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

Some Interesting Developments....

I am now nearly to 100 hours since my last hit of caffeine. On Monday morning the headaches were so bad I thought I would die. I caught the bus to work and spent the entire trip focusing my Reiki energy onto my head and the parts of me that needed help. By 9.15 the headache was gone.

Yesterday I was a bit headachey, and due to an excessively bad day at work really really wanted some Coke. But I didn't.

Today I have no headaches, but am tired and really really thirsty. The anxiety has started as well. The good news is that this time I was ready for it so am not freaked out by it. I can mange it and in time it will go away.

So for the last week or so I have been paying attention to what I have been eating. To the taste, the scent, the texture, and most importantly how my body feels during and after eating. I have discovered some interesting things. Some foods I thought I loved, I don't actually like the taste of. It is the texture that I enjoy. Some foods I thought sat well inside my stomach, do not. Some foods I thought I reacted to, I don't when eaten alone.

This is a really interesting time for me. Especially discovering that I do not actually like the taste of hot chips. It is the texture. So I need to focus on finding something with a similar texture (and none of the fat). I also do not like how I feel after eating them (especially the gas - I owe my Chiropractor an apology for last nights smells...) LOL

On other news I may not have mentioned, on the weekend I became attuned to Reiki level 2. I am now a qualified Reiki practitioner. It takes 21 days for the energies to settle then I can start actually doing this properly. The interesting thing is that on Day 21 I will be in the middle of a weekend spiritual retreat. I am expecting this to be a very powerful day for me (it is also my sister birthday although I am not sure of that will have any impact).

The spiritual retreat is something I have always wanted to do. This one came up only a week ago and I jumped at the chance to participate.

Lastly, in a week and a half I will be starting back in the world of study. I have been accepted into the Advanced Diploma of Naturopathy. I am really looking forward to it. but also nervous abut studying again and the amount of time commitment it will be. But I really want this so I will make it work.

xox

More Thinking About Eating

The more I think about eating without Additives as much as possible the more I feel this is the right thing for me to try. So the first thing I need to do is look at what I eat now to see what can stay and what needs to go.

The obvious things are the junk food and take away, the Diet Coke, the caffeine etc. No brainers there.

So what else is there to eat?

Well, turns out my usually breakfast is fine. Oats with rice milk. The rice milk I use is organic and contains no nasties at all. I sometimes add honey. I do not currently have organic honey which is usually additive-free. But I will finish the containers I have (1 at home 1 at work) before buying more.

So what sorts of things do I eat?

Tofu – organic tofu contains small amounts of Mineral salts 509 and 511 which are Calcium Chloride and Magnesium Chloride. These are not considered to be dangerous and unlikely to cause reactions. (Fed Up With Food Additives website). Not sure about that. I love tofu and use it in place of meat quite a bit. Needs some thought.

Eggs – completely natural

Soy “bacon style rashers” – these contain some chemicals but nothing listed as a number. Perhaps small quantities only. Need to think on it.

Pasta – nothing wrong with pasta

Pasta Sauce – imagine my surprise to find my favourite brand of pasta sauce – Dolmio – is additive-free. Yay!

Stir-fries – nothing wrong with the veggies I use – need to examine the different sauces.

Bread. Oh how I love my bread. Full of preservatives though. Need to find an alternative (or learn to use my bread maker)

Cheese - hard to say what is in it. There are no additives listed however it contains “cultures”. Need to find out what exactly this is.

Dijonaise – my fave salad dressing and sandwich spread. It has about 9 of those nasty numbered additives. Buggar. That one is out (although to be honest I only have it about once a month). But still….

Legumes – I mostly cook these from dry, so they are completely fine. If I get canned I get organic and they do not contain additives.

Well… This is okay. It is a learning experience really. My biggest issues to start with are going to be the caffeine and Diet Coke, and the junk foods. So these are what I am going to work on first.

I have also started a journal I call “Food Feelings”. This is not my feelings about food, rather how each food/meal makes me feel. Got some very interesting reactions already. Amazing what your body tells you if you actually shut up and listen to it…

I would love to hear other peoples views on all this.

xox