My new sport is meal planning. I spend time deciding what kinds of food I want for the week, and I try to balance all the food groups.
- In the morning I need coffee and protein (in some capacity, does not have to be meat). I try to add in fruit every day as well.
- For lunch, I need a non-sandwich which gets me through class + raw fruits and vegetables. I am trying out salad bags - I literally load spinach salad, walnuts, dried cranberries, feta cheese and anything that isn't wet into a sandwich bag. Wa-la! At lunch time, it's ready to eat.
- For snacks, I need something un-heavy and hopefully resembling a vegetable. I like plain greek yogurt with honey and walnuts too, or smoothies with spinach leaves.
- For dinner, I want a meal which appeals to my husband and two toddlers... this is my greatest challenge. Possibly deserving of another post...
- For dessert, anything that can pretend to be healthy.
Among the many different ways that I am learning how to be the best version of myself (even when it is trying) is to watch my diet. I am definitely affected by sugar, and though I will not cut it from my diet wholly (hello, coffee creamer, you old minx) ever-ever, I think that it is important to make sure I am not filling up on gummy bears meant for potty training, or pretending that cereal is a competent dinner plan.
My favorite cookbooks:
- The Feed Zone // written for athletes, and works for people looking for fast, healthy foods
- The New Best Recipe // if you ever wanted to know the "why" behind the recipe, this is the tell all book. I've never made a bad recipe from this book.
- Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys // so many ideas, especially since my husband is all about the meat + grain. The oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe is my favorite, though.
My favorite websites:
- The Kitchn // my favoritest website; anything you have ever wanted to know about the kitchen and cooking basics/ secrets can be found here.
- Minimalist Baker // 10 ingredients or less? Yes please.
- Budget Bytes // affordable and creative meals.
- The Lemon Bowl // delicious and nutritious eats!
What are you eating? Can you tell how your diet affects your life?
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My "rules" for this series are short (especially before commenting): this topic is personal and I am currently living in it. This is not an abstract for a dissertation. I do not have 20/20 hindsight yet. I don't need any medical advice, as I keep in close communication with my own PA + Dr., as well as being married to one. My husband and I practice many different types of coping mechanisms as well, which I will write about too. My situation is 100 percent unique and I am writing only about myself. These posts are directed at no one, and still, I am opening myself up to share my experiences. If I can help one person, it will be worth it. Please respect this adult conversation at face value.
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I think it's awesome that you are being mindful about food to help your overall health and with PPD! I don't deal with PPD personally, but looking at diet has helped my overall health and energy. Something that's been a game-changer for me was reading books about French eating habits, which has helped me see that mindless snacking constantly isn't always that energizing for me personally, and that's it better to craft really good meals (like what you're doing). I also have a general rule for myself that I cannot drink any non-water beverage until I've had 20 ounces of water to drink-sometimes this is really hard, but it helps me to stay hydrated.
ReplyDelete"What are you eating?" you ask? At this moment, I'm eating a beet brownie for my dessert. It's one of those desserts that feels healthy (since it is made from beets) but is amazingly delicious and chocolatey.
I was a naysayer with sugar having such an impact on my mood, until I did an intense low sugar diet, and realized how much better I felt overall. I can only imagine how much a good diet can help you wade through PPD! You know you can message me whenever you need some support :)
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