Habit a Week 6: Eat Good Fats

Recap of Weeks 1 to 5...

• #1: Fix Your Water Intake - My water intake increased this week because of a cold virus. Also, I felt the need to drink more water because high-fiber diet made my poop a little firm and I thought it needed a little more help. Eww topic, but water was there to the rescue. :)
• #2: Move! - I wasn't religious with my workouts, but I was happy to have done the Hip Hop Abs Cardio almost everyday of the week and that I was able to walk to Colinas Verdes twice last week. I also got to walk with Pipoy yesterday, so overall it was okay, but I know I could be better.
• #3: Eat a Veggie - This has been the habit that is truly part of my life. No need to elaborate, I was able to eat veggies every single day this week.
• #4: Increase the Fiber - I was able to switch to Whole Wheat bread, but last Friday, something unfortunate happened. Whole wheat bread has this wheat stalks and particles in the bread and like what I shared with Week 1 recap, I had a little injury, because as I was pushing the poop, particles of wheat from the Whole Wheat Bread scratched my insides and it wasn't a wonderful experience. I am okay now (thanks to more water and the papaya I ate), but I guess I will take a pause in eating Whole Wheat bread - will just get fiber from veggies and fruits for the mean time.
• #5: Slow Down - I am chewing my food more this week. My food was way too little compared to what my family (especially brother) eats, but I seem to finish eating my meal at the same time as my family.

Week 6 of Lyn's Habit-a-Week Challenge centers on fats - good fats, that is. Here in the house, we use soya oil as our main oil, but we do have Olive Oil in our pantry for some special cooking needs.

While attending an event at the Enderun Colleges, one of the chefs/instructors told us something about Olive Oil. We all know there are mainly two kinds of olive oil: virgin and pure. Chef told us that virgin is cold-pressed, so it is best to use in salad dressings or for food that don't require cooking, as more people say virgin olive oil loses is health benefits when used in cooking. On the other hand, pure olive oil is hot-pressed, making it the better choice for cooking needs. If you tend to use olive oil for cooking, then go for the pure one, as it is much cheaper than the virgin kind. Here in our house, we do have two kinds - virgin and pure, but because of that lesson learned, we use the pure one more, as we aren't big salad eaters.

Months ago, I posted a question on my Facebook wall - if Canola Oil is not really that healthy. Well, if one checks the nutrition facts, Canola Oil seemed to be the best choice, but one big factor why we don't use it anymore is the realization that Canola Oil isn't natural. Canola Oil they (some websites) say stands for Canadian Oil Low Acid, and is from Rapeseed. I still can't say if Canola is indeed good or bad (you can do your own research and conclude for yourself), but for now we go for either corn or soya oil, just because it is more natural than Canola.


Last Wednesday, I listed my goals... and while I was able to do some, some I failed - especially with the exercise kinds. Today is Monday, and I wasn't able to move much, so these goals are good for this week, starting tomorrow - Tuesday.

• Walk to Colinas Verdes everyday - as long as it's not raining.
• Be strict with the workouts!
• Limit rice to 2/3 cups for lunch, and 1/2 cup for dinner - even if the viand's delicious. :)
• Opt not to fry food.
• Choose fish and chicken over pork.
• No canned / processed meat, but canned tuna and sardines are okay.

As for my meal plan for this week...

• Tuesday: Ampalaya (Bitter Gourd) with Chicken and Sotanghon - just because I wasn't able to cook all the Ampalaya yesterday night.
• Wednesday: Ginataang Langka (Young Jackfruit in Coconut Sauce)
• Thursday: Fish Spring Rolls with Afritada Sauce - a recipe I want to try.
• Friday: Sinigang na Bangus (Milkfish in Sour Broth)
• Saturday: Pancit Bihon - I miss eating this

This is just my plan; am not sure if the ingredients will be available at the nearby market the day I am planning to cook these dishes, but crossing fingers I am able to cook this.

I eat two main meals everyday (lunch and dinner - breakfast is usually a piece of bread or maybe I'd go for oatmeal), so I still am not sure whether to cook the dish for lunch or dinner.