Food and Meals

21. Food and Meals, How to Keep Healthy
In our country daily meals usually start with breakfast, which consists of something to drink such as tea with sugar and lemon, cold or warm milk or a cocoa. Most people breakfast on several slices of bread, rolls or buns and butter, processed or natural cheese, eggs, ham, salami, jam and so on. We can also have something sweet. Quite a lot of people eat cereal or cornflakes with ingredients like yoghurt, chocolate, stewed fruit, walnuts, hazelnuts and so on. We must always remember that breakfast must be healthy, light and easily digestible.

Around noon it is lunchtime. Most people take their meals at the school canteen, or local canteen, but some people prefer going to a restaurant or having fast food in a McDonalds. But I assume that these meals are neither healthy nor substantial. Soups may be either vegetable (potato, tomato, pea, bean, carrot, parsley, celery, mushrooms) or meat teas (beef tea, tripe, chicken, hen). The main dish can be either sweet such as fruit dumplings or pancakes with jam and cream. Or we can have some meat (beef, pork, veal, mutton, lamb) with some vegetables such as potatoes, chips, rice, Czech dumpling, pasta or bread. More healthy fish and poultry are slowly replacing beef and pork. It’s healthy to drink at least one glass of mineral water, juice, tea or beer, after each meal. Scientists recommend drinking at least two litres of water per a day.

At six or seven in the evening comes time for dinner. At this time the entire family is usually together. We often prepare warm dishes. On some occasions we even go out to restaurants. There we can choose from a menu of various dishes. Roast pork with sauerkraut and dumplings, chicken with rice, fried pork chops with mashed potatoes, filet of fish with potato salad, roasted sirloin beef in sour cream sauce and Czech dumplings. For variety we can order a vegetable salad prepared from tomatoes or cucumbers, stewed fruits or a dessert.

While cooking we may add various spices such as garlic, marjoram, pepper, ketchup, vinegar, mustard, onions, and so on.

Inappropriate food is the cause of quite a few diseases. More frequent now are disorders of the digestive track, stomach and small and large intestine. It is noteworthy but not surprising, that young people are now suffering from these diseases. It is because of fast food. So we should always keep in mind also our health and not just listen to our stomach and the fact that we are hungry.

When you want to be slimmer you can try to go on a diet, but I don’t believe in them, because when you eat something with more calories, then all the weight you lost will be back again. It is better to eat more vegetables and fruits, cereal, and other low caloric and healthy food. And it is also better to eat your last meal before seven PM. Finally, when you sit and do nothing, then all the calories are turned into fat, so I can recommend that you should be more active.