Monday, May 12, 2014

Food for Thought

Well, it's been more than a year since my last blog post so I figured it was time to dust this thing off and give it another go. When the stars align and there is a perfect storm of the most impossibly favorable circumstances I can write a novel and not even realize it. The rest of the time I really hate writing. So if you are reading this, please don't expect much. I basically want to just keep track of recipes since I get asked from time to time.

Right now, today, May 12, 2014, I am starting a new challenge. There has been a lot of hype lately (or maybe I've just noticed it more) about how terrible sugar is. I am a terrible sugar addict and will forego dinner to save room for dessert if I know dessert is an option! However the facts are undeniable and that, coupled with my impending trip to Maui in exactly three months, has given me the final push to cut added sugar out of my diet. Okay wait, that sounds way too absolute. I am going to try my best to limit added sugar with the goal of having no added sugar in my diet. Better? Ya I think so.

Basically with all things diet related what I've found works best for me are two things:
1. No absolute black and white rules.
2. There must be a reason that does not involve appearance behind the diet change.

I also hate the word "diet" since it's usually used in the context of "I'm going on a diet" which is typically something temporary. When I use the word "diet" you can assume I mean it in the context of "my diet consists of mostly plant based food."

If you know me you know that the last statement is true. I do not eat meat (including fish, chicken, and any other animal) and I do my best to avoid dairy and eggs. That said even the not eating meat is not 100% (remember rule #1?) because even candy like Starburst contain gelatin which seems harmless enough until you read what it is. Yet I have still eaten a Starburst or two (or a package) since changing my diet to exclude meat. You'll notice I don't use the term "vegan" because I definitely can't claim that. When I eat out I assume at the very least my food is probably cooked in butter and sometimes eating out is a necessity, whether it is to celebrate a friend's birthday or just because I'm too lazy to cook.

Well would you look at that? I wrote way more than I was expecting! Well basically my point is I am going to try to document my journey with regard to added sugar. I am only referring to added sugar, I am not one to villainize sugar from fruit. I'm merely talking about processed sugar in all forms that I'm aware of like tapioca syrup, brown rice syrup, and of course high fructose corn syrup.

I may not post every day but I will try to at least keep track of recipes I find, especially really good ones! Oh and one more thing, I don't keep track of portions so I'm not going to bother listing how much of something I ate. This isn't really meant to be followed but more to offer ideas and hopefully get some suggestions for recipes to try.

Day 1
Breakfast:
Oatmeal, almond butter, half banana

Snack:
Baby carrots
Almonds

Lunch:
Yams cooked in olive oil, salt and pepper, ground sage
This was totally impromptu, I realized I didn't have anything planned for lunch but I had a chopped up yam sitting in the fridge. At first I was like "you can't eat just a yam for lunch, that's not a meal" but then I was like "hey, who says??" So I rolled the chopped pieces of yam in olive oil and the spices above and baked on a cookie sheet for about 20 minutes. It was totally filling!

Snack:
Key Lime Coconut Energy Bite
Apple

Dinner:
Green Powerhouse Pesto Plate

Exercise:
Crossfit, Yoga

1 comment:

  1. I'm glad you're cutting out sugar because you're sweet enough!! ;) Also, my buddy Joyous doesn't like the word "diet," so he uses: livet...clever, huh?

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