{Being Honest About Food}

Posted in Eats, FPIES, Uncategorized, whole30 by sneaksandstilettos

My first round of Whole30 is done and all the treats are before me. Well, not really. It felt nice to be able to enjoy a treat yesterday, but I also really don’t want to go back to the way I was eating. I did feel slugglish after the sugar and it felt, well, gross. It kind of reminded me of how I had let things slide since adding grains back into my diet last February. I had also started experiencing some digestion issues, fatigue and acne since returning to the school year. Knowing I wasn’t feeling my best and worried that each month my symptoms were seeming worse, I delved into Whole30 hoping for a solution to what seemed to be unconnected symptoms other than food.

The past 30+ days have been the perfect reset to remind me why I like eating so clean and of how good I can feel. I am starting to believe that most health issues truly are connected to food. I am feeling better than in months, lost a few pounds (no idea how many, but I feel it in how my clothes fit), my skin, nails and hair are looking better than ever and I’ve had more energy than I can recall in a long time. I’ve also felt stronger on my runs lately. My digestion issues have improved, although they are not completely gone, and I have had no major acne since beginning Whole30 (two very small clogged pores is all!). It’s hard to quit something even when it’s a challenge with results like this.

In a strange way there was and is an ease with restriction. It doesn’t matter what I was craving or what foods were in front of me… if I was not eating them, then I couldn’t have them. I am no stranger to elimination and restrictive diets. I did not eat dairy for a year when my son was a baby and I was breastfeeding as he had issues with the dairy proteins through my breast milk. Four months after adding dairy back into my diet I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes with baby number two and the carb restrictions began. Seven and a half months after having baby number two we found out she had FPIES to all grains and bananas. I spent the next almost nine months eating no grains or bananas. I also did not eat any added sugar for two months after getting her diagnosis to help clean up my eating and better my gut health. Less than a year after returning to eating without restrictions I started my first Whole 30.

Saying no to Whole30’s food restrictions was also easier than it sounds because there was a reason for it-healing my body and breaking my bad habits. I understood that a slip up meant that food protein would be in my body and affecting my bodies healing process with the full extent of a setback not something I could really know. This process also led me to realize as much as I did not think I had much of any sort of emotional attachment to food, I learned that I wasn’t really being honest with myself. On really stressful days I noticed how much I wanted a sweet treat to help the day along or a latte from Starbucks to help me cope with that days challenges. Not having those emotional supports led me to learn to handle those emotions without food. I found myself reading more than scrolling. Sticking to my workouts more than wasting time. Writing in my gratitude journal instead of snacking or having something sweet.

I’ve also realized over the years than sometimes allowing the cannot haves back in to my diet is a slippery slope. A few this usually leads to a few more after a while. Sometimes I use restriction because committing to saying no or avoiding certain foods is easier than the slippery slope of I will have just one or today I can have it because…without it turning into every few days. Whether this is uniquely me or due to following some sort of restriction diet for the last almost four years, I don’t know for sure.

I do feel I’ve got a new respect for my body and a greater understanding of what these foods can do along with why limiting or avoiding them is important. Armed with the knowledge I gained from It Starts With Food, I know I can’t unknow what I now understand about food and the body. Still, I feel a little unsure of what to do next and am defaulting to all Whole30 foods otherwise as I follow their reintroduction plan with my own spin. It’s scary (and also empowering) to bring all the foods back in and have to face the reality that a specific food might not be a good choice for me.

Going forward I plan to carefully reintroduce each food group one at a time to really see how each affects my body following their suggested introduction plan (with a few of my own modifications). What’s the point of the sacrifice of the last 30 days if not to really learn how each food makes me feel. I’m interested in avoiding dairy (I didn’t miss it) and gluten except for on special occasions going forward (if they don’t give me problems during the reintroduction). Other than missing enjoying a beer here or a slice of pizza there, these two food groups are not that appealing to me any more. I really know I feel best when I eat clean, real foods despite our modern fast pace and busy mom life chaos always challenging this.

In a world where we often rush and cram food mindlessly into our mouths without thinking about it, I really found so much value in reading this book and completing this experience. It forced me to really look at my eating habits, investigate some health concerns I was having and how foods might be the cause, and it got me to be honest with myself about my emotions and how they are tied to food. The experience also got me questioning how I feed my own kids and what I am teaching them about food.

