This is Day 3 of the 21-Day Journaling Challenge held in Nov 2011. The challenge is now over but you can do the tasks in your own time. Visit the overview page for all the challenge tasks.
Hi everyone – Welcome to Day 3 of 21DJC! :)
Yesterday’s question was this: “If you are to do something for free for the rest of your life, what would it be?“. (Read the responses here.) Some of you said you’d want to travel around the world and explore new places. Some of you said you’d want to grow and learn forever. Some of you said you’d want to pursue your passions, which may include writing, cooking, baking, blogging, developing games, motorcycling, write music, planting, fashion, recording music, coaching, caring for animals, and more. Some of you said you’d want to help others – be it to grow, to discover themselves, to be better people, or to live better lives.
3 years ago, I asked myself this very question. If I am to do something for free for the rest of my *life*, what would it be? The answer that came out is exactly what you see me doing today. It’s to grow and help others to grow. It’s to be spreading my message to the world, be it via writing, coaching, speaking, running courses, videos, or other mediums. (Essentially, what I’m doing now.) It’s to inspire others to become greater than who they are now, so they can in turn inspire others around them to be the same.
The reason why I asked myself the question is this – We only have one life to live. We have the ability in us to do whatever we want, and to succeed in whatever we want. Instead of wasting our talents doing something that we don’t even have the passion to do forever, why not spend all that energy, starting from today, in something we’re really, truly, 110% passionate about? Why not devote ourselves 110% into what we really want to do, rather than do something because we think we ‘have’ to, and do a half-assed job in it? Why not do that, and make that your career instead?
I mean, no matter how “skilled” or “unskilled” you are in it now, you only have, like, the rest of your life to develop your skills in it. It’s only a matter of time before you’re the best in that field, really. (10,000 hours is all that it takes)
In doing so, it doesn’t even feel like work. It doesn’t even require any energy to do it. It’s virtually effortless. I made that shift 3 years ago, and while there were a few months of down time to develop myself in a new field, today I’m soaking in the long-term rewards from the move. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life, and I want you to experience the joy too.
The articles in my How To Pursue Your Passion series will help you in this area.
Let’s now move on to the question for Day 3 of 21DJC! ;)
21DJC Day 3
For Day 3 today, we’re going to explore a slightly different topic from Days 1 and 2. In Day 1, we looked at what we would do if we have a million dollars. In Day 2, we delved into some of our deepest, life long passions – things we would do for free for the rest of our life. For Day 3, we’re going to look at something lifestyle-related.
The question for Day 3 is this:
What is Your Ideal Diet Like?
Would it consist of happy meals, deep fried food and junk food? Would it be prepacked, micro-waved meals from the supermarkets? Would it be laden with fat? Would it be filled with meat? Would it be rich with vegetables and fruits? Would it be specially prepared, home cooked meals made by you, for you? What would your ideal breakfast, lunch, dinner be like? How much, how often, and when would you eat every day? What would your cue to eat?
Your Task Today:
- Reflect and answer today’s question. There’s no word limit – whether minimum or maximum. Write as few or as many words as you want. It’s all up to what you want to express!
- Share your answer. After you are done writing, copy and paste your answer in the comments area and post it there.
- Check out other participants’ answers. Other participants will be sharing their answers too, so feel free to read and reply to their answers. This is a group course, so let’s support each other in these 21 days.
((Images: Empty book for journaling, Vegetables wrapped in measuring tape))
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I really have no idea what an ideal diet would look like as I am torn betwen feels good/tastes good foods and foods that are best at nourishing my body and helping it to beecome the healthiest and strongest that it can be. Actually, I struggle with this daily. Then, if you add in impending/actually happening menopause, all the answers that I thought I had previously go out the window! (also true if undergoing huge amounts of stress). I would choose to eat organically as much as possible, in an ideal world where that was readily available and affordable. So this is definately a work in progress.
