I used to have so many rules around food. Some of them were based off of long-held beliefs I had about nutrition. Some of them were simply based off of fears I had- fear of gaining weight, fears of falling back into digestive distress, of throwing my health away if I let go of my restrictions. All gluten is bad. You shouldn’t eat after 8pm. Dairy makes you gain weight. You shouldn’t eat carbs twice in one day. Grains will make you inflamed. Don’t eat more than one serving of fruit a day. Peanuts are full of toxins. I am SO happy to say I’ve thrown out all of those rules– and many more, and guess what? I’m totally fine. In fact, my health is better than ever. My PCOS is managed, my digestion is balanced, and best of all- I don’t stress about food anymore. I eat what I enjoy, what satisfies me, and what nourishes me.
Some of the rules and fears I had took longer to get rid of than others. This wasn’t an overnight shift where I decided all foods were fine and just started eating them. It was a step by step process of addressing each fear food, rule and restriction and getting real: asking myself, simply, what would happen if I chose to include these foods in my diet again. And I tried it. What happened was truly incredible. I learned what foods I liked, and what I didn’t. I discovered what foods make me feel good, and what foods don’t. I stopped obsessing about food and started enjoying it. I started developing an eating style that worked just for me– no labels necessary.
The reason I’ve decided to share my eats from time to time is to encourage you that you, too, can find freedom in food– all foods. It is possible to ditch the rules, enjoy food and still nourish yourself fully. It’s possible to eat within your food values (organic, local, vegetarian- whatever that is to you) without obsession. It IS possible to have peace with food.
If you are struggling with finding peace with food, perhaps you are struggling to find your balance in eating healthfully and intuitively, maybe you’re still on the binge/restrict cycle, maybe you’re still fearing foods or worried about gaining weight. I’m here for you, friend. I’d love to book a free 45-minute call with you to chat about your food fears and decide if working together to help you release them and find peace with food is right for you.
Now onto my eats- a full day of enjoying food, at home with my girls. (Messy home and all. #reallife)
6am. I’ve been really into butter coffee again, lately. I got into it for a while when ‘Bulletproof’ coffee was a huge trend (we’re talking four years ago) and I love the sustained energy it gives me– but typically I enjoy my first cuppa joe with MCT, Collagen and stevia. Today I did a dollop of kerrygold and MCT with some stevia, blended.
OLD RULE: If I eat breakfast, my body will stop burning fat (false) so I’ll just fast with butter coffee, instead. NEW LIFE: What kind of coffee do I feel like, today? (p.s. I still eat breakfast) I decided to go for a run around 7:30, so I laced up my shoes and since it was above freezing, decided to venture outside. I soon regretted that decision as it was still REALLY icy. I made it about a half an hour and called it.
8:00am Breakfast: super green smoothie. This one ended up being extra green because I used a greens-based protein powder (not my fave but it gets the job done) as well as spinach. I blended up: almond milk, spinach, salted almond butter, Amazing Grass vanilla protein powder, cinnamon, wild frozen blueberries. Granola to top.
OLD RULE: I need to measure all of my smoothie ingredients, can’t have more than a half a cup of berries! No granola on top- that’s just adding extra carbs. NEW LIFE: A bit of this, a bit of that. As long as I have protein, carbs and healthy fats my body will use the fuel and stay satisfied! Granola on top is delicious and the crunch totally adds to the satisfaction factor. 11:30am Coffee with organic heavy cream
12:00pm I was started hungry when I sat down to drink my coffee while Sage did some school work so I was ravenous by noon– probably should have just eaten lunch earlier. It happens! I have been craving a tuna melt for SO long now, so I decided to go for it today with some delicious sourdough we picked up this weeked. 1 slice of toasted sourdough with tuna salad (wild tuna, avocado mayo, dijon, sea salt, celery, sundried tomatoes) and grass-fed cheddar (Trader Joe’s, we love this one). Carrots on the side. I ate more than two– I just snacked on them while I was prepping our lunch! S was very curious about this meal, she definitely doesn’t see her mama eat tuna melts often, but it was DELICIOUS + satisfying. Everything I needed!
OLD RULE: I can’t have bread at lunch– too many carbs, I should have the tuna salad by itself. NEW LIFE: I have been craving a tuna melt, and I have some wild caught salmon and avocaod oil mayo on hand– that would be SO satisfying today! I love a veggie on the side, carrots sound sweet, crunchy and delicious. After we did school work, we curled up on the couch for an episode of Gilmore Girls (our favorite to watch together). I made us some simple hot chocolate– almond milk, cocoa powder + honey.
OLD RULE: I only ate lunch an hour ago. I can’t have a treat! NEW LIFE: Umm, homemade hot chocolate. Need I say more? I started feeling some real snack hunger around 3, so I grabbed a slice of pecan banana bread with a big dollop of peanut butter. This hit the spot and held me til dinner!
We spent the afternoon enjoying the sunshine and playing on the swings, outside!
Once dinnertime rolled around, I decided to use some leftover chicken to make a recipe out of the Real Food Cookbook by Nina Planck (one of my favorite food writers). It was delicious. A TON of dill. My husband and I loved it, Wren ate one bite and some pasta and Sage wasn’t quite sure- but she did eat a serving and a half. Served over egg noodles. No veggies except the ones in the chicken (onion and dill) and I didn’t sweat it. We get lots of veggies in throughout the day.
OLD RULE: White pasta?! No veggies? NO WAY! NEW LIFE: It’s only one night. We eat lots of veggies overall. Egg noodles remind me of my childhood and they’re fun to have now and again, especially paired with delicious creamy white chicken stroganoff.
After dinner I was craving some chocolate (might be a certain time of the month) so I grabbed a few mini dark chocolate almond butter cups (these are Trader Joe’s brand and they are the BEST). And then I had some Bedtime tea and called it a night!
OLD ME: No eating after dark! NEW LIFE: A little hungry, a lot wanting chocolate. I know I’d eat WAY more chocolate tomorrow if I didn’t simply allow myself full permission to have a little tonight. Mmmm. Am I a perfect eater? Yes– for me! Every day is different and I listen to my body and choose foods I know feel good, for the most part. Not every day is perfect, some days I enjoy more veggies than others, more fruit, etc– but every day is a new opportunity to nourish my body with intuitive eating and simple nutrition. I hope you enjoyed this, friends!
every day is a new opportunity to nourish my body with intuitive eating and simple nutrition
Do you want help in finding your beautiful balance and eating well, without the stress? Book a free 45-minute discovery call with me to begin the journey to your food freedom.
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