I've been on a health binge. Not a bad thing, right? In my obsessiveness to eat better, I'm finding that baking is the way to go. I've been making granola bars, biscotti, and breakfast cookies. Besides that, I've made my own croutons and salad dressing. I still have bad stuff, but I really don't crave it as much as before. I'm not sure if it's because I'm adding so much more fiber to my diet that I'm just satisfied. For instance, the breakfast cookies that I've been baking have pumpkin puree, which fills me up and still satisfies my sweet tooth. Another thing I've added to my diet is yogurt.
Besides the changes I've been making, I have a different outlook on food. I don't look at it as eating, but more like fueling. That mindset is making a tremendous difference. I eat food in order to keep my energy levels up not because I feel like eating. So every 4 hrs or so, I snack on something or if it's dinner time I eat a meal. If there's no time to eat, then I continue my snacking (this is for when I'm at work). I pack my purse with very healthy stuff (whatever I've been baking) and bring it to work. I no longer reach for a roll or french fries.
With school starting on Tuesday the 1st, I foresee myself snacking more than having meals at night. Monday through Wednesday, I will be working in the morning and driving directly to class. There really won't be time to sit down and have a meal. Once I get home, I'm not going to start cooking, either. I will have to have power snacks to help me throughout the day.
By the way, I came across an article (which of course I can't find now to link) that states that women should only have 6 teaspoons of sugar a day and men 8. What? I have 3 teaspoons of sugar in my coffee! The article basically spoke about how Americans eat way to much processed foods and we're unhealthy. If you want to have more sugar, then you should exercise that way you burn off the sugar.
How am I suppose to cut out sugar? I have no idea. The article scared me. My family has a history of diabetes. Is it inevitable for me? I'm not sure. But if 6 teaspoons of sugar is all we're suppose to have, then I'm in trouble. I don't know how I feel about using Splenda (which I use on occasion) instead of sugar. I want to eat natural foods and that's not natural. I'll have to do some research on this.
Anyway, that's what's been on my mind as of late. Until next time!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Eating Less and Being Healthy About it.
The other night, I waited on a mom with two young sons (around the ages of 10 and 12) who proudly proclaimed they were on a no carb diet. All three of them were very overweight. I pointed out to them the healthy options that were available and that were low carb. For starters, they each had an appetizer. Two of their entrees were casseroles without breadcrumbs and a surf and turf. They were having dinner at 10pm.
The problem is not the carbohydrates they're consuming, but the amount of food. People don't really realize how much food they eat. You should never finish a meal at a restaurant. It's too much food. I'm coming clean on this one. This morning, I had challah french toast at a diner and ate every little morsel. I did, however, get home and had a white plum as a snack and my dinner consisted of about 4 ounces of chicken breast with some couscous. I snacked on some homemade pita chips with hummus and took a bite out of a chocolate cake.
The family I waited on needs to learn how to eat less. It's not an easy task. I was very overweight for a long time. I taught myself to watch my portions. Are there days that I go overboard now? Of course. But my weight has been pretty steady for the past three years. Am I hungry now at 11pm at night? Yes. Will I eat? No.
The point is that eating less and healthier is an everyday task. If you're a food lover, you have to learn how to love other foods that are better for you. Most importantly, you have to learn how to eat less. A great way of eating healthier and less is by preparing your food for the day or even the week. For instance, today I baked honey pistachio biscotti (Ellie Krieger's recipe). I've been having a hard time with breakfast in the morning because of the lack of time and haven't been eating as much as I should, which has been leading to massive headaches. So, I baked these biscottis, which are low in fat and have breakfast for the next week. I also made spicy pita chips (Ellie Krieger's recipe) in order to have something to snack on. I'm set for this week.
I'm going to get into a habit of baking more of my stuff like chips and biscotti. I want to make my own granola bars. If Dan and I could stick to this, I'll feel good. If we teach Will good eating habits, then hopefully weight won't be an issue for him. Let's see!
The problem is not the carbohydrates they're consuming, but the amount of food. People don't really realize how much food they eat. You should never finish a meal at a restaurant. It's too much food. I'm coming clean on this one. This morning, I had challah french toast at a diner and ate every little morsel. I did, however, get home and had a white plum as a snack and my dinner consisted of about 4 ounces of chicken breast with some couscous. I snacked on some homemade pita chips with hummus and took a bite out of a chocolate cake.
The family I waited on needs to learn how to eat less. It's not an easy task. I was very overweight for a long time. I taught myself to watch my portions. Are there days that I go overboard now? Of course. But my weight has been pretty steady for the past three years. Am I hungry now at 11pm at night? Yes. Will I eat? No.
The point is that eating less and healthier is an everyday task. If you're a food lover, you have to learn how to love other foods that are better for you. Most importantly, you have to learn how to eat less. A great way of eating healthier and less is by preparing your food for the day or even the week. For instance, today I baked honey pistachio biscotti (Ellie Krieger's recipe). I've been having a hard time with breakfast in the morning because of the lack of time and haven't been eating as much as I should, which has been leading to massive headaches. So, I baked these biscottis, which are low in fat and have breakfast for the next week. I also made spicy pita chips (Ellie Krieger's recipe) in order to have something to snack on. I'm set for this week.
I'm going to get into a habit of baking more of my stuff like chips and biscotti. I want to make my own granola bars. If Dan and I could stick to this, I'll feel good. If we teach Will good eating habits, then hopefully weight won't be an issue for him. Let's see!
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