My ideal diet? It would consist of foods that do not make me feel like yuck the day after. :hug: they might look like two simile faces hugging? For me the question turns into having the will power to eat the food that I long-term like rather than short-term like.
My ideal diet meals will be prepacked or microwave meals fresh and tasty foods for my 3 meals, every day different recipes. Nutrition balance is important, less meat more vegetables and fruits, breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen, dinner like a pauper. I’m very lazy, if I have to cook when I really free it will be something like adding 1+2+3 and done for eat, except some foods that I’m very love to eat or trying new recipes that look delicious.
I really need more time on this topic, forgive me everyone.
My ideal diet is vegetarian. I have been vegetarian for over 20 years now, mainly because I hate the thought of an animal being needlessly murdered when I can easily survive by not eating meat or fish. I am by no means a ‘good’ vegetarian though! I keep meaning to eat more healthily and need to cut down on chocolate, sweet things, crisps and dairy products. I guess, ideally, I would have an amazing vegetarian chef to cook me a varied and wonderful veggie diet. Even if I did though, I would still have to sneak in some french fries with mayonnaise every now and again.
I love tasting different cuisines and don’t normally diet. I eat what i like but I make sure I don’t eat too much of anything so I don’t gain weight. I also run and jog on weekends. As long as I follow-up with exercises, I don’t really worry when I eat more than usual oh certain occasions.
There are three things that are important for me regarding my diet: how good it is for my health, how much pleasure the taste gives me, and last but not least, how convenient it is to eat. I would happily live on a mainly vegan diet during the summertime, having little helpings of all kinds of colourful fruit and veg throughout the day, because it is both healthy, yummy, and very quick and easy. I would just have a bowl around, so I can eat whenever I want to. When I spent time in Israel, the perfect breakfast was – a bowl of fresh and finely cut fruit and nuts, with a little bit of plain yoghurt (divine dairy products there!) consumed on the seashore. I would be happy to have a shawarma like they make there, too (lean lamb, veggies, tahini…) for an afternoon snack because I simply love it. In a cold climate where I live now, in wintertime I cannot live without warming soups, sauerkraut, an occasional fish pie and a weekly wine and cheese. Ideally, I would cook myself only once or twice a week (really cook, throwing together a salad doesnt count here), and most other meals would be readily available, either prepared by someone else, would not need preparation, or be served in lovely restaurants and cafes. I am quite lazy that way, and cooking for me is a creative process only to be dived into on special occasions. I would always continue to experiment and try different new foods to keep my tastebuds pleased, so a new dish from a different culture every now and again should be a rule. Yup, by the looks of the above ramblings, not too much structure in my diet :)
For the diet, I would eat primarily green salads and blended salads along with dulse and chia seeds. I would eat raw chicken livers and sashimi and some steamed greens (low glycemic) such as asparagus, coliflower, etc. I would eliminate all refined carbohydrates including pasta’s, potatoes, cakes, cookies, etc. And lastly, I would eliminate all stimulants such as coffee and depressants such as alcohol. This would be the ideal seen but I would also have the above cooked when there is no other alternative–such as when traveling, etc. Brian Fradet
My ideal diet looks like this:
Morning: Sweet Bread & Cacao
I start with a slice of dark self-baked bread, e.g. made out of rye flour. I´m allergic to gluten and avoid wheat flour anyway. As topping I would prefer something sweet, maybe honey or maple syrup. If thats not enough, I eat some fruits, a banana, a pear, a kiwifruit or an apple. I would like to drink a fatless cacao with soja-milk.
Lunch: a warm meal
for lunch, I prefer a warm meal with carbs. Maybe some rice or potatoes with vegetables, maybe with some fish or fatless meat. Maybe with some milk products for dessert. If that is not enough, I eat some fruits, too.
I only eat processed food like fries for lunch at the days, I will go to the gym or go jogging or playing badminton.
When I am thirsty, I drink some water, a spritzer or tea. No soda, no coffee.
Dinner: No carb
For dinner, I eat salad or vegetables with fish or fatless meat. Weekends, I drind a glass of red wine.
