I love food. All food. Which is why yesterday's post about being exercise "challenged" is so necessary. I have a decent amount of self-control when it comes to portion sizes. I'm content with always getting the junior sized ice cream and I prefer the dream delight flavors with the no fat, no sugar, no idea what's actually in it, over the regular homemade ice cream. However I have recently decided to consider myself a Master Grazer, meaning I'm great with self-control until there's a pitch-in or party with friends and then somehow all my portions and ability to hold back goes completely out the window. I'm one of those people who could easily make a meal, a very unhealthy and unbalanced meal, out of cheese spreads, crackers, olives, wine, more cheese dips, throw in some vegetables because I'm healthy right?
I also have a killer sweet tooth. Chocolate covered yeast donuts are one of the finer things in life. You're either a yeast donut person or a cake donut person and I am definitely anti-cake donuts. If I wanted cake, I'd eat cake!
I've tried many different nutrition platforms over the years. I started caring about nutrition sometime after I think I OD'd on hamburger helper in college. I basically lived on that stuff and now the thought of smelling it just makes me want to gag. Not to mention the fact that it's all so incredibly processed and nothing in it is natural in any way. Sorry hamburger helper lovers of the world. I was on your team for a while but I have since learned the ways of the healthier world. I gradually learned about eating organic vs non-GMO and started looking into HOW food was made and studying food labels at the grocery store. It can be overwhelming at first to try to navigate between low-sodium, fat free, sugar free, low carb, paleo, gluten-free, organic, farm raised, wild caught, vegan... I get it. It's tough for anyone unless you really know what you're going after and why. Fat free can be great, unless you're on the keto diet or unless you don't need the added sodium they might have in there to replace the fat that used to be there. And do you know how many things have added sugar in them for absolutely no reason?! Ever read the label to your son's easy mac? No cheese is listed and they've added sugar. WHY? WHY EASY MAC?
There's also so many diets or lifestyles out there now it's crazy.
Paleo, which is eating basically as the cavemen ate. To loosely sum that up for you, it means meats, veggies, eggs, fruits, nuts and seeds. No dairy or grains or legumes and definitely no processed foods. I've tried to stick to a mainly paleo diet for a few years now however I enjoy wine. This will come up more in future posts but Jesus drank wine and as the wonderful older lady on the Ellen show so many years ago said, "I love Jesus but I drink a little". So that trips me up when I'm trying to stay paleo.
I've also tried to stay gluten-free over the years. Not because I have a tested and proven allergy, but because it just doesn't seem to be something my stomach agrees with eating. I feel bloated like a puffer fish when I eat gluten. I love gluten. Gluten does not love me. One of the many joys of getting older seems to be narrowing out the foods you can't eat anymore. Scratch mushrooms off my list too because the reaction of eating those is just awful.
I also try to avoid unnecessary added sugars. They do not need to put that stuff in everything! I think Americans definitely consume way more sugar than they should and I would bet that they don't even realize they're doing it. They make lots of sugar free items but then again, watch out for added other items because the sugar free item might now be way higher in sodium which could be an issue for some.
I've also tried the keto diet. This one was something I wanted to love so badly but given all my years of studying nutrition, I could not mentally wrap my mind around eating a half pound of bacon every day with tons of cheese and "fat bombs". I'm all for eating the healthy fats like your coconut or olive oils but just shoving 6 pieces of bacon in my mouth for breakfast and limited my vegetables, was something I couldn't do. Sounds odd I know. I've also had heartburn thanks to kiddo #2 when I eat anything outside the paleo diet. The logic of the keto diet made sense when considering how your body stores fat and uses it for fuel, but I eventually decided vegetables were not my enemy and I needed that green leafy fiber in my life.
I'm not a nutritionist and you should definitely do you research before you decide to make a lifestyle change. These are just some of the things I've tried and wanted to share my experiences with you. Ultimately, nutrition is key to a healthier life. Working out is great, lots more posts on that, but "abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym" as said by many smart people. It's true. I love eating and I love cooking and I'm going to share some favorite recipes as well as cooking tips in future posts so make sure to subscribe so you can follow my journey to a healthier life!
XOXO
Ashley
Comments