Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Introductory Hor D'oeuvres

Hello readers!

I dedicate this blog to all of those readers who, like myself, came to Thailand (or perhaps Asia in general) hoping to maintain a healthy diet, and, unfortunately discovered the difficulty in meeting this goal. This blog is meant to help those in Thailand, and other places where it applies, to stay healthy despite all of the tempting Asian delicacies that flood the streets, convenience stores, and every place in between.

Getting Personal
Before I came to Asia, I would have classified myself as very health conscious, even while in college. Though beer pong almost never contributes to a healthy lifestyle, I took the other aspects of nutrition seriously: a low-fat, high-fit dietary regiment and frequent trips to the gym. However, upon moving to Thailand after graduation, I was shocked into the realization that--gasp--maintaining this sort of health routine would not be possible without a lot of the Western comforts I had come to hold so dear. As I walked down the street in my first few weeks in Thailand, I was amazed and tempted by the infinite array of battered, fried, and sugar-coated foods that littered the carts on the sidewalk. Like most foreigners, I dug in. With most street snacks costing less that $1 USD, why not? Unfortunately, these snacks began to cause problems...all over my body. Soon, after feeling pubescent because my body was changing in ways I didn't (and still don't) understand, I decided to become proactive in recreating the healthy diet that I had enjoyed at home while still adjusting to the Thai nutritional way.

I hope this blog will interest and help those like me to remain trim in Thailand!