids having to make up my mind at the last minute. It also allows me to plan food purchases.
My refrigerator and freezer are nearly empty. I’m not feeding a family of five. If I stocked up, stuff would rot.
More is at play here.
For 70+ years I been eating cereal for breakfast.
Not too long ago I viewed a report on the national TV news saying cereal for breakfast was backwards.
What you need is protein, and cereal ain’t protein.
The suggestion was supper in the morning, and breakfast at suppertime.
No way could I do that. Not only did it seem silly, I’d been eating cereal for breakfast for 70+ years.
My aquacise class at the Canandaigua YMCA demanded change.
Cereal for breakfast before class meant having to go to the bathroom every 10-15 minutes. It was the milk on the cereal.
So I decided to eat eggs instead, and not drink anything.
I’d eat my cereal home after class.
A few weeks ago I was to drive to south Jersey to visit a remaining aunt. I’m 73; she’s soon to be 87.
It’s a 6-7 hour drive.
I ate breakfast cereal before starting out. Within minutes I was utterly fagged out. I could hardly keep my eyes open.
This happened before. Eat cereal before driving to Altoona (PA), where I chase trains with my brother. It’s a struggle to stay awake the first couple hours.
Driving home from my aunt I faced another 6-7 hour trip.
But this time I decided to eat scrambled eggs: protein instead of carbohydrates.
No problem at all.
I asked my doctor about it.
“Of course you had trouble staying awake,” he said. “You hit your system with maximum carbohydrates. Protein, my friend, eggs.”
“What about cholesterol?” I asked.
“EggBeaters. Your cholesterol is fine anyway.”
Can I switch? Supper for breakfast, and breakfast for supper?
Don’t know as I can go that far, but eggs instead of cereal before aquacise I can handle.
Plus EggBeaters every morning, and cereal for lunch. I can do that. I live alone. No nattering-nabobs-of-negativism to criticize my eating habits.
Supper-for-breakfast and breakfast-for-supper is radical, especially to General Mills, Kellogg, etc.
But I think my wife coulda handled it.
You know what they say: “Too many Froot-Loops or Choco-Puffs and ya become a serial killer.”
• I had a stroke October 26th, 1993, from which I pretty much recovered. Just tiny detriments; I can pass for never having had a stroke.
• “Micky D’s” is McDonald's. Every Taco-Bell ad seems to have “BONG” in it.
posted by BobbaLew at 10:35 AM
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