I survived the worst day of commuting yet. It was all pouring rain and red taillights 🙁 Took me an hour and a half but I made it!
Fuel to get me through: A homemade granola bar and some dried apricots. And a piece of Hersey’s special dark chocolate I swiped from the office!
I’ve found there are two keys to going to the gym on a weeknight:
1) Don’t be hungry
2) Mentally prepare. Mentally prepare. Mentally prepare. Mentally prepare. Mentally prepare. Mentally prepare.
I was very mentally prepared tonight! And actually excited to go. It was the indoor playground mentality.
I was in and out of the house in 10 minutes in my workout clothes and drove there. I stuck to cardio since I’m going to yoga in the AM and did 30 minutes of Stairmaster climbing and 15 on the elliptical then headed right home to make dinner. I was quite hungry when I got there!! I have my half marathon plan in a pretty format and it says I’m supposed to run 3x a week. Honestly, that’s quite hard!! Running really exhausts my legs and I really like moving them in different ways with cross training. So I’m just going to play it by ear, running at the very least twice a week, but still working my body on the other days (plus a day for yoga and a day for rest).
Here’s what it looks like (click to enlarge). Thanks to Sarah for helping me with the design and Emily for the template! I’ve already started to tweak it according to my life plans (such as the CDA meeting next Tuesday) and swapping days around.
So what we had planned for dinner tonight was bok choy, pasta and a leftover chicken sausage. What to make?
I’ve been listening to these podcasts by Dr. Furhman, an MD with a nutrition specialty on my commutes. I downloaded a bunch of nutrition podcasts and his was the first I listened to. When I hear he and Dr. Oz are friends and went to med school together my ears perked up. I love Dr. Oz! Much like Sex and the City was in its 5th season before I ever watched an episode, I can’t believe I’ve never heard of Dr. Furhman or his book, Eat To Live. I REALLY like what he has to say. He’s viewpoint is all about nutrient density.
He says:
H = N / C or Health = Nutrients / Calories
Based on gobloads of research, we KNOW that fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, beans and basically all things plants are hella good for us. There’s really no arguing with that. *Lightbulb!* He also says that we know that plants are high in discovered vitamins and minerals. And they are also high in phytochemicals – and likely thousands of other undiscovered micronutrients. *Lightbulb* He also talks about toxic hunger and says that if we are eating foods void of these micronutrients (while they may be high in macronutrients = CHO, PRO + FAT), then our bodies will always want to eat MORE because they are craving the micronutrients we aren’t getting from animal proteins, refined carbs, processed foods. He also discusses how taste buds can change to actually prefer super healthy foods. I totally agree on that one. Give me a big salad with nuts and seeds over fast food any day.
But it sounds kinda mythical huh?
If it weren’t for the Dr. Oz friendship I might be a lot more skeptical. But the more I tried to find disagreement with him, the more I realized – well you really can’t argue with vegetables!! He doesn’t advocate an entirely vegan diet, and says so long as you are eating mostly plants you can have some animal products scattered in.
I do want to know what he has to say about iron, omega-3s, B12 and athletes. He is not a proponent of grains, even whole wheat, because he says it is not very nutrient dense, which I somewhat agree with. I’d like to sit down and have a solid conversation with him! But he has me totally hooked on NUTRIENT DENSITY! I’ve been thinking about this for a few weeks now – what a great concept!!
What the Superfoods book was to me in 2007, this is to me now. I’ve been eating trying to eat more nutrients and it’s been really motivating and even fun. And there’s no doubt that I have lost most of my 2009 Fun Weight (although I don’t weigh myself so I don’t really know how much or anything). But I feel great!
I think I’m going to read his book next. Search for "Nutritional Wisdom" on iTunes for the podcasts. I recommend "Nobody Should Die Of Heart Disease" (the first half), "The Secret Weapons for Permanent Weight Loss," and "Food Addictions: The Cause of Obesity."
SOOOOOOO…….
He is always talking about these blended sauces made with nuts and things. So I wanted to make one tonight!!
I gathered up some ingredients that were in my fridge to assemble a sauce of sweet potato puree (1/3 a cup), juice pulp of kale and lemon (1/3 a cup), coconut milk (1/3 a cup), parmesan cheese (2 tbsp) and ALMONDS (1/4 a cup). Although I really didn’t measure – just eyeballed it all. Guys, I have come SO FAR from the days of measuring food!!! I used to measure everything and would have never (ever) made a sauce with "high calorie nuts" but the more I learn about nutrition and the more I experiment with my body, the more I believe in QUALITY over QUANTITY!
