This is a blog about healthy eating (and drinking)…both informed by conversations and articles read in Australia earlier this year. Maybe some ideas to SWP (steal with pride)?  You decide.

[Health warning – this might seem a bit surreal after some recent ‘heavy’ topics. But in the words of the film, ‘Notting Hill’, hopefully “Surreal, but nice!”]

One thing I am finding helpful is what I call the 4:3 nutrition rule…not the 2 day a week fasting diet fad. Nor the ‘no booze during the week’ mantra. Rather, thinking of a few things to avoid Monday to Thursday…such as wheat products (bread and beer). Seems to work really well for fine tuning the balance between exercise and ingestion.

One thing that has wheat in it, is beer. I play drums in a band. I like drinking beer when gigging. I drum up quite a thirst – literally, but don’t want too much beer (alcohol and calories that is – the fluid is ok). A leading Australian educationalist shared with me the idea of diluting beer with soda water…a tip I find very useful. See what you (or someone you know who likes beer) makes of what I call The Oz Beer Trick. It works on the basis of the boiling frog analogy – how we don’t really notice subtle changes going on around us. It works with cocktails too – and I think I can use with wine if I am careful.

So what is it and how does it work?

1) Order a pint of soda or sparkling water with your beer (soda water is free in most pubs in the UK).

2) As you drink the beer top up the glass with soda every couple of mouthfuls.

3) The Beer gets progressively weaker, but in a way that you don’t really notice.

4) You end up having what feels like 2 pints of beer, but is in fact one.

5) You get to just over 1% alcohol, but don’t really notice the weaker taste…the impact is still there, it is almost homeopathic.

If you want a bit more on the maths behind this, let me know and I will share a spread sheet!

Ps

And why “Venn in Action”? – two reasons

1) The band and beer angle of the main text

2) And I am in Australia at the moment – and have a band practice next Monday when home – but sans beer (as it is a Monday : ))

Pps

For those who like Venn thinking – you will love this.

Tags: behaviour, health