M

y path toward a healthy eating habit, I have to admit, only started three years ago. Before that, I could not have cared less.

It was during this time, three years ago, I went on an extended holiday to my boyfriend’s home country, England. Since living expenses there were unbelievably high, most of the time we had to cook our own meals.

Every time we cooked, my boyfriend refused to eat fried food or use salt, which meant that our meals often ended up tasting plain.

At the time, I found it confusing — what was the point of eating when we could not enjoy it? I felt miserable but he insisted that fried food and salt only clogged arteries and increased the chances of a heart attack.

So, I weighed up my options and looked around. It struck me that most elderly people in England were strong and healthy and more than capable of hard work in and around the house. Could this have anything to do with their dietary choice? I thought so and at that moment, I decided to learn more.

Returning to Indonesia, I researched further. I read anything I could find on natural remedies, cooking preparation and organic food.

I collected many interesting facts about how our food is actually sourced. For example, the use of pesticides to protect crops from pests: In the back of my mind, I could not help thinking that if flies, insects and caterpillars would not eat these fruit and vegetables, why should we?

Take rice and sugar as another example. I know we love to buy the whitest as it looks “pure and clean”. In reality, looks can be deceiving — many are refined, laced with “whitener” to get the desired look. This led me on to thinking about the use of growth hormones and other additives.

My path got a boost after meeting Suki Zoe, a raw foodie. Raw foodies are more extreme than vegans or vegetarians. They believe that raw foods contribute beneficial nutrients and enzymes that are essential for our body to produce energy.

Heating food to temperatures more than 47.77 degree Celsius kills enzymes and creates toxins that can lead to several diseases.

Zoe told me about the advantages of consuming vegetables to our colon, a crucial part of the digestion system.

So, I popped a burning question — why not eat fish? Her answer took me by surprise.

“Can you show me a clean ocean?”

From that day on, five days a week I try to consume more raw vegetables and less meat — not just a small portion of lalapan fresh vegetables like I used to. I now replace my regular nasi campur rice dish with a big bowl of mixed leafy salad. On the weekend, I do eat normally.

Since changing my diet, I realized that I hardly ever get sick, my mind is clearer, my skin glows and I feel fit.

Although it is up to us to choose what kind of lifestyle and food we have, if we eat well, we can have a much better life.

I do think we can change the way we eat — starting with ourselves first and then, maybe, passing it to the family. Besides, it’s not expensive — vegetables are cheaper than meat, and even better if you can grow your own food or source it locally from your neighborhood so you know how the food is grown.

Your health starts from your own kitchen and like British writer Virginia Woolf said, “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well”.

— Intan Tanjung