She Says: Back to Basics Successes
I realize it seems like I haven’t been doing such a great job at eating more food, less food like products (Laura’s Junk Food, Probars), but I rarely post breakfast or lunch, so you don’t see all my good efforts!
My favorite breakfast is oats with banana. I like to eat it slowly and fully enjoy the experience. Sadly, since starting student teaching, I haven’t had the time to eat my favorite breakfast during the week. So, here is something I’ve been trying for breakfast: banana, sliced almonds, walnuts and iced milk-coffee (honestly, mostly milk) with Sun Crystals. Yes, iced coffee even though it was 29* F this morning!
It’s quite filling and because I can’t really eat a lot of nuts at once, lasts for awhile. It’s also portable, which is good because I’ve been eating breakfast on the run!
Please note that I do not eat these nuts in my school. Nut allergies are such a big deal these days. I actually just read this article about rising allergy rates in the U.S. Did you know 11 million Americans have nut allergies? One theory blames increased amounts of food allergies on our improved hygeince. According to the “hygiene hypothesis,” our immune systems have turned to fighting things like egg or wheat because they do not have to battle parasites, vaccines and infections anymore. A study found that children who grow up on farms are less likely to have food allergies and asthma, which according to the article, could be because they are exposed to more dirt.
That’s really interesting and explains why they are more common, but I am not sure it explains why people often “grow out of them” and why they often run in families.
I’m overly interested in this topic because, as I’ve mentioned, my nephew is allergic to both nuts and seeds (he also has asthma – maybe he is too clean!) and it’s really hard for him to go places to eat. He’s old enough to ask about things, but you can never be sure. And he has to eat nasty soy nut butter! For me it means reading the back of every bag of chocolate chips to see if it was manufactured in a place with nuts!
Have you noticed an increase in food allergies from when you were kid? Any theories? Do you know what, if anything, schools where you live do to protect children with food allergies?
She Says: Superfantastic Superfood Slam!
Hello Readers!
First, yes, you can tie dye with Kool-Aid. I’ll take a picture of my mom’s shirt and post it at dinner. It’s super cute.
Second, both me and my car are ok. It really was an unfortunate fender bender. Light impact, but we hit in such a way that both the front bumper and hood of my car will need work. So sad.
Third, thanks for your input on protein intake. As I’ve said, I don’t count things (calories, sugar grams, protein, etc.), but it might be worth counting protein for a few days. Maybe next month.
Fourth, I loved reading your opinions on the “real food” debate. My thoughts are that I aim to eat as much “real food” as possible (especially this month), but I cannot deal with absolutes. I try not to eat too many processed “meat” products. I think those freak me out the most. This isn’t to say I think all meat is better than non-meat, and since Meatless Month I’ve eaten meat (chicken) exactly once. How does a hormone stuffed, deep fried chicken with the skin on compare to a veggie burger with tons of sodium and other unpronouncable “ingredients?” I don’t know. Ultimately, I would want to eat something fresh, real and clean.
Anyway, this month is about going Back to Basics. For me, that means not eating too many things in a box or bag. That said …
I received a wonderful package today.
A whole box of Probars. Yippeee. In my quest to eat more whole foods, I am still looking for a quick bar that I can eat in a pinch. For me, this “pinch” usually comes after school before I run. At that point I am usually starving and need some quick, easily digestible food/fuel.
I can live with the Probar ingredients.
The bars are organic and, as you can see, are labeled 100% Vegan. Question for vegans: this particular flavor contains dark chocolate chips, so does that make them not vegan?
Edit: Veggie Girl says dark chocolate chips are vegan, which makes sense. No milk like milk chocolate.
The bars are intended to be a “Whole Food Meal,” but I shared the Superfood Slam with my mom for my snack. In fact, learned on the website that HEALTH Magazine chose this bar to receive a 2008 “America’s Healthiest Foods” Award in the meal-replacement category. Gliding Calm, I thought of you when I ate this because I know with your fast paced, practice and dance class filled schedule you need a lot of food! Given your recent comment about trying to limit how many bars you eat, I thought these would be a good alternative to some of the other less natural bars out there.
My Probar review is this: Holy Moly is this delicious. Do not be put off by its greenish/brownish color. If you look at the ingredients, its color makes sense. It made me wonder what’s in other bars that make them their muted color. Hmmm. Anyway, in this particular bar you can taste the coconut and you get lots of dried fruit nuts and seeds. I LOVE the texture. Like a firmer, denser Z-Bar, yet less dry than a Z-Bar – maybe closer in moisture to a regular Cliff Bar. Either way, amazingly delicious. Not to sweet. Oh absolutely delicious. I cannot wait to try the other flavors. I only wish the flax seeds were ground for optimum benefits.
