How am I expected to fight my cognitions if I am not
physically prepared? Taking care of my body is the first step in taking care
of my mind. If I have not eaten, am not well-rested and physically out of
shape, I have not prepared myself to have enough mental energy to do anything
with my anxiety. For this reason, healthy body = healthy mind.
This week's blog posts will cover healthy living. Today's topic: Food.
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I am definitely one of those people that cannot function when hungry. "Hangry" doesn't even begin to describe what I turn into without a sufficient source of food in my body. My family members know this about me and often times try to shove food down my face when I begin to get crabby. My ex-boyfriend even had a "monster" voice for me when I began to go off the deep end. He would make his voice go really deep and repeat "Me Clara Beth. Me hungry." Needless to say, without food, I cannot be expected to do any sort of exposure or cognitive exercise. To remain stable, I have started planning my meals as well as the types of food that go into my body.
1. Snacks
I have a fast metabolism which means that I can eat a full meal and 30 minutes later be starving! To combat this, my meal plan currently consists of three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) with three snacks readily at hand (after breakfast, after lunch, after dinner).
For my snacks, I like to keep things light and simple. Carrots, oranges, and bananas with peanut butter are just a few of the endless variety of snacks that are out there. Everyday when I get home after a long day at the office, I usually don't have enough energy to cook dinner, which means it is snack time! That's right, I eat to prepare myself just enough energy to cook food and eat again. For this time of day, my remedy usually consists of 2 pickles straight out of the jar.
Did you ever use to watch Jersey Shore on MTV and laugh at Snooki's deep obsession with eating pickles? I can almost guarantee you that, even with her recent weight loss and new #fitfam attitude, that she still gets to indulge in this light snack. Essentially, pickles are cucumbers that have undergone a pickling process in a solution composed of vinegar, salt and optional spices. Because of this, pickles are a low calorie snack that provides electrolytes, vitamins. Sometimes known as a hangover remedy, they may have even helped keep Snooki from feeling terrible after nights out while filming the show. If you choose pickles as a good snack though, try and choose a brand that is low sodium as they can exceed your daily limit.
2. Meals
In case you haven't already heard, the Food Pyramid that you learned about in high school is long dead. ChooseMyPlate.gov is apparently all the rage today. One of my friend's let me know about this website. You can enter your age, gender, weight, height and physical activity, and it will give you a daily meal plan based off of the new health formula (pyramid replacement) consisting of grains, vegetables, fruit, dairy and protein foods. Now if you go to a nutritionist, I would listen to them over this site, but for a standard plan it is pretty good. The only category I am wary on is the diary as I once heard that we are not suppose to have dairy after a certain point in life. I suppose it is one of the ways in which humans relate to kittens. "meow"
The website provides many examples of each category. However, just in case you are interested, below are the five categories and how I tackle them.
Protein
After thinking about it for a long time, I finally decided that I am personally okay with eating meat. However, I have one rule before deciding to eat it - I need to know that the animal was not hurt in any way and lived a good, healthy life. In my opinion, it is our responsibility and moral obligation to take care of animals and treat them with love and respect. It is natural and healthy to eat meat, but if we are going to do so, we must treat the animal well. I prefer pasteurized meats where I know that the animal had the ability to enjoy sunshine, grass and food that is good for their diet. This means no cages, no hormones or artificial preservatives, not hitting, hurting, yelling at...no anything less than healthy, happy animals!!
If you are not interested in meat, that is completely fine. There are many ways to gain protein through different foods such as beans, hummus, peanut butter, etc.
Grains
Grains are something I don't typically think about but often get incorporated into my meals. Grabbing a piece of toast on the way out the door on a busy morning, making wheat spaghetti for dinner to satisfy my weekly craving, substituting a bun for a whole grain piece of bread when taking a hamburger straight off of the grill are a few examples of the many ways I consume grains. To make sure I am eating the right kinds of grains, I make sure that the only ones in my house are healthy ones.
Examples of what I try and keep:
whole wheat pasta
wild rice
whole wheat bread
Examples of what I try and ditch:
white bread
white rice
One thing I will say is that I am from the south so don't even try taking my grits away from me (even if they are the bad kind)...
Fruit & Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are so important to your diet. Make sure you leave room for them. Personally, I love fruits and vegetables, but I know that many do not. If this is you, try and get creative with them. If you simply do not like the way they taste, try and sweeten them up. One of my favorite desserts is blueberries with whip cream. It takes an already sweet fruit and turns it into a great dessert recipe to combat that late night cupcake.
Remember that it is also important to try and find local fruits and vegetables that are in season. This will ensure that you get as many nutrients as you can from the meal. I know that fresh vegetables can sometimes be frustrating to purchase because they do not have a long shelf life. There are many unique ideas that you can find online to help solve this. I recently bought two giant piles of kale because it was on sale. To use it, I substituted it for lettuce on my hamburgers, made salads with chick peas for lunch and kale smoothies. That weekend, I was about to go out of town when I could tell that my kale was about to go bad. Instead of throwing it away, I cut up the remaining pile, dabbed olive oil on it and baked it in the oven. For the three hour car ride, I had delicious fresh kale chips to substitute my potato chip craving.
Don't give up on your food. What makes the best banana bread? Overripe bananas
Dairy
Dairy is one of the products that I am planning to soon take out of my diet to see if it will help with certain allergies. However, when buying it now, I make sure that just like meat, it is from a pasteurized and well-treated animal. Another substitute are products such as almond milk. I mean, look how cute those cows are above? Don't you want them to live a good, happy life?
3. Know Your Dietary Restrictions
If you are gluten free, don't eat gluten.
If you are lactose intolerant, don't eat dairy.
Caffeine makes you anxious? Choose decaffeinated options.
Simple enough, right?
Actually many of these types of lifestyles can be very hard to keep up with and manage. Just remember, your body and health is important so don't give up! Eat what is best for you. Just like when fighting anxiety, things are easier said than done, but you know what is best for yourself and should try and stay true to that when it comes to eating healthy.
Here is a link to a good friend of mine's blog on gluten free eating.
4. Budget and Plan
For the longest time I told myself, "I will get healthy once I can afford it." Little did I know, I could afford it, I just was not budgeting correctly. Putting money into your food is investing in yourself, but it doesn't have to be expensive. Look at local places around you and search for blogs on eating healthy at low prices. I was able to find a local health food store that offers tons of coupons and serves only food without hormones or preservatives and humanely treated animals. I spend on average $5 more a week than I did shopping at Walmart. Some of my allergies have gone away, I have had an increase in energy, positive thinking and am overall a healthier person. Eating right is another way of taking care of yourself both physically and mentally and, in my opinion, that is well worth the price. Personally, I don't worry about the calories, low fat options or diet plans. I focus on health.
Bottom Line:
It is not about losing weight, it is about being healthy. You can do that on a budget. Learn the facts, consult your doctor and start a nutrition plan. Invest in yourself - not tomorrow but today.
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