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I try this diet for some months now and I fail only 2 or 3 days a month. But this is okay. I avoid sweets 5 days a week and use habitforge.com for monitoring.
Honestly, I have for years, lived off of cereal. My favorites being Crunch Berry, Lucky Charms, and sometimes Cheerios. However, I have two growing daughters so their diet can not consist of just cereal.My ideal diet for us as a family is this:
Breakfast : Scrambled eggs (with milk in it when i prepare it), different meats from sausage links to bacon. Bread that ranges from biscuits to toast.
Lunch : My ideal lunch plan that I’ve been working on is sandwiches. Different choices, such as tuna, turkey with mayo and cheese, grilled cheese, egg salad sandwiches, or chicken salad sandwiches. I have made my daughters one of the sandwiches listed and gave them chips with it.
Dinner : This is around 5p.m. and I try to include all the food groups. For example, a couple nights ago we had steaks, baked potatoes, and salad.
Drinks : I only buy 2% milk, I keep juice and tea for my children. I myself do love my Mountain Dew. I also enjoy a variety of soy milk with flavor, for example, very vanilla soy milk or chocolate soy milk.
Snacks : I keep yogurt and jello in stock. I also have some junk food to snack on such as brownies or creme filled donuts.
My ideal diet consist of healthy foods but I also enjoy my ice cream and flavored pop tarts. Thankfully enough, my daughters enjoy sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, yogurts, and we also love to snack on cottage cheese with some type of fruit. Usually, pineapples.
If not for my children, I would probably only eat cereal, the occasional cottage cheese and t.v dinner, and drink mt. dew 24 hours a day. I of course would enjoy junk foods more and ice cream.
So my ideal diet for myself alone would consist of my cereal, junk food, and occasionally healthy snacks served with Mt. Dew cold.
My Ideal Diet is chicken, fish, vegetables and 6 litres of water daily.
I am trying to lose some weight as I am overweight.
I need to practice self discipline to consume more vegetables and fruits instead of indulging in sinful food like red meat during the weekends !!!
My ideal diet is lots of fruits & veggies…protein (meat, eggs, chicken, pork, turkey, fish, etc..)…& a starch at each meal. Low sodium, not fried in oil (pan sear is good). I’d have moderate (or on occasion not so moderate) sweets. I’d also have occasional soda but lots of water for the most part.
Basically a well-rounded meal at each sitting that is not too large. Nothing should be off limits but everything should be moderated and not excessive.
Another aspect that would be important to my diet would be to make sure to eat at regular times/intervals each day. Being able to be in a relaxing environment while you eat is also very important. Meals should not be rushed or interrupted if possible.
I am already eating it but would prefer to have more fruit and bagels. Have been vegetarian officially since committing to it 1998jan13 and never once even though of changing. I accept that my body cannot cope with being vegan (Ive tried) so I am quite content with how i eat now. I eat less than before, and at times when i cannot eat anything because nothing that is ‘safe’ for a non-vegetarian to eat, then I just smile and accept it and it doesnt bother me.
My ideal diet has greek yogurt with fresh berries and some granola for breakfast
There is a snack of string cheese and fruit and some fresh veggies in the mid-morning
Lunch is leftovers from something yummy my husband and I made the night before
There is a second snack of some veggies and an apple in the afternoon
Dinner is something that my husband and I cook together. There are multiple, complimentary colors and textures on the plate. We’ve used fresh ingredients and it fills the house with good cooking smells.
On the weekend we’ll make bread together
My ideal diet really isn’t that far off from what my real diet is like. Dinners are harder for me while we’re not living together, and that much fresh produce requires more grocery shopping and planning, but realistically, this plan isn’t too hard to imagine living one day. Which is cool.
