The other day my friend Nicole and I were talking about food, which we often find ourselves doing, and the conversation brought us to a place where we tried to picture ourselves in 10, 20, even 30 years and what our eating habits will be like.
Still vegetarian? Or fast food junkie. Maybe a step in the other direction, vegan? Together we took it to the limit and conjured up a quirky extreme health foodie image.
I can't be certain of where I'll end up on the eating spectrum, but I'd like to think that as I gain knowledge about food and nutrition I will continue to move in a more healthy direction. It's funny to think about how our ideas of health, nutrition, and food change over time. What I once considered a difficult dietary feat, vegetarianism, I now find to be my 'normal'.
I used to a Lean Cuisine kind of girl. Heck, any overly processed food with a "health" label and I was in! I was the kind of person who counted calories but didn't pay attention to quality or source of ingredients. But now I know better.
However, my ideas and understanding of health and nutrition are still very much a work in progress. Here are some of books, ect. which have shaped my idea of health and food so far.
Documentaries:
Cookbooks:
Full of yummy vegetarian recipes and how-to's, which are super helpful
The Bold Vegetarian Chef
How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
Skinny Bitch in the Kitch
Full of yummy vegetarian recipes and how-to's, which are super helpful
The Bold Vegetarian Chef
How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
Skinny Bitch in the Kitch
(Some of my) Wish List:
On my need to buy/check out of the library list!
Food Matters:A Guide to Conscious Eating with More than 75 Recipes
Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes
On my need to buy/check out of the library list!
Food Matters:A Guide to Conscious Eating with More than 75 Recipes
Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes
I'm striving towards eating a plant-based, whole foods diet, and knowing the source of my food. But there are times when I just can't say no to that cupcake, or cookie, or really any baked good. And that's okay, right? No one can live their life in black and white. I can eat this and I can't eat that. This is good and this is evil.
At times I eat foods that just don't jibe with my ideas of health and my goal to put fresh, whole, ingredients into my body. I'm not going to waver on my choice to vegetarian, however when I'm out I'll eat cheese/eggs, which I don't on a normal basis. Or I'll eat out at a restaurant and not really know exactly what's in a sauce that makes the sandwich sooo good. But I've been through the deprivation thing. I've obsessed over calories in food, and I don't like when I do that. I want to be healthy. But I also don't want to obsess over ingredients or how "healthy" something is either.
How do you balance being "healthy" with going out to eat, treats, ect?
How much has your idea of health changed over the years? Is it still evolving?
Does this post make any sense to you??
I eat a plant based diet and it makes me feel great. I considered myself a true vegan for a while but then it became really hard to say no to some of my favourite foods, mainly sweets. I still don't eat eggs, cheese, milk, yogurt, or any dairy on it's own. But if there is a little treat I want and it is made with tiny bit of dairy I will sometimes go for it! I never "cheat" on meals though. My meals are completely vegan. It's just the occasional indulgence that I have a problem eliminating.
ReplyDeleteMy idea of health is always evolving. I went from being an omnivore to a vegetarian to a vegan and now I'm a 90% vegan kind of girl that has little willpower! ha! I think I will always be evolving as I read and educate myself more!
First of all, yes the post made sense ;) Secondly, I also feel like I'm a work in progress, and I hope to just keep getting better as time goes on. Unfortunately having grown up here in the US, we have a lot of bad habits to break - constant sugar, overeating, not enough veggies, etc, so we have more of an uphill battle than we really should have, but that's our predicament and we're stuck with it. Thankfully we're not alone! Aside from other bloggers, there is a big movement pushing to make whole foods the norm once again, so there is hope. But I do feel like I'm working on my healthy balance, and I think I will be working on it for the rest of my life, but it'll probably get easier as time goes on :)
ReplyDeleteOh I totally used to be a Lean Cuisine girl! I'm trying to be healthier but I suck at it, but I think now I'm realizing that healthy doesn't mean just eating stuff that says it's only 100 calories or whatever... I need to eat stuff that has less sugar, that's not processed to death, etc.
ReplyDeleteIt's just so hard!
Christina- Sometimes it makes it harder to put a label on your eating...being "Vegan" seems so difficult. Sometimes I have to remember that I define how I eat and that eating the occasional treat isn't the end of the world! I like your outlook :)
ReplyDeleteSara- I don't know what I did before I found HL Blogs!!
Ari- It takes time to shift eating habits, but just having the knowledge is the first step!
so i haven't gone vegetarian but most of the meat i consume is lean proteins and fish. I dont think i could live without meat.
ReplyDeleteBut as i get older i've been eating healthier so hopefully that trend continues too. I used to eat tons of lean cuisines, but i eventually taught myself how to cook when i moved out to Seattle and I'm so much happier and healthier for it!
I love this post and it seems you have put some great thought into it! I think not obsessing over food is a very difficult thing to do...it seems finding a healthy balance is a lifelong journey! I am pescitarian although I go weeks without any fish sometimes. I have my vegan days for sure, but I have a hard time totally cutting out greek yogurt and sometimes cottage cheese. Other than that i'm not even a cheese lover so staying away from milk isn't too hard. I have a hard time digesting it so that's the only reason I try to stay away. Some may think it's overwhelming but i'm passionate about health and food so I love the journey!
ReplyDeleteI always think about how my eating habits will evolve! I'd like to think that as I become more confident in life and in my medical position (aka a real doctor) I will mature and succumb to emotional eating less (one can only hope). I know that I feel better when I eat whole foods, but I've learned over many years that it's ok to treat yourself and indulge sometimes! I've teetered on the verge of vegetarianism but I think I will remain on the brink, because restricting foods that I'm craving (like the huge turkey craving I had this week!) will lead me to binge on other things.
ReplyDelete