There are so many stories of success out there with Whole30 healing digestive issues, autoimmune issues, diabetes, and a host of other concerns with people’s health. If you are struggling with something health related I urge you to explore food as a way to heal along with seeing your doctor. I did visit a doctor who offered no explanation for my symptoms or suggestions other than to keep doing what I am doing and come back in a few months if my symptoms worsen. This experience with a medical doctor was exactly what I expected it would be, but I went to make sure I checked that box. Then I took my health into my own hands…er, kitchen!

If you’re interested in beginning your Whole30 journey and experimenting with what works best for your body, here are a few of my tips for success:

1. Meal Plan and Prep-Have a plan every week for what you will eat each day and prep as much as you can ahead of time. Hangry people with no fast fixes are not pleasant and they make Whole30 feel harder than it has to.

2. Research your grocery store options! Living in a small town I learned quickly my options were even more limited. I could not find any compliant deli meat, bacon or non-almond nuts (all had peanut protein listed as an ingredient). I also struggled to find any not standard grocery store items like sunflower butter, ghee or clarified butter. I had to make trips to the next larger city to find these things.

3. Read It Starts With Food before and during your Whole30. It explains the why for each restriction in such a way it makes you want to keep going. Without understanding why a food group is off limits the restrictions will seem too extreme to some (no dairy, no legumes, no grains, no added sugar, no alcohol, no processed foods). Several times I found myself wanting to quit due to failed meal prep or not finding something at the store. Reading this book helped me stay the course because I understood the why behind what I was trying to do and how it would benefit me in the long run. The bottom line for me is when I’m concerned enough about my health I’m not sure what I wouldn’t try if it meant feeling my best.

4. Use a daily tracker to stay on track. I found perhaps more satisfaction than I should have in shading in a circle after a successful day of following Whole30. I love commit 30’s trackers on their website such as the one above.

5. Consider doing a trial Whole30 and using what you learn to set yourself up for a successful Whole30. 10 days in I forgot to put my lunch in the refrigerator at work only realizing this 4 hours after it sat out. Having to throw away my lunch was frustrating because I also threw away ten days of progress. There are no Whole30 compliant lunch options in the community in which I live (I’m pretty sure). That night I figured I might as well have a couple beers since my meal was not compliant in several categories. I accepted the failure and took a few days off to better prepare (meal prep and grocery shop) and then restarted my 30 days. I felt much more prepared the second time I started because of what I learned the first ten days.

6. Surround yourself with at least one person who will encourage you (or at least not be a completely negative force on what will already by difficult). For me this was my husband. He didn’t always love that I was doing Whole30, and he might have enjoyed a few beers and treats while noisily savoring their deliciousness, but he did talk me off the edge a few times when I was starving (because of bad planning! When you eat as they suggest you will not be hungry!) and frustrated and just so done with this process.

7. Find healthier swaps for your favorite foods. Your tastebuds will adjust! There are so many ways to replace less healthy for more healthy with a little research!

Food education is something I find to be so important. I also believe all of us has a unique body. What works for one may not work for all as they state in their book, but starting somewhere and taking responsibility for your health is always imperative. Learn about the food you eat. Be honest with yourself about how you feel right now. If it’s not your best or what you believe can be your best, then you are in charge of changing that. We all deserve to feel our best, and food is a big part of that!

Who else has done Whole30? What was your experience?

Sarah

4Apr2018

What I Ate Wednesday {1}

Posted in Eats, What I Ate Wednesday by sneaksandstilettos

I’ve decided to post my weekly food share in a post that might be more user friendly with links to easily get to recipes I’d recommend. I hope the recipes and ideas help you enjoy some healthy foods perhaps you wouldn’t have thought of before.

I’m for sure not a recipe creator. Recipe finder?! Yes!! I always give credit to the person who did think up the ideas I’m referencing by linking to their site specifically.

Breakfast–

Almond Flour Pancakes with Peanut Butter, Cinnamon and Strawberries

Ok, maybe recipe modifier works, too. I’ve combined so many recipes to make this version, I can call it my own. A snow delay called for pancakes this morning!

