Alternatives to Junk Food
A Fast Food Alternative
It's helpful to have something healthful (i.e. high in fiber and
nutrition, low in the "bad" fats, and without refined sugars / refined
grains) on hand which can be prepared instantly and without preparation.
Ideally it's something which is tasty and doesn't spoil.
What works for me is to get cans of water-packed tuna from Costco, and
cans of garbanzo beans from the local grocery store. Open two cans of
each, drain the water, mix it all together, heat for two minutes in the
microwave, and top with Huy Fong "Chili Garlic Sauce."
Pair with an apple for desert and a glass of cool water, and you're
done: nutritious, inexpensive, easy, and filling.
Note that this didn't even require a refrigerator, much less a stove.
A Sugary Soft Drink Alternative
The problem with regular sugary soft drinks is that they're
purely empty calories which don't even do a good job of
satisfying hunger. So, even if you dispute the arguments about excess
sugar consumption eventually leading to health risks, you must admit
that these are daily calories which are basically being unnecessarily
added on top of the rest of your day's consumption. In short, they're a
habit well worth your time to break.
One possibility is to replace your regular 12oz soft drink cans with
12oz cans of V8 vegetable juice, which can be purchased in bulk at shops
such as Costco. Each one contains only half the calories of the
same-sized can of a regular sugar-based soft drink, PLUS just that one
can satisifies over half of your daily requirement of Vitamin A as well
as your ENTIRE daily requirement of Vitamin C, PLUS you get some protein
and fiber, PLUS your hunger gets partially satisifed (according to the
book Volumetrics, apparently studies have shown that thick
vegetable juices such as V8 satisfy hunger more easily than other kinds
of caloric drinks).
Particularly if you tend to skip breakfast, making a habit of having one
of these first thing in the morning could make your body awfully happy
with you.
Then, of course, there's water: a Brita filter kept filled with cool
water in the fridge is an excellent health convenience.
A Restaurant Alternative: My Ultra-Healthy Chicken Adobo Recipe
The Ingredients
- 9 skinless/boneless chicken breasts (the frozen ones at Costco are
economical and convenient, they can be thawed in 4 min in microwave, and
should keep up to six months in the freezer)
- 3/4 cup distilled white vinegar (store away from light and heat,
should keep almost indefinitely)
- 1/2 cup soy sauce (should keep almost indefinitely, but refrigerate
after opening)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper (should keep almost indefinitely)
- 2 tsp salt (should keep almost indefinitely)
- 1 tsp crushed garlic (if jarred, then refrigerate after opening)
- 2 bay leaves (if stored in a cool dry place may keep for up to a a
year)
- 3 cups of domestic long-grain brown rice (store the sealed package
in a cool dry place, and once package is opened store remaining rice in
an airtight container in the refrigerator where it should keep for up to
six months, depending on the quality of the rice and your local
environment)
- Huy Fong Sriracha hot sauce (or whatever your preferred hot sauce
may be)
The Process
Cut the chicken into 1 inch cubes. Combine all the ingredients (except
for the rice and the hot sauce) in a 4 quart saucepan, stir to mix
ingredients and coat, cover the saucepan, and allow to marinate for 1/2
hour. Now put the rice in your rice cooker, add 2 cups of water per cup
of rice (or whatever your rice cooker's instructions indicate), level
the rice, and turn on the cooker. Then bring the contents of the 4 quart
saucepan to a boil over medium heat, stir/toss once, lower heat and
simmer (covered) for 30 minutes, and finally turn off the heat and
remove/discard the bay leaves. Allow to sit. Once the rice is done, pour
the entire contents of the saucepan in the rice cooker and stir/mix
thoroughly. Serve with the Sriracha hot sauce as a condiment.
The Background
The manner of cooking and seasoning for the meat in this recipe was
inspired by chicken adobo, the national dish of the Philippines.
However, thoroughly mixing the resulting cooked meat with brown rice,
and pairing it with Thai hot sauce, are sharp depatures from the
traditional Filipino recipe which inspired it.