The Vita-mix rocks. It sure is an expensive item, so put it on your birthday wish list, your Christmas list, your Valentine’s list. If you like blended things, it’s definitely worth the price.
Bok choy + leftover snausage
Matt and I sipped cocktails while we cooked (and I had a sip of his!!)
What a great concept. The herbal water made such a fun treat to plain water!! I am not the biggest orange fan, but I did like this flavor a lot.
Our dinner music: LOTR!!
Whole wheat penne with bok choy, chicken sausage and crazy almond sweet potato coconut sauce!
The sauce was AMAZING!!! So rich and flavorful from the sweet potato and the LEMON zest in the juice pulp really came out!
I also really really love bok choy! Especially cut into pieces like this.
My husband is waiting on the couch with The Office + 30 Rock. Gotta go!!!
xoxo
Karla says
My sister keeps telling me about the book Eat to Live. She really liked it apparently. I haven’t read it yet but it’s on my list of books to read. Sounds very interesting!
Have a great night!
Danielle (Coffee Run) says
Wow- you’re so organized! I think I need to have a “master schedule” instead of the 3 or 4 I have floating around.
I totally agree- the vita-mix is a very worthy investment
Food Makes Fun Fuel says
From the little bit you’ve mentioned, I already love this author and his book. I admit that I feel so much more satiated after eating things I can identify as “nutritious”. I don’t think oats do much for my body or my hunger, but that’s the fun of loading on nutrient rich toppings!
Cynthia (It All Changes) says
Making your training plan work for you so you make it healthy to race day is key. Good for you for adjusting it to suit your needs. Racing is no fun if you hate the training.
Cyclist Kate says
I love Dr. Fuhrman! While his official plan doesn’t fit me (his plan for weight loss is a pound of leafy raw greens, a pound of cooked non-starchy vegetables, four fruits, a cup of beans, a cup of grains, and a tablespoon of flax each day…and that’s it), I think he’s a very smart man, a very good doctor, and I really like what he has to say. His book is hugely inspiring…he’s gotten so many people with chronic health problems OFF their meds, feeling great, and enjoying life again!
For omega 3’s, he advocates for a tablespoon of flax each day…if you’re eating more fats than he recommends, I imagine this quantity would go up a little, or he’d recommend that more of the extra fats you’re consuming should be high in omega 3’s.
He was an olympic athlete and shares in his book that he would just eat massive quantities of the foods he recommends…he says he’d keep tons of fresh fruit and raw nuts in the back seat of his car to replenish his body.
Kath says
Oh cool, thanks for the info!! I agree that his responses on the podcast do seem to be pretty low in calories, but when you add in beans and calorie-dense nuts and seeds, I can see how it would total 1800-2000 calories.
Hillary [Nutrition Nut on the Run] says
I’m a fan of the fresh lime. Way to go motivating yourself to go to the gym after a long, wet Friday!
Lauren @ eater not a runner says
Glad you made it home safe! That dinner does look amazing, I wish I had a vitamix for sure 🙂
Jill says
Thanks for the podcast suggestions. Listening to them right now.
Ally (Exercise and Pies) says
Dinner looks fab.
I read about ‘Eat to Live’ when I was in High School but I couldn’t really adhere to his strict rules. However, I love the principles behind everything he had to say.
I love podcasts so i’m actually going to snoop around the internet and find some good ones to listen to. For some reason I haven’t kept up with them in over a year!
Erin (Travel, Eat, Repeat) says
That sauce looks kind of… off haha… but all of the ingredients are great so I’m sure it tasted delicious. 😉 Going to the gym hungry is a big no-no for me. I absolutely cannot work out if my stomach is growling.
Melissa says
Kath – love when you go off on a tangent about something! I can’t wait to listen to the podcasts. How do you listen in your car? Does your ipod connect?
Kath says
iPhone has a speaker 🙂
Light Delight with TouTou says
That’s a great workout plan – I got inspired too 😀 never try to lay out a plan the whole month!
almond sweet potato coconut sauce looks very yummy!
Lina says
Dr. F definitely has some interesting points to make though I do feel his nutrition outlook is a little too intense. I think we all need to understand as nutritionists that it’s all about bio-individuality, we’re all different and what works for one person may not work for the next, or even for the same person the next year, so it’s hard to adhere to his strict rules. I think that’s why in general I’m never a big advocate of any diets. That being said, although nutrient density isn’t a new concept, Dr. Fuhrmann has teamed up with whole foods to steer people to health with an interesting new concept. He has this thing called MANDI which I would compare to the Glycemic index in a way. It’s a list of foods ranked in order of nutrient density. Whole foods is going to put up these numbers around the store at the different food items (i think it’s only going to be fresh foods though). This way rather than obsess over calories people can see that for example kale has a higher score than lettuce so they would choose kale in order to achieve a higher MANDI score for the day. I think people in america want structure and that’s why so many obsess over calories and I think it’s unhealthy. This way at least people can have an idea of what they want to eat and choose the healthiest option of the bunch.
