You Are What You Eat

Via

I didn't make some new years resolution to lose weight, get in shape, be healthier or really anything at all. Scott and I sort of stumbled into a relatively new lifestyle and it just so happened to fall right around the start of a new year. We each had doctors appointments shortly before Christmas. Scott's was just a regular physical and mine was for a relentless rash under my arms. Our appointments told us two different things about our health and our lives, and each bit of news spurred us toward healthier choices, particularly in our diets. Being the awesome team that we are, we have both embraced the goals and changes of the other.

Scott discovered that he has high blood pressure. It's most likely genetic because he already exercises regularly and eats fairly well. The doctor said it's "not if, but when" he'll have to go on medication. But he said Scott is really too young to be on it, and the goal right now should be to make changes that can hopefully prolong the amount of time before he has to start it. In addition to his regular exercise, Scott has decided to significantly reduce the amount of sodium in his diet. (When I use the word "diet," I mean it in the sense of what we regularly eat in order to live...he's not going on any particular type of diet in the way that most people think of the word.)

My doctor confirmed what I had already suspected from my obsessive Googling. I have something called Candida Overgrowth, which basically means my body has too much yeast. There are a lot of ways this can affect your body. One is the way that might immediately come to mind for ladies. For me, it's mostly a persistent rash under my arms. It doesn't sound like that big a deal, but I promise you an excessively itchy, ugly rash for months on end is no fun at all! In addition to some temporary medications and creams, the long-term solution is to greatly reduce (or even eliminate) sugar in my diet (yeast thrives on sugar!). I could never fully eliminate sugar! And that includes things that break down into sugar after you eat it (breads, pastas, alcohol, etc...). So, I'm not giving up all that stuff, but I'm looking for ways to significantly decrease how much of it I consume on a regular basis.

Neither of us realized how much sodium and sugar we were consuming daily. We started reading labels and really thinking about what is in our food. It was shocking really. I can't even imagine how much sugar I was eating every day! From my morning cereal, to my turkey sandwich at lunch, to whatever we ate for dinner (generally at least partially processed or pre-packaged), to our nightly frozen yogurt dessert! And the amount of sodium in things we didn't even think twice about, like seasoning packets for tacos and chili or a box of rice, is truly astonishing!

The easy answer has not been to go nuts reading labels. The easy answer has been to eat whole foods that take the mystery out of it. Fruits and vegetables are healthy. No reading and deciphering ingredients needed! Between smoothies, juicing, and just incorporating more fresh fruits and veggies into every meal, we have increased our produce purchasing to being over half our grocery bill and the majority of our shopping cart! It has been SO nice to not spend as much time going up and down each aisle at the grocery store!

Some other healthy things we have incorporated into our diets that you won't find in produce include: chia seeds, almonds, dried fruit (used sparingly...there can be a lot of sugar in those), quinoa, nut butters, Greek yogurt, coconut milk, coconut oil, and loads of spices and seasonings that don't include salt!

Pinterest has become a wonderful tool. I used to not like Pinterest. I felt like it was a waste of time and mostly just led to self-loathing and bitterness because I would spend time just pinning pretty pictures of things I would never own, never do, and never cook or bake. I never referenced recipes that I pinned, and most of what I pinned was extremely unhealthy desserts. But now I'm using it so much more effectively! We have been trying out 2-3 new recipes a week and honestly haven't had a bad one yet. It has been fun choosing new recipes together, making something new together, and discovering how delicious non-processed, fresh, whole foods can taste! I'm enjoying all the new flavors and I especially love how much healthier I feel as a result. I'm no longer bloated and uncomfortable, I'm thinner and trimmer than before, and even my skin and hair are more vibrant!

Here is what a typical day of food looks like for me (during the work week):

Breakfast: Green banana smoothie -- banana, peanut butter (have been using PB2 for smoothies), coconut milk, plain Greek yogurt, spinach, cilantro, chia seeds, drizzle of honey {today I did the same thing but also included a small amount of unsweetened cocoa powder} = YUM! Also a cup of black coffee with half a tablespoon of coconut oil and a dose of Vit D3.

Mid-Morning Snack: homemade "trail mix" -- 1/4 cup whole, raw almonds, 1/4 sunflower seeds, and a little less than 1/4 cup of raisins

Lunch: 1 piece of fruit (lately has been an orange) and a salad -- spinach, raisins, sunflower seeds, feta cheese, shredded carrots, cucumber slices, drizzle of balsamic vinegar (straight) and a TINY bit of ranch. {sometimes we include grilled chicken in the salad}

Afternoon snack: banana {may start bringing something else so I'm not eating so many bananas all the time!}

Dinner: Varies, but last night we had this delicious recipe! Black bean and quinoa tacos!

Dessert: sometimes we skip this, or we do different things. If we do ice cream, we usually get Kemps frozen yogurt (Moosetracks is our favorite!) and do 1-2 small scoops in a coffee mug. We have limited this treat to no more than 3 times a week, which is a big deal since we used to eat it 7 times a week!! (yes, really!) Other good dessert options include: chocolate banana smoothie, fresh berries, cup of hot chocolate, vanilla Greek yogurt {optional...top with any of the following: organic granola, honey, banana slices, berries, semi-sweet chocolate chips}, or just a couple graham crackers and a glass of milk.

For beverages, I have 1-2 cups of black coffee a day and other than that it's basically just water and my morning smoothie. We'll occasionally make fresh juices with our juicer. And yes, we do still drink alcohol, but very, very rarely.

Sometimes I'll have a glass of diluted, organic apple-cider vinegar before dinner b/c that helps regulate your body's pH levels, which can help with the yeast issue. Consuming ACV has other potential health benefits too. 

I've struggled with weight before, which you know if you've been reading for several years. I actually lost about 15 pound a few years ago just from working out a lot and eating a low-fat diet. But low-fat meant diet foods, and I have since learned how bad for you those things are! Now I steer clear of "low-fat" or "fat free" options, artificial sweeteners, and any pre-packaged diet meal that's probably loaded with sugar and/or sodium. It's truly amazing I was able to lose any weight eating like that! (I recommend the documentary Hungry for Change for more information about this, without all the Googling!) I do not claim to be a health expert, and am certainly not a perfect model of healthy living. But I've been amazed at the difference I've seen and felt in just a few weeks of making smarter food choices. I encourage you to give it a try! Don't worry about eliminating things from your diet just yet. Just work on incorporating more good things in, and eventually they start pushing some of the bad stuff out! :)

Happy Eating!