Monday, June 13, 2011

Thinking About Eating

Last night I was feeling pretty crappy. Earlier I had been feeling great, full of energy, body feeling great. But by last night it had all changed. So I started to think about what I had eaten all day. Some very interesting things came up.

For breakfast I had pancakes from a packet. They tasted a bit bland, but the honey I had on them was great. I spent the morning feeling quite lethargic. I just figured it was because I had not slept well. In reality it was probably related to the pancakes.

For lunch we had fresh bread rolls (additive free) and some home made dahl (also additive free) with lentils and chickpeas. In the afternoon I really perked up. Lots of energy, body feeling great.

For dinner we had pizza from the pizza shop. Undoubtedly full of crap. I ended up bloated and gassy and got tired real quick.

Putting it all together it is pretty clear. The quality of the food I eat directly impacts me, not only how my body feels physically, but also how I am mentally and psychologically.

To most people this is probably a bit of a "duh" moment. But for me it is kind of a revelation as I have never thought about food in this way before. To me food has always been about immediate taste and gratification. But if I change my thinking about food to look at the bigger picture, everything is different. If I think about how I am going to feel in the hours after eating, it will change the choices I make.

Especially considering that I am now studying. I need to have energy and mental alertness. Today for example. I plan on getting about 5 or 6 hours of study in. So I need to make sure my energy levels are up. That means eating a good breakfast, and a good lunch, to get me through the day. If I eat the crap I would normally eat I will not have an effective and productive study session.

Now, more than ever, I need to be thinking about what I am eating. I am working 45-50 hours a week. I am meant to be studying 12-15 hours a week. I am on the planning committee for our next Camp. Plus I have a husband I like to spend time with and other interests that I do not wish to give up. If I want to be able to fit everything into my life I need to have energy. So I need to fuel my body properly.

This is going to take thought and planning. And there will probably be a lot of trial and error, and many mistakes along the way. But both Ross and I are committed to changing how we eat.

Looks like the pizza shop is about to lose some business...

xox

2 comments:

Sarah said...

I think I am going to use your dahl recipe for my party. We are having curries!
I bet you could make your own pizza dough with your bread maker, with whatever grains best suit you.

Find my way back said...

Wow you have such a busy life and thinking about what you are eating is fantastic. I must admit the way I am thinking at the moment is just eating my ww points and haven't gotten to the stage you are at yet and I am in the "immediate taste and gratification" at the moment. How fantastic that there was that aha moment.