It’s interesting to me that alcohol doesn’t play a role in this when I think about it. I enjoy having a glass of wine while we’re cooking or a beer or a cocktail while out with friends, but when I look at how I want to eat – it’s not something that I think of first. This tells me that maybe it’s okay for me to not have the drinks when out, to choose something other than wine when we’re cooking. Is it the wine or the tradition of having wine while cooking that I’m interested in. If it’s the tradition of drinking something while cooking, couldn’t that something be non-alcoholic?
If I had it my way, my ideal diet would be like everything that is near;y meat-free. If I could only eat vegetable, fruits and fishes all day everyday, I would. However, I have very limited resources around me, thus, I still end up eating unhealthy foods. Besides, it’s not that easy to suddenly let go of your red meat diet. Meat is still irresistibly delicious. not to mention junk foods :)
My ideal diet consists of tasty food. And healthy food. But mostly tasty food.
“Eat your greens” is what I’ve been told to do ever since I was little. Back then, I thought that everything healthy (those icky vegetables, and especially those gooey, slimy mushrooms) tasted disgusting, and everything unhealthy (meat and chips and candy and ice cream and all those other goodies!) tasted good. I thought that I invariably had to choose between one or the other. Now I’m not saying that all meat and junk foods should be labelled as “unhealthy”, and not all vegetables are “healthy”, but that just seems to be the trend.
When I was young, my parents would sometimes eat synthetic vegetarian meat. I thought it was – synthetic. I think I tried some, but I didn’t particularly like it.
A while ago, I ate at a restaurant called Loving Hut, which I thought was really tasty. I ate something which I thought was meat. Turns out that they were a vegetarian restaurant. This has made me consider becoming a vegetarian, or at least think that it was possible to become a vegetarian without giving up too much.
So I guess my ideal diet contains tasty, healthy, and organic (you never know what sort of chemicals they’re adding into your food these days) vegetarian food. I would still consume meat, but only occasionally (one serving or less per day).
What would be even better, is for my family and I to grow and prepare our own food, so we know exactly what we’re eating, and we can have a more hearty meal because we’ve put all the effort into making it. However, that’s quite impractical because we live in a big, congested city (it’s possible, but I just don’t care enough to think of practical ways to do it).
In the end, I’m not going to change my diet because I’m still young and I think that I have a healthy and robust body. Most of the time, I don’t even have enough time to eat proper meals. I currently have two meals per day during weekdays (I skip lunch because school lunch is the only option I have, and it tastes horrible). I wonder what sort of effect my current diet is having on my body…
I love breakfast foods. I could live happily on just breakfasts. Porridge with honey and banana with my son at the kitchen table reading the paper; smoked salmon rolls with capers and a bowl of coffee at my local french bakery; Oden with hot sake at the market on a cold winter’s morning in Kyoto; cabbage and sausage soup with slabs of dark bread at a workman’s diner in Slovakia; fresh whiting fillets dredged in flour and cooked in butter served with lemon juice and fresh white bread at my mum’s house; papaya slices followed by Nasi Lemak in Penang – or maybe some congee – it’s always a toss-up.
You’re not the only one. Sometimes I wonder why don’t we just eat all the yummy nutritious foods we serve on breakfast. I love pancakes, french toasts, fruits, bagels, milk, juice, etc. Almost anything related with a breakfast meal. :)
I’m a food junkie. Due to this I gained a lot of weight in the past. But now I started having only healthy diet to maintain a healthy living. I mostly like to have home cooked food.
My Ideal diet would be home cooked, fat free and nutritious for the weekdays. And on Sunday I would not follow any diet plan. :)
My ideal breakast would be : Bread & Omelette…..Lunch would be : 3 Chapatis with lots of Vegetables and Curd……..Dinner would be : 3 Chapatis with either Vegetables or Chicken / Fish…..
Would like to break my meals into 5 parts a day…..Apart from Breakast, Lunch and Dinner, I would like to have two more small meals consists of Fresh Fruits in between Breakfast & Lunch and Lunch & Dinner respectively.
On Sundays, I would like to have whatever I wish to eat……may be it is deep fried snacks or junk food…but that too would have in moderation only.