Anyways, I love your blog posts and would love to hear more opinions on the podcasts! After going to IIN and seeing lecturers like Dr. Weil and Dr. Oz in person I forget that people aren’t taught these concepts and ideas,which is sad. I know when I went to Rutgers for nutrition no one ever brought up nutrient density or clean eating, I think more stuff like this needs to be taught, because the science heavy classes taught me little.
Kath says
I agree – a bit intense. But I’m glad he “allows” meat, and I do think the main point is just to eat more plants. Not necessarily to cut out all the good stuff. I like the MANDI concept as well.
Laura says
I definitely agree about bio-individuality! Sally Fallon (of “Nourishing Traditions” fame) is a huge supporter of the nutrient-dense thing, except she advocates high quality animal products, and lots of them, and considers them to be extremely nutrient-dense. It seems the bottom line among health food enthusiasts, whether they be pro-meat or not, is to eat real food! And let the bio-individuality thing work itself out after that.
Kati @ Living Well says
Love the thoughts on nutrient density. I just got done having a LOADED salad at Ruby Tuesday’s and definitely got some micro-nutrients in! ;> I want to read Eat to Live…
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is says
That herbal water sounds so amazing.
Lara says
Might want to add in some rest days in your training plan. Unless those “walks” are more leisurely style walks?
Kath says
Oh yes, leisurely with matt, if that. I’ll likely put rest days on bad weather days as well.
Joelle (The Pancake Girl) says
That din looks fabulous, and yay for using the word “hella” — haha the only time I ever hear that word is from my friends from Nor Cal. 🙂 Have a great night!
Shauna says
Hey Kath,
I also want to recommend Dr. Mcdougall podcast. I know you have tried his soup cups… I agree with everything you said about Dr. Fuhrman but I also think that some of his guidelines are a little too strict. I have found that Dr. Mcdougall is a little more relaxed and I do agree with some things that he has said too. I say the more info you have, then you can make the best educated decision yourself. Here is a link to Mcdougall podcast. Happy weekend!!
http://www.drmcdougall.com/mcdougallcast/
Kath says
THANK YOU! Will check them out!
Kristen says
If you’re ambivalent about wheat, do you have some cognitive dissonance around going into the bread business?
Kath says
No, I am not ambivalent about wheat at all!!! I just was admitting that he does have a point about nutrient density. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t eat lots of whole grain bread with all its B vitamins and synergy and all. Esp. for athletes (which I consider myself to be).
rustique says
All very sound advice. Aside from bacterial outbreaks, I’d say that more vegetables has never negatively impacted someone’s health–and considering how wonderful plant foods are, all the more reason to load up!
Jill says
Okay, you inspired me to write a mini post about books on my must read list! Gotta get to the bookstore…
Fei Fei says
What an interesting concept! I’m definitely bookmarking his podcast for a listen later.
While we are on the topic of food and nutrition, I just wanted to share this interesting & pertinent piece of info with you: Did you know that it is very unhealthy to COOK with extra virgin olive oil? EVOO is great for the heart and body when used as a vinaigrette, etc. but according to this nutritionist (http://www.cbc.ca/stevenandchris/2010/02/good-fat-vs-bad-fat.html – “trans fat” section), EVOO’s mono-unsaturated fats turn to TRANS fats upon heat or light exposure! I was shocked!
Kath says
Yes, I have read that! I try to cook with canola and finish with EVOO. It’s hard to always remember. Cooking with oils is hard to begin with.
Lara says
That is only when they are cooked at very high heat. You normally would not use EVOO for high heat because of its smoking point.
Katie@ Two Lives, One Lifestyle says
wow, interesting, I want to look into that more!
emily says
Just fyi, that is not really correct. Even when heated evoo is still healthy fat. The reason you don’t cook with it traditionally is because it’s low smoke point means its flavor diminishes when heated. When our bodies process fats we can technically turn them into “trans fats” during metabolism, perhaps that is where the confusion comes in?