Stir 6 eggs, 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1 cup almond flour, 1 tsp of baking soda and cinnamon as you like. Cook in a pan with coconut oil. Peanut butter on each pancake and sprinkle more cinnamon. Fruit is my sweetener so no syrup today.

Snacks–

A.M.-Banana and my new favorite Aldis sparkling water. As a long time La Croix lover I can tell you this stuff is equally amazing and much cheaper.

P.M.-Pear, string cheese (not pictured) and another Aldis sparkling water .

Handful of almond flour crackers with kids when we got home. We all LoVE these crackers and we default to these when on the go and in a rush!!

Lunch-

Sweet Potato Chili (recipe is linked)

Dinner–

Pizza (our favorite crust yet!) everyone in the house loved it and Broccoli Cheese Spaghetti Squash. I’m not a big fan of spaghetti squash and it turns out neither are my kids, but we will keep trying it. The husband loved this. If you like spaghettis squash you will probably love this also.

What’s a healthy meal you just love?

13Aug2014

{Pros and Cons of Eating Clean: My Two-Week Plan Recap}

Posted in Eats by sneaksandstilettos

I’m still around and running. With summer almost ending I’m trying to spend it doing all the things you just can’t do when you are busy teaching and coaching. That sort of means less blogging to make more time for those important things. Back to the clean eats though-the point of this post.

Over the past two weeks I followed Buzzfeed’s Clean Eating Plan as carefully as I wanted. This means on some days I ate nothing but what the plan described. Other days there were grill outs with friends and rather than being the weird friend refusing to eat what everyone brought, I enjoyed a break from the plan and savored every bite. Rather than blab on and on about what I ate each meal, I will share some photos and describe what I felt the pros and cons were after the two weeks. I planned to take more photos, but once I discovered how much time clean eating takes I said forget that.

Bottom right photo is pizza I had to make one night when the husband and his friend would not shut up about ordering pizza and eating their pizza in front of me. The crust was a recipe I found on pinterest. I also used greek yogurt and a recipe from the side of the Chobani container to make another version of this during the two weeks. (Tomato-Basil-Ricotta Pizza).

Pros of the plan:
1) I was eating healthier. It felt good to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. I felt full without that tired, sort-of-gross full feeling. After eating a meal I felt like getting sh*t done instead of taking a nap.

2) Making healthy choices became easier. When I fed my body good foods, it wanted good foods later. Now I find myself choosing healthier options more often than not.

3) While eating clean my desire to run came back. Can I attribute this need-to-run, want-to-run feeling to eating clean alone? Perhaps not, but I do feel exercise and eating clean fuel each other. I’m just relieved to have that I want to run/can’t wait to go for a run feeling back. For the past month before I dreaded most of my runs other than my races. I also felt better on my runs.

4) For the first time in a decade I don’t crave diet soda anymore. Diet Mt. Dew was my vice. We never were without it in the house. I packed it in my overnight bags, extras in the car, kept a case at work, and brought it to family events. I started my day with a can each morning-even before a race. I then enjoyed a can at lunch and with dinner. On rough, tired days throw in another can.

To be fair I had been cutting down my Diet Dew intake earlier this spring and began replacing it with a healthier option-sparkling water (La Croix specifically), but it was hard! Then the end of the school year came and I fell off the wagon. Big time. While on vacation I limited my Diet Dew to one or two cans on most days. Hiking for 4-10 hours on many days helped. I had a few cans the week before my clean eating plan because that was all that was left in the refrigerator, but I still wanted soda everyday.

Now, we haven’t bought Diet Dew in three weeks and I don’t even care. A few months ago no Diet Mt. Dew in the house would signal a tragic reaction from me. Not any more.

Also, it has been nearly three weeks since we’ve eaten fast food and I haven’t wanted it once. We usually only eat fast food when on the road, but once in a while after a crazy day we go through the drive thru. Not once since I cleaned up my diet because I haven’t wanted to. Connection? I think so.