In all, I would like to maintain a healthy diet for a healthy living ! :)
What would my ideal diet consist of? The obvious answer would be a healthy one of course, but come on, really? There is so much great food out there that it all comes down to personal preferences.
For me, my ideal diet would consist mostly of home cooked meals with lots of variety. There would be some baked items, such as Chicken on a bed of rice with cream of mushroom soup and cheese. Then there of course would be the fried meals, such as Chicken fried steak or chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, with green beans and/or okra.
Then there are those times when it is nice to go out and eat. My favorite meals in this case consist of Mexican flavors like enchilada’s or fajita’s each with all the sides. Or maybe it is Chinese food, I generally enjoy the buffet for these for the variety.
But my ideal and most favorite diet items would have to be grilled steaks. This is my favorite home cooked meal. Take a nice thick steak and soak it in meat tenderizer for a few hours and then put it on the grille until it is a nice medium well. While I’m cooking the steaks, my wife is inside cooking up some fried potatoes, add corn or green beans and wash is down with a big glass of sweet tea. Now that is a good meal.
I would have had no clue about this question had this been asked a few months ago. My diet was very irregular and consisted of a lot of unhealthy stuff going into the system. I only realized the adverse effects once it started to show up on my health and the extra layer of fat accumulating everywhere. This has a lot to do with my working hours and putting little care on what I am eating (and my laziness). I finally decided enough is enough and to turn it around completely.
I have always been a vegetarian and at present my diet consists of –
Breakfast @ 8 – Chapati with a couple of fried vegetables.
Lunch @ 12 to 1 – Rice, Pulse, and Couple of vegetables.
Evening @ 4 to5 – Tea with some Sugar free Biscuits.
Late Evening @ 7 to 8 – Anything goes e.g. – Local delicacies, Pizza, Burger, the list just goes on (this is my time to spoil myself)
Dinner@10 to 11 – Chapati with a couple of fried vegetables and a glass of Milk with any chocolate flavored health supplement.
I try to have fruits and juices whenever possible in between but have to admit that they are very infrequent (I will have to gradually increase the fruit intake to call it an ideal diet)
I would have had no clue about this question had this been asked a few months ago. My diet was very irregular and consisted of a lot of unhealthy stuff going into the system. I only realized the adverse effects once it started to show up on my health and the extra layer of fat accumulating everywhere. This has a lot to do with my working hours and putting little care on what I am eating (and my laziness). I finally decided enough is enough and to turn it around completely.
I have always been a vegetarian and at present my diet consists of-
Breakfast @ 8 – Chapati with a couple of fried vegetables.
Lunch @ 12 to 1 – Rice, Pulse, and Couple of vegetables.
Evening @ 4 to5 – Tea with some Sugar free Biscuits.
Late Evening @ 7 to 8 – Anything goes e.g. – Local delicacies, Pizza, Burger, the list just goes on (this is my time to spoil myself)
Dinner@10 to 11 – Chapati with a couple of fried vegetables and a glass of Milk with any chocolate flavored health supplement.
I try to have fruits and juices whenever possible in between but have to admit that they are very infrequent (I will have to gradually increase the fruit intake to call it an ideal diet)
I am almost living my ideal diet!
My ideal diet is free from processed foods, enjoying a plant-based diet filled with all sorts of delicious combinations and flavors.
I eat very high raw, but I also have time to bake and make nutritious healthy breakfasts and dinners, all plant-based and organic of course.
Being that I am already high-raw organic vegan, it is just a small shift for me to be eating my ideal diet. I eat a few too many processed foods (organic soy ice cream, gardein, Kettle chips, etc.) and ideally need to be getting far away from those.
Well, definitely not the measuring tape!
In my lunchbox at the moment I have an apple, a pear and a banana, and a ham sandwich. I also have a litre bottle of water.