Thank you Probar for (1) making such a fabulous bar; and (2) sending me some to try!
Alright, my tasty snack has provided me the fuel I need to run. Be back later for dinner.
She Says: Fake Foods, Odd Dinners.
First, I wanted to share a beautiful quote that Caitlin brought to my attention. It reminded me to be patient and kind. Everyone wants to feel loved.
“There is a desire within each of us, in the deep center of ourselves that we call our heart. We were born with it, it is never completely satisfied, and it never dies. We are often unaware of it, but it is always awake. It is the human desire for love. Every person in this earth yearns to love, to be loved, to know love. Our true identity, our reason for being, is to be found in this desire…
…love is the ‘why’ of life: why we are functioning at all, what we want to be efficient for… I am convinced it [love] is the fundamental energy of the human spirit, the fuel on which we run, the wellspring of our vitality. And grace, which is the flowing, creative activity of love itself, is what makes all goodness possible.
Love should come first; it should be the beginning of and the reason for everything.”
From The Awakened Heart by Gerald G. May
Detox/Fake Foods
Second, thanks for all your comments and insight about detoxing. I am not sure an official detox is for me, but I am trying to use this month to detox from junk, or stuff in a package. This for me is a way to reset my bad habits and get back to a way of eating that is best for me. Less fake foods, more real foods.
Coincidentally, I saw this article, “Don’t Mock it Until You Try It” in my local paper, The Providence Journal about “fake foods,” foods made to look and taste like other foods ie. Quorn cutlets or Ritz Mock Apple Pie (recipe in the article). It presents some historical background to the “fake foods” phenomenon. I try to avoid fake foods, especially this month, but it was interesting to be reminded that some “fake foods” were not developed solely because of the fast paced, processed society we live in. Many “fake foods” developed from religious/ethical beliefs (i.e. meatless alternatives) or food scarcity (i.e. Depression era creativity).
Odd Dinner Combo
So, it was my third day in Back to Basics Month and I still hadn’t eaten any bread. I was wondering whether I should try to go the whole month without it, but that makes no sense in my life. It is not something I would ever want to give up. I can, however, try to eat a minimally processed bread when possible. Enter an Ezekiel English Muffin.
I tried to ignore this odd dinner craving, but I couldn’t. It’s an English Muffin with the Almond Butter & Pumpkin Mousse and Lima Beans, Corn and Kidney Beans. I know it’s weird. I have no shame.
I also couldn’t ignore that I wanted dessert today. I chose something that makes me feel good and tastes good. Two Laura’s Junk Food Lemon-Vanila Bite-lettes.
The ingredients in this sweet treat are: Rolled oats, dates, expeller pressed Canola oil, evaporated cane juice, fruit juice, natural grain dextrins, unbleached enriched flour, water, unsweetened coconut, non-GMO soy protein isolate, non-GMO soy powder, natural flavorings, baking powder (non-aluminum) and sea salt.
Lots of sugar and enriched flour. Not something I really want this month, but not terrible for a dessert. I should try to limit these more for this month’s experiment, but I had a fender bender today and now my beautiful car needs botox. I sought comfort in sweets.
Protein Needs
I think something in a future Hangry Pants challenge might involve testing different dietary guidelines. I think that would be lots of fun. Specifically, I am curious about my protein intake. If I think about it, I know I eat a lot of grains, fruits and veggies, but I assume I am low on protein. I saw this Protein Needs Table on fitsugar. I like it because the math is done for me (protein need in grams/weight in pounds) and includes a suggested intake for those who are highly active.
Anyone who know more about protein needs, please feel free to let me know what you think about the table. How much protein do you think people need?
Now, please excuse me while I help my mom tie dye a shirt for work tomorrow.
She Says: What’s Up With Detox
I miss being able to blog three times a day. Right now, student teaching means very little down time and virtually no time to check blogs and/or post during the day. Additionally, Back to Basics Month means no eating while computing, so blog time is further diminished. (I am really enjoying the civil dinner time, though). Luckily, I’ve been able to catch up on my blog reading and writing at night.
Good Snack
So, as suspected, my Almond Butter and Pumpkin Snack Cookies made a great after school/pre-run snack. I’ll definitely be making these again. I kind of enjoy how they are not sweet at all. It makes them more gentle on my stomach, which is important before running. Anyway, I had two and they were great.
The interesting thing about not eating things out of a package is that I have no idea how many calories are in these. Oh and I really don’t care. I mean, I could calculate it, but I haven’t. This meant I had to decide for myself whether I wanted/needed more, rather than just eating the whole bar or whole bag just because it’s the serving. Ya know?
