The first few days of this hitch on the REM
Installer, I had massive shocks to my system. I pride myself on eating fairly
well at home (every one has bad days), which includes cooking with healthy oils
and eating fresh meat. Every time i go on a hitch offshore, my body
completely rejects the food at first. I think the main reason I have a problem
adjusting to the food is because of the cheap cooking oils used and the processed
meat that is prepared.
Typically, a vessel can be offshore for 2-3
weeks (in some cases longer) before receiving a crew boat providing new food
supplies. When the crew includes anywhere from 60-100 people the grocery bill
doesn’t usually have healthy and therefore pricier food options.
The meat has to come in large/frozen
quantities to last until the next crew boat arrives. As we all know the longer
the food is good for, the higher the chance it’s processed. You do the
math. Besides the meat, cooked vegetables are also a problem. They are cooked
in massive amounts of butter and salt. Always. This is also a lot different than what I’m used to at home because I
normally just steam my vegetables and eat them plain.
It’s a sort of ‘take what you can get’
situation, I have to eat and therefore have to eat what’s made for me. I’m not
a vegetarian (and don’t believe in it) but since I know the meat served on the
boat isn’t all that great for me, my meal portions normally include ½ fresh
vegetables, ¼ cooked vegetables and ¼ meat.
Even with these meal portions, my body
hates me at the beginning of a hitch. My stomach will feel empty and/or in
knots, I get light headed, have headaches and this time around I also got
physically ill. Even though I did have
these side effects, they were a lot less this time around and I think these
meal portions are still the best option for me while I’m at sea. This really goes to show what eating crappy food will do to you! I'm such a guinea pig.
Jess.
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