My diet, like, I suppose, many people that looks after their health, or rather, would like to, consists of the foods I have learnt will not upset my system. Fresh Vegetables and fruit, lean meat and, oh, lots of fish. “Snoek braai en patats”! Mmmmm. That’s fish and sweet potato grilled on the BBQ. A fresh salad, especially with sprouts! 100% fruit juice with no preservatives; yet nothing with these nasty additives. Oh, I like a mild to hot curry, especially with cubed Ostrich meat and black beans with Jasmine rice. Ground coffee (freshly ground), toast, shoulder bacon and egg! Whowee! Nuts and raisons. Oats, granola, and Muesli. Cooking with Olive oil. Lots of garlic and fresh herbs (must grow my own, though). Rooibos tea with honey or brown sugar. Sometimes I can’t resist really nasty full cream doughnut. Mouth watering!
Whether this is ideal? I think so.
Well, staple as it may sound, pasta is my favourite dish. Any pasta, any sauce, even none of it! It’s a great way to eat and enjoy my vegetables, as the sight of a anything resembling to lettuce can really ruin my day. I can survive on it 7 days a week and I do certainly enjoy it.
I love pasta! Especially when the sauce is homemade and it’s extra spicy. YUM! I can easily eat from 2-3 mountain bowls of pasta in one lunch. That’s just how much I love it.
Man i can gothe healthy route and say nothing but healthy food but healthy food is not mean it is good
Food . I like to eat fresh food and not canned or microwaved but since i dont like to cook this also is a
Problem for me. But if i get a million dollars then i would hire me a cook and get someone to make me
homecooked meals that are fresh and delicious.
Morning – Eat fried rice with egg and hotdog. Then after maybe 2hours. Eat some snack.
Lunch – Salad or Pasta. Then after 2 hours. Eat some snack again.
Dinner – Rice and Meat or Chicken.
I just found out that you need to eat every 2 to 3 hours because if not. It will speed up your metabolism. I will be researching more after I post this. So thanks Celestine Chua :))
Oh, guys, that’s a true challenge for me. I never cared much about food, should I even mention the fact that I ate french fries EVERY SINGLE DAY for the past 8 years or so? No breakfast because I always overslept and coffee was more than enough to keep me going. Should I mention that or never ever speak about it again? Lol. I was lucky enough not to have any digestive problems or to gain weight, but I ain’t getting any younger so I must be careful with my diet from now on.
Simple changes to make for now: drink more water, never skip breakfast again, never eat after 7 PM. That’s the cheap part, because in order to have an ideal diet I need money. In my country food is a luxury. But hey, thank God I am not starving, like those poor little kids in Africa or other unfortunate places.
Or maybe the price is just an excuse. Maybe it’s all about quality, not quantity. I guess I’ve always put “survival” first. Took whatever kept me going, but it comes a time when whatever just doesn’t do it anymore. Maybe I should have put “eating” on my free for the rest of my life list :)) I wouldn’t mind having fruits, salads, vegetables, cereals, fish and chicken for the rest of my life. I wouldn’t mind at all.
Ideal diet! time to take off my reflection cap and get back to reality.
I started my diet revolution since Jun’10 – sticking mainly with vegetables and fruits with some whole grains. I also exercise daily. Amazingly I become healthier, slim and happy. I strictly control sugar and animal protein. But once in a while I also enjoy it occasionally. It is good. I will continue with it.
As a Christian, I also know it obeys the Lord to take good care of ourselves…
well my ideal diet is so different then my real diet . my ideal diet should contain home-made food a lot of soups, a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, salades, grilled meat and fish. And it will contains less fats and especially less sugar
Depends… is this a ‘eat anything you want barring breaking scale weight limits’ choice? Every avenue of chocolate comes quickly to mind – dark, of course, for the health of it.
If we are talking ‘ideal’ as in what I would eat if I had a personal chef… I would love to experience satisfying vegan dishes. Even try raw for a time…
If I stick to my favorite ideal, what works for me diet, it’s all about salads, veggies, chicken and salmon. (Love salmon, asparagus and mashed potatoes!) Okay… and that piece of dark chocolate…
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