I get a lot of questions about what I eat, and what my favorite workouts are, so here’s my 2 cents.
I really, truly do stick to a Real Whole Food plan that completely eliminates breads, pastas, crackers, cookies, chips and anything else that’s made with grains, sugar, and chemicals. That means all grains, including “healthy whole grains”, which I think is a contradiction in terms. I don’t believe any “whole grains” are healthy for most Americans at this point. We’re all too metabolically damaged.
I’ve been on this path/journey for years now, and have pretty successfully converted my kids and husband over from the Dark Side. My youngest (17) is still slightly resistant, but…. she’s been drinking Green Smoothies with basil and lemon balm from my garden most mornings for the past couple weeks, she eats more vegetables than ever, and she’s made some great comments about the SAD (standard american diet) diets that she’s seen some little kids eating lately- and it causes her concern! Yes! I do eventually get in their heads.
Moms, quiet persistence and consistent role modeling wins every time. Stay strong.
I’ve been a Packer for all my life, and I’ve trained my kids to be Packers, of both our food and drinks. Have you ever noticed that stopping at a a gas station/convenience store for a drink can lead to impulsively bad food choices? Set yourself up to succeed, bring your drinks with you when you’re on the road.
Here’s a couple of recent meals:
This is eggs, avocados, spinach, and leeks cooked in probably 4 tablespoons of good butter. I’ve been using a LOT more fat since I got back from the Low Carb Cruise, a lot more. The more I learn about fat, the more I realize how critical it is to our optimal functioning and health. FAT DOESN’T MAKE US FAT – GRAINS, SUGARS, AND CHEMICALS DO. I haven’t gained a pound with all the extra butter, coconut oil/butter, and olive oil I’ve been adding either.
This next picture is my new OBSESSION: slow cooked Chicken Fat. OMG. This is honestly one of the most delicious foods I’ve ever eaten. In. My. Life. Here’s what I do: I only buy chicken with bone-in, skin-on ( the minerals and nutrients from the bones and joints leach into the meat, and the skin, which has serious anti-microbial properties, keeps the chicken super moist). After it’s baked, I remove the fat, eat the chicken, and then put the fat back in the oven at 170 for 24 hours. If you try this, prepare to cry. Honestly, I’ve never tasted anything so delicious. And it’s HEALTHY because fat is healthy; make sure you salt and pepper it before the slow cook.
Last, here’s a packed lunch: chicken ( always cook extra!) avocado, and Annie’s seaweed snacks ( it’s just dried seaweed – salty and delicious and full of Iodine). I always pack my lunches when I’m cleaning up after dinner.
Next, the exercise question. In addition to being a Nutritional Therapist, I’m a Group Ex Instructor and Personal Trainer. I work out – a lot. I always have. I’m fit, I’m very used to a high level of performance and exertion, and it’s very normal and stress relieving for me. I taught and trained through 4 pregnancies, 4 babies, 4 teenagers ( that was the hardest), and all the ups and downs of life. I rarely ever take more than one day off a week. That said, if EXERCISE IS STRESSFUL FOR YOU, FOR WHATEVER REASON, you’ll need to approach it differently than I do. Walking and yoga are more than enough exercise to stay healthy. What’s my normal week look like? I teach a couple Boot Camp classes, and a couple yoga classes; I take Bikram once a week; I lift 4 times a week, heavy and/or hard; I walk and do yoga with a couple PT clients and friends and I do at least one plain old cardio session each week on a machine (reading time). I’ve really cut back in the past few years the hours that I exercise per week. One, I’m doing more nutrition counseling and less personal training, and two, I’ve become convinced that overtraining leads to inflammation, no matter how fit you are.
I use a lot of supplements too, but that’s a whole different Post:)
So that’s me! I’m always on the look out for information and motivation to stick to the Path and improve the Path. If I were to describe my diet for the past 27 years of adulthood, I’d be describing pretty different eating patterns every year as I’ve morphed from “Healthy Means Skinny”, to “Healthy Means Great Cell Repair and Turnover, and Low Levels of Inflammation”. The more I learn, the more I learn I have a lot to learn! Who knows what I’ll be eating 5 years from now. I never thought I’d be loving liver, chicken fat, and green smoothies, but I do.
Our health, our energy, it’s really truly in Our Hands. Everything we eat has either a negative or positive consequence. Make the time to invest in your health, and the health of your family. What’s that old saying? You can either invest in your Health NOW, or you’ll be investing in your Illness LATER.