Deep Fried Fish is the HEALTHIEST option!
SHORT term health and LONG term health.
I had to learn these concepts the hard way at times, in my health and wellness journey.
Have you ever been in the bathroom ALLLL night feeling like your guts are an open faucet?
Well, that was me a few years ago. When I really learned the importance of SHORT term health.
See, when we don't know how health and weight loss works, we think that every SINGLE thing we eat will ruin all our progress. It is perfect or nothing! And that is just not how it works. Yes consistency is KEY however, perfection IS NOT! Perfection can actually cause you more harm than good because in the moments when perfect is not an option, you will resort to stress. And no matter how AMAZING you are eating, if you are filled with stress and anxiety over it - it will literally destroy your body.
So here I was in DR at La Ensenada - a local beach with TONS of food shacks. The specialty of all these shacks is fried fish but I wanted to get camarones al ajillo - shrimp in garlic sauce. I figured I would go for something that was not deep fried in oil. When I got the shrimp I noticed they were a little weird. As I got ready to eat them I noticed they were not cleaned well. I realized shrimp is more of a delicate seafood and needs more attention and cleaning than fish. That becomes more challenging in a place with no running water. I ended up returning the shrimp and letting them know how they were not clean. But it was TOO LATE!!!
That night I was in the bathroom every 20 minutes. The next morning I could just stomach saltine crackers.
After I sat with this experience - I decided that when I went back to La Ensenada or any beach town for that matter - I was going to get the deep fried fish - because in that circumstance it was indeed the healthiest option for my SHORT term health.
I did end up going back and enjoying a deep fried fish - with no shits on the side!
We only think if a food is going to make us “fat” or not. We rarely think about how food is going to make us feel.
- Will it make me bloated?
- Will it give me the shits?
- Will it cause me to be inflamed?
- Will it make me feel full?
- Will this help me feel energized or make me crash?
These are short term questions you should ask yourself when you are choosing something to eat. ONE meal is not going to make you “fat” or gain weight. However it will make you feel like shit or not that day or the next 3 days!
A lot of my clients go on vacation - eat what they want and enjoy a few cocktails - then come back SHOCKED that they didn’t gain weight. Some even lost a few pounds. That’s because 5-7 days of enjoying yourself is really not going to make a dent in the 5 months of consistency they have been committed to.
Yes, there is discipline and consistency that are needed to reach ANY goal - including weight loss, reducing bloating/ inflammation, healing chronic illness. It’s important to figure this part out too and have an understanding of what the expectations are.
It is just as important to know how to meet your immediate needs with the options you have available. Because guess what…JOY, COMMUNITY, RELAXATION, are also part of health and wellness. You need to keep in mind that it takes priority in those moments.
So yes, have the deep fried food that will most likely have all bacteria killed to a crisp! It IS the healthiest option for you to have under the circumstances. Squeeze all those fresh limes over it to help your digestive system manage the grease. Enjoy it, and move on with your life. Allow yourself the freedom and peace of not worrying if this one meal will make you fat or not.
What are your thoughts on this take on short term and long term health goals? I am excited to know!
If you have a hard time making food decisions, and being kind to yourself about it - I am happy to support you with this. It is where you need to start to then build with weight goals and health goals. If you are ready to chat, email me at hola@naihomyjerez.com :) Don't worry, there is really no commitment.
Xo,
Naihomy