5) Following the plan got me to try new foods or old foods in new ways. And, I actually liked almost all the meals. I had put kale on pizzas before, but not in salads, sautéed or in smoothies. I found it really was good after adjusting to the texture a bit. I ate chickpeas, unsalted almonds, unsweetened almond milk in smoothies, roasted cauliflower, cucumbers, fresh mint and parsley on salads (I previously said I didn’t like cucumbers and often didn’t use fresh herbs-so much tastier), veggie chili with paprika seasoned greek yogurt instead of sour cream (although, I must admit I hate sour cream and never eat it on top of anything), almond butter on fruit, chia seeds in smoothies and yogurt parfaits, eggs on salads, peeled zucchini and asparagus in place of pasta, and homemade vinaigrettes that tasted so yummy you’d swear you bought it.

So I said I wouldn’t blab on about this, but you guys-I actually liked it all! If your someone who has shied away from some of these recipes and meals because you think you won’t like it, I know how you feel because that was me! I ate safe to me healthy foods in the past and have grown to like most veggies, but this really opened my eyes. At least try a few; I’m confident you’ll surprise yourself.

Cons of the Plan
1) Eating clean takes a lot of time. Seriously, a lot. Even if you prep in advance every meal requires washing, cutting, dicing, peeling, mixing, measuring, and often cooking, etc. Don’t use this as an excuse though. Sub a meal or two out for clean eating and it is doable. Plus, the pros and the investment in your health are worth the time.

2) I still craved processed food/carbs. I was surprised by how much I still wanted processed foods and carbs (pasta, bread, etc.) even after following the plan exactly. A friend of mine who has followed clean eating plans for months has said it can take up to six weeks for this to go away.

3) I was still hungry. Not all the time, but some days it wasn’t enough. On those days I tried to eat low-glycemic foods like nuts or fruit to snack on in addition to the plan. I also didn’t drink enough water some days so that could have been part of it. Some days it took me too long to realize I was hungry and I became hangry. The husband loves when this happens. Some days a runner girl just needs more to eat, too.

4) No alcohol or caffeine. Did I do this? Hell to the no! I drank that huge margarita with my Mexican food. How could you not? I did cut back on alcohol a lot though and, as you already read, cut out soda. I had one cup of coffee each morning. Sometimes it was even decaf! So I did what I knew would work for me. Putting a big fat no on something for me only means I will have double of it!

4) Eating clean is expensive…when you buy mostly organic. You wouldn’t have to, but I prefer this option. I picked and chose what to buy organic to try to keep costs down, but I still had one expensive grocery bill. It looks like we will still be able to pay the mortgage, but ouch! I should mention though that buying from Buzzfeed’s week 1 and week 2 lists did last me more than the one week they said it would. I only had to throw away one container of spinach. Not so bad.

Lasting changes from following the plan:

So great, I followed this plan. Now what? This plan did exactly what I’d hoped it would. It got me back on track and eating more fresh and unprocessed foods. What has stuck with me?

1) No more soda in our house. Something I thought that would never be possible for me is.

2) Eating clean meals at least once or twice out of the three meals in a day. Eating clean snacks at least once per day. I’ve found myself doing this naturally. Instead of my typical english muffin for breakfast pre-clean eat plan I’ve stuck with the breakfasts I ate on the plan-smoothies, parfaits, eggs, and overnight oats. More protein at breakfast keeps me full longer. I am reaching for fruits and veggies to snack on instead of processed crackers or granola bars.

3) I randomly add more veggies to most foods without thinking about it. I made crockpot lasagna the other night and knowingly subbed turkey in place of beef and then automatically put in only half the noodles, added double diced tomatoes, and threw in some extra veggies to make it healthier like fresh garlic, onions, zucchini, and fresh basil. I see small changes like this lasting for good.

4) I feel the running and eating connection more. This keeps the healthy circle flowing.

Hopefully this encourages some of you to try eating clean more often. I knew I couldn’t try a meal or two and make lasting changes. I needed a longer two-week plan to make lasting change. Do what you know works for you and your family. I’m so proud of myself and the changes I’ve made. I’ve been wanting/trying to do this for so long and I feel like I’ve finally reached a point where it is a lifestyle change. Will I still drink beer and eat pizza. Of course…but now I will do so with much more balance in my diet. Go for it, guys. You’ve got nothing to lose.

