I have always considered myself to be a reasonably healthy eater, some days more so than others. As an aging woman with a passion for food, maintaining my weight has been a challenge for many of my adult years and a recent weight gain had me concerned. I felt compelled to start keeping a food diary to help make me more aware of what I am putting into my body. What an eye opener this exercise has been. With the help of an online diet and exercise journal, I have diligently entered each item I have consumed for the past few weeks. With the report at the end of each day staring me in the face, I have realized that although for the most part I am not overeating, I am, however not always meeting the caloric intake that is recommended for a healthy body weight. I am also consuming more fats and protein than my body actually needs, or at least that is what the daily report shows.
How can this be? I was somewhat surprised, actually I was shocked! I eat lots of vegetables (many green ones!), good fats, whole grains and good proteins. With such a high intake of plant based foods and much of it raw or lightly cooked, this was hard to believe. I realize now that I really have to take a serious look at the meals that I make every day; am I using too much olive oil or coconut oil when creating dishes; too much tofu in my diet; am I getting enough roughage; are my snacks what they should be? I will say this, entering every morsel I put to my lips into a tracking site is now holding me accountable to myself; something I have never been able to achieve. This is an accomplishment for me and one that I am very proud of. I am only partway into monitoring my intake, so I don’t have major results, nor do I have the answers to all of my questions, but I will continue to work on this and will write about it again very soon.
While working through this, I have gone on an internet rampage googling ‘Why do we overeat?’ ‘What can we do to curb our appetites?’ ‘How to plan a healthy diet.’ ‘Why are we tempted by fast food?’ ‘Why do we eat when we are not hungry?’ ‘Why do we find comfort in some foods and not others?’...so many questions and too many answers!!!
Maintaining a healthy body weight is quite complicated for many of us. Here are some of the questions I looked to have answered and they just may be of interest to you.
Why is too much sugar not good?
When we consume foods that are high in sugar (or convert to sugar easily), that sugar enters the bloodstream and our bodies produce and release insulin. Insulin is a hormone that assists the body in the conversion of glucose into energy. Our body only needs so much sugar and when our diet is high in sugary and simple starchy foods, we produce too much insulin and the energy our bodies do not use up converts to fat and is stored in our cells.
Why does junk food and fast food taste so good?
Apparently, many of these foods are engineered in labs with just the right balance of fat, sugar and salt to trigger the pleasure element in our brains. If this is so, we find joy and delight every time we indulge or so we think. Is food that is chemically treated to artificially arouse warm fuzzies in our brains really what we want to consume? Mmm...
Why do we eat when we are not hungry?
Some of us are emotional eaters and then there are those who eat of sheer boredom. Some eat for the absolute pleasure of it and then there are those that eat as a replacement for something missing in their lives, possibly love or being desired. And there are also stress eaters. It appears that food satisfies many emotional needs that are not being met by what is going on in our lives. If we are more aware of why we eat when we are not hungry, are we more able to curb ourselves from using food as a drug? Well, it is a legal drug, but is it a healthy one?
Online diet and exercise journal sites:
Ways I am using to help curb my appetite:
- Drink water throughout the day, ½ your body weight in ounces
- Eat smaller meals with healthy snacks in between to keep your blood sugar at a healthy stable level throughout the day
- Eat high fiber foods with water. Fiber expands with water intake creating the feeling of fullness.
- Carry healthy snacks when you are on the go. This keeps you from looking to the nearest snack machine or convenience store for junk food.
- Don’t remove carbohydrates from your diet, choose better carbs!
- Combine complex carbohydrates with protein, our digestive system is designed to release enzyme that digest both!
- Read your labels! If it says “low in fat” it is likely full of sugar or other additives or chemicals in place of the fat. If they removed everything, likely majority of people would not like it.
- Remember fat is not always bad, there are so many healthy fats out there that are very important for our body to function to its full capacity.
While it is important to educate ourselves about the foods we should be eating and learning healthy eating habits, it is crucial that we also understand that what the food industry portrays as a health food is not always the case, and that is why it is so important to read labels and understand what it means when the sodium, trans fats, calories and sugars are high. Some of these foods to avoid are:
- Protein Bars – loaded with sugars and calories
- Bottled Fruit Smoothies – unnecessary sugars from peanut butter, ice cream and added juices blended in
- Trail Mix or Mixed Nuts – coated in sugars and salt
- Granola Bars – full of sugar, calories, fats, sodium
- Canned Soups – full of sodium, likely twice your daily recommended intake in just one cup!
- Frozen Yogurts – yes lower in fat that a cream or milk however these have just as much sugar so remember to NOT increase your portion size
There is so much to know and learn about what works right for your body but I think the first step is identifying where your problematic areas may lie and find healthy alternatives. What I have learned along my journey to an ultimate healthy diet is that portion control is everything!
I ask, are you really a healthy eater, or do you just think you are?
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What’s on the menu this week?
- Cream of Mushroom Rice
- Curry Tofu Salad Wrap
- Broccoli Vegetable Stir Fry
- Classic Lasagna with Pesto
- Grilled Vegetable Couscous
- Brunch: Roasted Vegetables with a Soft Egg
- Dessert: Chocolate and Banana Pavlova
http://www.vegmenufortheweek.com
Lyndsay & Laurie
Contact us at: lyndsay@vegmenufortheweek.com
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