OS is totally motivating me to set some goals and to just get moving!
One of my goals is food related. I really want to make good decisions around food - eat healthy, unprocessed foods the majority of the time. Sure, there will be a time for treats and not-so-healthy stuff now and again, but I really want the majority of my food to be healthy and nourishing. I think I'll have better sucess in the long term if that is how I approach it.
I actually bought two books by Gillian McKeith, the fiesty little Scottish lady that we were talking about in the comments a few posts back. I really enjoy her two tv shows and was pleasantly surprised to find two of her books in my local health food store!At first glance, her books are quite interesting. Lots of colourful pictures of food and not alot of boring science studies. She also seems to focus on just getting in lots of variety in fresh, wholesome foods. No calorie counting or measuring serving sizes or anything like that.
This week I made a big effort to plan out some food and make sure I have enough for lunches and snacks at work. I also need to step out of my comfort zone and try some different foods - I tend to get bored easily in most things I do, so stepping outside my boundaries and working on some new recipes and foods should help with that problem.
So my food-related goals are something like this:
- try a new recipe every week
- experiment with new foods as much as possible. Things I want to try? Grains - barley, quinoa; Beans - black, aduki, etc. and more vegetables. I get tired of carrots, peppers and broccoli after awhile.
- write up a loose meal plan for the week, so I can buy the food on the weekend and have lots of meals and snacks ready for work so I don't buy junk food
- enjoy my food - I like cooking, so why not make it something enjoyable instead of a chore?
- try and eat more organic food where possible
- cut down on sugar
This list sounds kind of dauting at first, but I'm really feeling like those items are realistic for me. I already do some of the things some of the time, but I would like to be more consistent. And planning food out helps me resist temptation when I am out and about.
What do you guys like to eat? Are you a picky eater? Is that limiting or helping you? (I know I can be picky - I don't like eggs, milk, fish and seafood!) Are you trying to just eat less, or change your eating habits all together? What are your favourite healthy foods/recipes? Does anyone buy organic or do you think it is a waste of money?
Talk to me! :-)
7 comments:
Laura,
Come stay with me for a week or two! I'll have you eating more veggies in no time! And I love barley! But, I usually have it in soup. Better than rice, better than pasta in my soups!
There are some things Gillian does that I just couldn't bring myself to do. Give up coffee? NO WAY! Of course, I only have 2 cups a day max. Drink her homemade juices? No thanks, think I'll pass...
I bought nori because of her. I was going to try her sushi rolls which are made with avocado (which I don't like), but have yet to bring myself to do it.
As for organic, we buy organic when we can, if it's in the budget. Fruits and veggies are the things we're focused on. There's a list here:
http://gourmetfood.about.com/od/slowfoodorganiclocal/a/organicproduce.htm
I'll be putting in a big garden this spring. I'm hoping that we'll be growing most of our own produce from now on. But, maybe I should save my thoughts on this for another blog post!
I'm a picky eater... kinda holds me back. As I've revealed before - I have a sweet tooth. A lot of veggies are either too bitter or too bland for me. And on the other hand I only like certain fruits. There are some that I'd like to try but they seem almost intimidating (dragon fruit??)
Trying to get back to it but I feelk like I'm chasing my tail in circles healthwise. There was the back, then the foot and now my headaches/migraines are getting out of control. I think I should go see the doctor. Pie came home one day and I was curled up on the bed crying. Not just crying but sobbing. All I could say, over and over, was "It hurts. It hurts and it won't stop." He knew it was bad because I don't cry at the drop of a hat (from pain at least) Even when I sliced my arm open I only started to cry out of shock when I couldn't get the blood to stop (ooooh, and I looked in the sink at the blood pooling there, that was NOT cool!)
Back to the headaches, yesterday AND today I had to pull over while driving because I felt dizzy and nauseous.
**sigh** Seeing it in writing reinforces my thinking I should go to the doctor. :(
I find the exercise half of it easier than the diet half. My issues with food are that I have to be able to prepare it fast, eat it fast, and it had better fill me up, because I won't have to time eat again for several more hours. I like salads, but can easily spend an hour chewing away at the leaves only to feel hungrier afterward than when I started. If any of you have suggestions on healthy foods that fill you up, let me know and I'll give them a try.
Cdn- Get Thee to a doctor! Stat! Seriously, it could be a bigger picture issue.
Nuzzling Muzzles- I'll probably write a blog post just for you soon.
OS - I don't blame you for not wanting to give up coffee! I don't drink it personally, but I know lots that do. I guess the big problem is if you are drinking 10 venti double cream mocha extra syrup whatevers from Starbucks, the calories really add up...
I would actually like to try some of the juices, but don't want to invest in a juicer. I also think it is better to just eat the fruit and veg instead of drinking the calories...
Cdn - please go to the dr. when you get a chance! Migraines are serious and maybe there is a deeper problem, or at least you can get some medication that helps prevent them from being really bad!
NuzMuz - filling food that is fast - oatmeal? yogurt with uncooked oats? Eggs/omelet with veggies? Multigrain bread and PB?
Not sure how fast you need - do you have time to cook say on the weekend (stews, chili, soups) and then have stuff leftover to heat up when you are busy with work??? That's what seems to work for me, but I don't have your crazy work schedule...
Oh, I forgot - OS - so cool that you are putting in a big garden! I grew up with a big garden, but don't have enough sunny space to do much at my house in the city. :-(
Laura - You hit on most of the ones I've been relying on lately -- oatmeal, multigrain bread with PB... I stopped eating yogurt because it was like eating air for me, but I guess if I mix something in it, I may fill up more. I haven't been making something like stew on the weekend and eating leftovers all week, but I'll give that a try. Thanks.
OS - I look forward to your post.
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