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| Cheetos, while delicious, don't make a very filling running fuel. Who knew? |
If I had to put a label on my preferences, I would say I'm a combination of "almost-vegetarian" and "That looks delicious! I'll have some of that!"
Here are some things key points I consider when deciding what and how to eat:
There aren't any rules regarding specific foods. The moment I make a food off-limits is the moment I become fixated on my deprivation and eating (or not eating something) should never feel like a punishment. Waiters look at me funny when I order an egg white omelet with extra bacon or order a salad and milkshake together.
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| Danishes filled with M&Ms are yummy. |
Avoid things with excessive packaging. I buy the quart of yogurt rather than buying the individual portion sizes. I try to buy things wrapped in recyclable containers, or better yet, no container at all. This is often the cheaper option, too.
Prioritize homemade foods. Since I spend more time at home than the average person, I get a lot more quality time with my kitchen. Creating something myself makes the eating part so much more enjoyable. By assembling meals myself, I can further understand and control what goes into each bite. For example, I don't add salt to anything except french fries. I don't realize how seldom I eat salty meals until I go out for dinner and constantly have to flag down the waiter and ask for more water. If the restaurant is busy, it's not unusual for me to ask for an entire pitcher of water so I don't run out, and then end up drinking the entire thing before the bill comes.
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| Roast chicken and vegetables: one of my "I'm feeling lazy" meals. |
Savor meals and take note of how each food makes me feel. If something makes me feel heavy or sick, I'm more likely to avoid it in the future. I seldom drink and rarely overeat because I pay attention to how my body reacts. With all the scientific study done on nutrition, one would think proper nutrition is a huge mystery, but it's really is as simple as recognizing and listening to our bodies' signals.
When my garden isn't producing most of my vegetables, I shop based on what's in season. If something doesn't look good at the store, I don't buy it. Going with an open mind regarding produce selection is cheaper and makes cooking more of an adventure. For example, if the squash looks particularly delicious, I'll snap those up and look for recipes at home. I keep enough staple items around that this doesn't require an additional trip to the grocery store.
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| I heart my little garden. |
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| My most photogenic meal, by far, is the breakfast crepe. |
Avoid eating the same thing every day. While it's certainly easier to stick to my favorite recipes and have Matt make fun of me for getting into food ruts, I truly enjoy expanding my recipe repertoire. One of my goals for 2016 is to devote a month to learning how to prepare a different new food. This month, I'm focusing on vegetarian protein sources. Nuts and cheese are so delicious together!
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| Mushroom Nut Loaf: one of the new recipes I've tried lately. |
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| It could use a little more spice to it but the texture and foundation flavors were excellent. |
I don't prioritize organics. Matt and I have been back and forth on this issue throughout our entire marriage. While I believe that it's important to buy organic for certain things like dairy products and produce that is hard to clean (like berries), I feel completely silly buying organic junk food. If I'm going to eat garbage, I'm going all in! Hellooooo Dairy Queen!
One area where I eat a lot of processed food is running fuel. Aside from its convenient packaging, I find gels much easier to eat when I'm racing hard on the road. I can't chew and run fast at the same time. I've tried and most of the time I either end up choking or drooling more than is acceptable in public.
When I trail race, I'm running for a longer period of time and am moving more slowly so I can eat more real foods. Most of the time, I let my inner five year old take over and I often end up with a sleeve of Oreos, gummy bears, and/or a Snickers bar stuffed in my pack. Others, like the photo below, feature a much more grown up choice like homemade pizza or a sandwich.
In general, I try my very best to make mindful choices for myself while keeping food fun.
Tell me about your diet. Do you follow a specific one (vegetarian, Paleo, etc.) or is yours a mixture of several, less specific ideas?
How do you make eating fun? What do you prioritize?
5 comments:
food choices are so interesting to me! I love to cook but hate to shop, so I get into food ruts all the time, simply because I end up with my default set of ingredients on hand.
also, my kids are JUST getting to the age where I can be a bit more adventurous. and yes, I know there are plenty of moms out there whose kids eat everything they make, but mine never were those kids. my youngest is autistic, and I'd end up making the same thing ALL the time, just so he'd eat. and now, I've been in that habit for so long, I'm finding it hard to get out of that mindset.
I feel like so many people just follow the herd to a new fad. I love to bake so I am not giving it up despite the people who sneer at added sugar. I have to admit, when I go on my long section hikes it's kind of freeing to be able to eat exactly what I feel like and not consider how PC or how many calories it is. I never had to worry about calories until probably five years ago. Now I have to count them.
I definitely think people get way too crazy about diet and go to unnecessary extremes. My approach is pretty similar to yours. I fall squarely into the flexitarian (which I guess is 'almost vegetarian!') category. I don't cook meat at home (except occasionally bacon in the weekends) but I often eat meat when I'm travelling or eating out. Other than that I basically just make food with a ton of veggies. But I also eat dessert almost every night because life is too short!
It sounds like you have figured out what works best for you! Eating mindfully and listening to one's body is what is most important I think. I have been vegan, vegetarian, paleo and in the end, as long as I am listening to what my body needs (and doesn't need) I feel my best. Generally, it is so sugar and no processed food. (But I am definitely not a long distance runner. ;))
Bobbi, I'm excited for you and your brood to try new things. What's your favorite family meal?
Mary, Your approach is similar to mine. It's nice to be a little more lax when exercising a lot. I always liked the saying, "Get the fire hot enough and it will burn anything." The key is to make that an exception rather than the rule. I saw your most recent section hike is in my reader, I need to swing by and check it out.
Molly, I love the term flexitarian.
Tina, I agree! Listening to our bodies is always key. I've got friends who follow all those different diets, some for medical reasons and some not. I love picking their minds for new food ideas. :)
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