28Jul2014

{Getting Back on Track}

Posted in Eats by sneaksandstilettos

Do you ever have those moments when you feel like you are so off track? It could be about anything-your exercise routine, eating healthy, getting enough sleep, finding time for yourself, cleaning the house or completing that project before a deadline. With being on the road for literally the past four weeks I’m really feeling the lack of structure in my life.

The last four weeks have been absolutely amazing and I feel so stinkin’ lucky to have gotten to travel all over the country and my home state, but it is time to get back on track. Specifically with eating and getting projects done around the house. Once the school year starts I find very little time to get anything extra done with long work days and coaching.

While during the work week I don’t look forward to Monday’s ever, I currently am seeing today as a fresh start to getting back on track. While being on vacation and on the road for the past month, I did my best to make healthy food choices. While our trip was extremely active (I ran two marathons and we hiked 100 miles of trails), we also did a lot of sitting in the car and eating not so fresh foods. It is hard to take fresh foods into bear country and being miles away from grocery stores is a challenge.

Despite those challenges I tried to balance my foods throughout the past month. When out to eat I ate tilapia, spinach and salads balanced with burgers and french fries. I ate energy bars (Clif bars and Picky bars) balanced with s’mores. Doughnuts balanced with bananas. I think you’re getting the idea, but no matter how much balancing I did it just wasn’t like what I eat when I’m home making my own meals. When I think about the last time I really meal planned and made meals that make me feel good and nourish my workouts, months pass by in my brain. It has been too long. Add in sampling local beers pretty much every night and wedding and college get together weekends, and I’ve had a whole lotta extra liquid calories going in the body.

If I listen and look at what my body is telling me, then it is time for me to make a positive change. I feel better when I eat better. I feel stronger and run better when I eat well. My midsection is telling me this. My pants are telling me this. My overall puffiness is telling me this. Now that I’m not training for any particular races (more on this later) I also need to make sure I’m making healthy food choices.

So today is a fresh start. Pinteresting away while watching my latest obsession, House of Cards, last night I came across a two-week clean eating plan. After reviewing the plan it seems completely doable, manageable and the food looks yummy (most of it). While the plan is identified as a detox plan, I don’t plan to use it for that reason.

Just like Frank Underwood I don’t believe in following rules. I don’t believe in following strict diets or even clean eating all the time. If I want a coffee I will have one. If I want a beer I will have one. The goal is to limit my intake of these things more and get some control back in my eating and drinking. The plan also is low carb which doesn’t really meet the needs of runners the best, so I will add in carbs if I feel I need them. If I want a treat or something that doesn’t adhere to the plan then I will, but then I will get back to the plan after.

Life is too short to never allow yourself the things you truly enjoy. At the same time, life is so much better when we feel good. We can achieve more and feel better doing it. I can’t wait to feel that way again. Plus with this plan sets you up for success in so many ways.

The clean eating plan outlines a grocery list, when to prep the foods with a prep list, and what to make for every meal and snack for two weeks including recipes for each (example of prep and recipes). The biggest attractions to this plan for me were that the hard work of meal planning was already done for you and the meals themselves actually looked tasty and easy to make. The plan even tells you when the meal will make leftovers, what kitchen tools you will need, and when you need to prep something the day before. So helpful!

One of my favorite things is the prep list. It reads like a set of instructions for when and how to prep. How easy is this!

This plan really isn’t a two-week eating plan and then your done. I’m using the two-week plan to get me back on track with meal planning and eating cleaner in general-like the way I used to do when I had routine and structure in my life. I take no credit for creating this plan in any way. I simply thought it seemed easy and yummy and was worth sharing with others.

Are you ready to feel better? Have more energy? Nourish your body? Then take a look at the two-week clean eating plan and join me in getting back on track. You can do this! Your body wants you to do this! I’ll be sharing photos of my eats on Instagram (@sneaksandstilettos) over the next two weeks to hold myself accountable and show that this is really something we all can do.

Happy Monday and Clean Eating!

Sarah

*All credit for meal plan photos goes to Yael Malka for BuzzFeed. Design of photos by Chris Ritter/BuzzFeed. The actual plan was created by nutritionist Dana James, MS, CNS, CDN, of Food Coach NYC, and BuzzFeed Food editors. I take no credit for creating any part of the plan.