I hear this question frequently. May I eat ....?

I will normally first respond with..."what do you think?" and in most instances people will say, " I am not sure, but maybe I should not".

You could get hungry (or feel hunger pains) if you do not get enough protein. Protein, of course, warrants a total discussion on its own. for one or other reason we do not get enough protein. On average we need between 80 gram and 150 gram of protein a day and sportspeople may require even more than that.

Iy you do not get enough protein, the body will react in one of a few ways. You may feel weak, hungry, sleepy or tired. Our natural tendency is to grab hold of something that will give us quick energy. It could be coffee, but in many instances it will be a cooldrink, like your Coca Cola, Fanta, Stoney or something similar. It could also be a piece of bread with jam or something else on top. It may also be a sandwhich or chips, pasta or pizza.

We never grab a banana or an apple first, but we go for the other alternatives.

So, as a general rule, if you want to know if you should eat something, ask these questions:

1) am I thirsty or hungry? (so drink a glass of water first)
2) is this a protein (e.g. fish or chicken or almonds)? If it is, eat this now?
3) Is this a vegetable? If yes, eat it
4) is this a bad starch (carbohydrate, like bread, pasta, piza, cake, rusk ... anything made from white flour) ... then don't eat this?
5) is this a better starch (apple, banana, orange etc)? Eat this sparingly after you have had some protein...

You could boil an egg in water as it contains a good amount of protein, but there could be around 90 calories in one egg. You could eat meat, but make sure it is as lean as possible.

So, pretzels, chips, pizza, pasta is out when you are losing weight.

Beware of the sauces or dressings for salads as it may contain more calories per spoon than one boiled egg!


So you may eat anything, but not if you want to lose weight quickly! Then stick to water, protein, veggies, fruit (sparingly).