Oh and for all those who commented and said they couldn’t find wheat berries (Is it wheatberries or wheat berries? The bin at WF says wheat berries, but I don’t know), have you checked in bulk bins at health food stores? Check again. Let me know. That’s very sad and I would like to help remedy this problem. Maybe I can send you some.
Use it Up
Last night when I was baking I accidentally opened a can of kidney beans thinking they were the pumpkin.W Woops! Those puppies go bad pretty fast, so I wanted to use them today. I’ve read about the infamous Veganomicon Chickpea Cutles, and decided to try out the recipe with kidney beans. I followed the recipe, give or take a few spices. I had it with a side of a quasi-succotash with Frank’s Red Hot mixed in. Also delicious. Corn is great.
Mark and North Jerseyans: I know how Veggie Heaven makes its food: Vital Wheat Gluten. I can’t wait until you try these! They are soooo good. I need to make a dipping sauce for them, but they are crispy on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside. Really great! I can’t wait to see what I else I can do with this vital wheat gluten.
Almond Butter/Pumpkin Mousse
Finally, for dessert I made the mixture that went into the Almond Butter Pumpkin Snacks: Equal parts AB + Pumpkin + a dash of vanilla. Sooooo good. The little almond bits added a great crunch. It’s like eating mousse or something.
What’s Up with Detox?
I recently read this story about the new wave of detox diets. Unlike the somewhat infamous “master cleanse” (I think that’s the one with the maple syrup that Beyonce did once), the new detox diets focus on renewing energy with juices.
According to the article, a cleanse can be as broad as eliminating any food that is irritating to the body from your diet. I guess in that sense, I am kind of cleansing right now. I’m trying to minimize (I have a real problem with the word eliminate) the amount of processed foods in my diet. Well, I am not sure that is what the article means, but nonetheless… Has anyone ever done a detox or cleanse? What was your experience?
She Says: Sugar Plum Fairy
Happy Monday!
Day 1 of Back to Basics Month. Well, I think I did ok. Lots of fruits, vegetables and beans! But at lunch I had a Greek Yogurt. It was vanilla and the second ingredient was sugar! I mean I should have known that. I switch between plain and vanilla, so I guess this was just a time to take a moment and ask: Do I really prefer the vanilla or can I make the switch to the less processed plain? Honestly, I like vanilla because it tastes good, so I’ll probably still have it once in awhile, but I’ll probably drop the purchase ratio of plain to vanilla from 2:2 to 3:1.
After school I almost always have some sort of quick bar as a pre-run/after school snack. Instead today I had a dried date (more sugar!) and two of my Pumpkin Wheat Berry Protein Bars.
Oh, I also had some mints during the day (more sugar!). I think it’s very important that teachers have exceptional breath. It’s not that I am trying to sugar out completely, but I guess if there is an alternative in my mints I’m interested. It seems like a waste of sugar. Any suggestions?
For dinner I had my leftover lentil burrito filling and some brussels sprouts.
No crackers or any of my other boxed/processed favs. I’m feeling fresher already.
Now, let’s help Mark make it through the month. What are your suggestions for quick, filling (for a boy) office lunches and snacks?
She Says: Challenge Number Three – What Now?
A few weeks ago, Mark and I revealed that were ecstatic that HFCS Awareness Month was over. I appreciated everything I learned from meticulous label reading, but needed a break. Mark felt bleh about beige food. We both wanted more real food and less food like substances. Mark’s original idea was to cook 4 out of 7 days of the week for himself. I think that’s an admirable goal for him considering that he currently cooks 0 out of 7 days, but I already do that so I needed to add something more for me to work toward our goal: back to basics. Here is what we came up with.
For the next month (Oct. 20 -Nov. 20) we will strive to get back to basics by:
(1) More food.
- Mark: Prepare his own food 4/7 days of the week. That means not at the corporate cafeteria, QuickChek or any restaurant. If other people cook the food for him, that kind of counts. In doing this, Mark will eat less crap and rediscover his interest in cooking. (He was doing very well in grad school!)
- Heather: Strive to eat a minimal amount of food like substances, a broad term I’ve borrowed from Michael Pollan to describe anything that is not actual food. I think this means less crackers. I can’t be perfect, but I’ll be more aware and share how it goes and any questions I have about what defines food.
(2) Focus on meals.
Mark: This means eating all the meals each day. Mark has a tendency to meal skip and go long periods between feedings in general. He gets headaches and becomes very tired and hungry when he does this. I hope eating more regularly will help him with this.
