My eating habits are rather neophilic.

2026 Day 175. #PersonalDays.

Since 2022, I have travelled to multiple countries, and had the good fortune of trying out even more cuisines thanks mostly to Dublin and London. From korean sugar coated corndogs to roti canai to escargot to fish and chips to paella to chimichangas and horchata, I have had a good time tasting all of these things and more.

A good appetite built in school days and a love for food meals with me usually look like a massive spread. Imagine a Turkish breakfast. Below is exactly what it looks like.

Having all of this at the banks of Bosphorous after a night of drinking in Beşiktaş is an experience I would love to have all over again.

“I eat to live and not live to eat, except on vacation.”

My meals outside are rather grand. I do not necessarily splurge, but I like to try as many things as I can when I am trying out a new cuisine. It’s almost like an obsessive need that I must satisfy.

My meals at human offer a stark contrast. I do not eat because I am excited for breakfast, or lunch, or dinner, I am just happy enough to get some food in when I need it. At times I was trying to cut weight and preferred low calories condiments, fat free yogurt, etc. and even carefully considered my portion sizes. Even when I was trying to gain weight my meals were planned around hitting my macros.

One might find calorie counting problematic, it could signal an eating disorder. Anything taken to the extreme is bad, calorie counting, drinking, religion, but in moderation it helps you. I have heard often from my peers that I must “enjoy the food that I am eating”.

How can I enjoy all food, all the time?

When the flavours are new and I like them, I can obsess over them for a bit, but eventually I settle back into my normal diet.

I grew up on home cooked meals that did not always taste great. When I went to college and had to cook for myself, I inadvertently defined what my diet would look like for the rest of my life. I looked for one-pot meals, a lot of marinading and seasoning for flavour, and focussed on nutritional value over taste.

I increased the amount of protein on a general basis. I aimed for consistency in my cooking and the taste. I wanted to have reliable food that is healthier and aligned with my muscle building or fat cutting phases.

Even though I liked trying out new cuisines, I was never big on cooking. I enjoyed cooking only when it was a social activity, cooking a meal for match day or so on but never for myself. Aiming for consistency in taste, I would have the same three (or very similar) meals endlessly.

I eat at home with a purpose. I eat outside for the experience. Even still I chase newer ones over the things I have tried before. This was rather interesting to me. I could not define my preferences earlier because I did not understand them myself.

Food is a great part of my life and I am glad I have understood just how important good diet is for our daily lives, overall fitness, and in experiencing new cultures.

Recently my dermatologist asked me to cut out as much milk and milk based products I could from my life. It was a little difficult in the beginning because I had absolutely adored it.

This led me down the rabbit hole of fermented drinks, dairy and non-dairy. I am a bigger fan of organic fermented drinks like chach, lassi, kombucha, kanji that taste great, have a bit of carbonation, and are easy to make.

I am happy to be blessed with some sensibility, some love and good metabolism. I almost want to try a mukbang, but I fear it would be rather detrimental.

Having a healthy relationship with food is really important. A healthy relationship does not mean that you have no control over you diet, it means eating good and exercising restraint when required. Based on your personal preferences and biological traits, this can look very different for other people.

Minimise food wastage, and maximise healthy choices. Diet is not just “eating less”, it could also mean eating more, it simply means a meal plan that you are sticking with. Go to a nutritionist for help if you cannot plan one yourself.

See you tomorrow.