Some people adore shopping, others enjoy sport and many enjoy makeup, but I, Áine Marie Monk, am a self-confessed foodaholic.
Be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner time, I may be seen consuming a mountain of cereal and milk.
No food is left uneaten in my house if I have anything to do with it!
Now, as I attempt to adopt a healthier, more balanced diet and lifestyle, I have begun to notice more and more advertisements for food and the dreaded deals offered by fast food outlets.
One cannot simply stroll by a deli without marveling at diet destroying deals such as a chicken fillet roll (with three fillings, might I add…) for €1.99. How can they offer such an Irish institution at an out-of-this-world price?! It must be some sort of sorcery….
I must bypass the brilliance of the EuroSaver Menu. How can six McNuggets be only €2?! That’s a whole lot cheaper than buying the meal (why isn’t anyone talking about this? Or even setting up a price-comparison site).
The next obstacle in my quest to become fit and healthy is the cheap-as-chips menu displayed upon the door of chippers across the capital. Why would I bother to slave over the stove when I can step over the threshold and take up an offer of €5 for a pizza and a drink or even a kebab and chips for €5 (if seeking the early-bird menu and opting to eat before 5).
My Fitness Pal and I aren’t on the best of terms these days as he/she appears to get great joy out of popping up out of the blue and resting upon the notifications bar of my phone.
I am never offered a kind salutation or word of encouragement, just a notice that I had not logged my breakfast or lunch and to do so. How could I log my 3 bowls of cereal, two apples and a banana when I know it would upset the app itself? I think that in this case, for now, denial is best!
Despite Aldi’s super 6 offers, I find it terribly traumatising to dodge the dreaded sweets aisle.
Sure, I could just eat the bag of marshmallows on the way home, the exercise will cancel out the calories for sure!
The biggest challenge of all is to go to Dealz and exit the shop having only bought cleaning products and no confectionary.. I am always tempted by the promise of 12 Kinder bars for €1.49.
During the time it has taken me to write this, I have eaten a bowl of Tesco’s Own Brand Cereal (I have dubbed it the ‘Special K of students’) as well as a Vanilla Muller Light.
I suppose it could be argued that these foods are not awfully unhealthy, but as with most thing in life, everything in moderation.
By Áine Marie Monk
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