Heather: No meals in front of the computer (there goes some blogging time!). I think it’s more enjoyable and healthy to eat at a table. I’ll probably read or have TV on in the background, but there is something about computing and eating that is not good for me.
So as you can see, this month is more about general goals than in the past when we did “no meat” and “no HFCS.” It also doesn’t lend itself to a catchy name, so if you think of one let us know. I think it’s what we both need right now. I’m really excited to get started and to see how it goes.
Mark, feel free to add a goal.
She Says: Reflection on HFCS and In Defense of Food
I bought this foodlike substance from a vending machine Thursday. It does not contain HFCS. It has a green circle with a check mark telling me I made a “Smart Choice.” It contains Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oil, 230 calories, 8 g of fat and 410 mg of sodium.
Worry and Eating is Not Enjoyable
This picture represents the frustration I had during HFCS Awareness Month and the relief I have now that it is over. If you read Mark’s post about his feelings toward the month, you might understand. We didn’t discuss our feelings about this throughout the month and it was interesting to see how it affected both of us in similar ways. I hope I can convey the uneasy feeling I had during HFCS Awareness Month without sounding like I am complaining about something self inflicted.
First, let me say that I learned a great deal about Goop (defined by Mark as all corn syrup derivatives). I have an understanding about the controversy that I did not have one month ago.
Now, let me get on with my feelings. What else did I learn? I learned that I eat way too much stuff in a box or bag that has ingredients for me to read in the first place. Unlike Mark, I cook for myself a lot, but this month that seemed less important as I compulsively read every label and ingredient list within my reach. Overall, I felt nervous and anxious. Unlike Meatless Month when I focused on new, fresh foods, this month I found myself thinking about snacks and boxes and labels and I did not like it. The times I enjoyed my food this month had nothing to do with what was in my food (i.e. BBQ Apples and Tofu) and more to do with creating. I think this says a lot about my basic discomfort with “tracking” what I eat.
This brings me to what I learned from Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food. The first sentence, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants,” reflects Pollan’s attitude toward food, which he breaks down and explains for the remainder of the book. His aim, he explains, is to reconnect people to their health and happiness as eaters. Amen.
Two points from the book really got me thinking about my own relationship with food and eating.
Food and Foodlike Substances
First, Pollan encourages people to avoid foods with HFCS and with unpronounceable, unfamiliar or more than five ingredients. Things with less ingredients, or better yet, no ingredients at all, are going to be actual food as opposed to the foodlike substances that Pollan advises against. It goes hand-in-hand with his suggestion to shop the perimeter of the market. If, during HFCS Awareness Month, I’d followed this advice, I would have had fewer labels to read! For example, an apple is food, but an apple cereal bar is a foodlike substance. The apple is the better choice whether the cereal bar has HFCS or not. The apple does not require me to even consider what is in it (pesticide issues aside). I don’t need to worry when I eat an apple and worrying is not something I want to do when eating. It makes me grumpy. Ask my mom or Mark.
Nutritionist Thinking and Worry
Second, Pollan questions what he calls “nutritionist thinking,” the idea that food should be judged based on whether it promotes physical, biological health and that we need someone else to tell us what we should eat. This part interests me because I wonder how nutritionists and registered dietitians respond. Pollan, like me, thinks that food is more than something eaten for necessity and nutrients, but rather it is also about pleasure, family, community, etc. This next part is my favorite. Pollan points out that no other group of people worry about their food choices like Americans. Again, I do not want to worry about food. Who does? According to Pollan, the infamous “thin French” are thin because they do not worry about what they are eating. They enjoy it and move on. I am not sure if this applies to the French, but it does apply to those I know who maintain their natural weight with relative ease of mind and body. This doesn’t mean you get to eat boxes of cookies or crackers without thinking, but if you’re eating mostly “food” and not “foodlike substances” that wouldn’t happen anyway.
Back to Basics
What I am trying to say is that this month I worried about food more than during Meatless Month where every meal was like a new adventure. Overall, I embraced Pollan’s guidelines, which are similar to my own food ideals, much more during Meatless Month than during HFCS Awareness Month. I can’t be sure because I didn’t “weigh in” before, but I also think I gained a few pounds this month. If it’s not reflected on the scale, it’s reflected in my posture. I feel slumpy and sluggish.
I am glad the month is over because I think I need a fresh start. Of course, I am not going to start purposefully eating HFCS foods. But, I am not going to purposefully eliminate them either. Instead, my aim is to eat more food, less foodlike substances. I was happy to read that Mark is more or less on the same page with our next challenge and his goal to prepare more of his food at home. We’ll work out the details of the challenge and post them soon. I am already excited!