Meredith @ Sweat Every Day says
I’ve seen coconut milk used a lot lately in various cooking shows, blogs, and recipes I’ve come across. obviously the “light” variety is more appealing, but what is the nutritional value of coconut milk? does it provide any good nutrients or benefits? thanks!!
Kath says
I use it for its taste more than anything. I’m not sure all the nutritional benefits, and I’m sure a Google search would know more than I do on the specifics.
Lina says
I think coconut milk is being used a lot in cooking now because it is a great replacement for those who have dairy allergies. Coconut milk is great because if you buy it organic it doesn’t have all those fillers like almond milk and soy milk do such as carageenan which has unknown effects on the body but may be linked to tumors. Coconut milk also supplies you with vitamins and calcium. I love to cook with coconut oil as well because it has a high flash point so it won’t turn on you like EVOO. Also, although it is still debated coconut oil has medium chain fatty acids so although it is a saturated fat, they supposedly digest more easily in the body and may aid in detoxification. I guess as with any food the science is not sound and probably won’t be for a while, but if you use it in moderation its a great addition to a healthy diet
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) says
I am so with you on working to get more NUTRIENTS! I will have to look into these books. I have really come along way with varying my diet in the last year. I have discovered that I really feel different (better) when I change things up…not to mention the fact that it forces you to try new things! I have found some great things…like kale chips!
Jessie says
It’s true that we tend to overload on the macronutrients (especially CHO and FAT), and miss out on the nutrients-dense foods with an abundance of phytochemicals. I suppose the difficulty of identifying these micronutrients is one reason (of many) why people don’t seek them out. I’ll have to check out those podcasts.
LOTR music — nice! lol 😀
Nicole, RD says
Interesting nutrition equation. Makes sense!
Dinner looks goood! I love new ways to eat bok choy!
bridget says
Is there a recipe for the granola bars? I just have to tell you I am becoming addicted to your blog … made the pineapple chix the other night – raved about it on Facebook and voila … all my friends wanted the recipe … I sent them to yoru blog – the more the merrier! You rock !
Kath says
Yes, on the recipe page: Kelsey’s Granola Bars
Lily @ Lily's Health Pad says
I’m in total agreement with your podcast man. Although I’ve never known a term for it, nutrient density is how I strive to eat.
Ashlei says
Wow that looks amazing. Seriously! I need to make some of that sauce and try it on top of my veggie stir fries I’ve been having daily. I’ve been eating lots and lots of chard, but need to get some bok choy. It’s been too long! That book sounds really interesting. I’d like to check it out also.
Jenna says
Dinner looks fab
sarah (the SHU box) says
hi darling! guess what – i brought your + matt’s bars to the blogger part-ay tonight and they were gobbled 🙂 thank you both so much! they held up awesomely after 2ish months in the freezer!
Kath says
Oh so happy!
Jaclyn says
Definitely going to have to try that one.
I love almonds and bok choy!
Mara @ What's for Dinner? says
Take it from someone who commuted an hour and a half each way for a year…keep emergency snacks in the car!!!
Karissa says
Oh my god your dinner looks and sounds amazing! I can’t wait to give this one a try. You and Matt are always coming up with the best combinations!
lynn (The Actors Diet) says
30 rock was a good one. enjoy!
Julie @SavvyEats says
Oh, I’ll have to check out those podcasts!
And, I love putting nuts in my sauces… it makes it so creamy and delicious!
Annie @ stronghealthyfit says
That looks like one amazing sauce! YUM.
My husband and I watched 30 Rock tonight too- we love that show. I’m so glad you can watch tv online/on DVD now so you can watch it whenever you want. 🙂
Alison says
What other podcasts have you downloaded? I know you listen to Dishing Up Nutrition (for better or worse). I also like the Nutrition Diva.
Kath says
Just those 2. I didn’t like the others and deleted them after listening for 2 minutes but I don’t remember what they were. I’m off of Dishing Up Nutr. I don’t agree with their low-carb approach anymore!
Jillian says
Ohhh noooo- DR OZZZZ!!! We have a thing about him and Oprah in the supplement industry- they’re always recommending some random thing, and floods of people run into health food stores looking for this one thing, many of which don’t even remember what it was recommended for 😉 It’s just funny- we always joke that we wish they’d at least give us a heads up so we can warn production and stock up on passionflower or whatever it’s going to be. I was at one of my accounts a few weeks ago, writing herb orders, and they had gotten 24 calls for passionflower by noon.
Anyway, re: Dr F’s one tablespoon of flax a day- I hope that’s not seriously what he recommends. Flax oil is a pretty inferior way to try to get omega 3’s, and some people bodies aren’t even able to do the conversion that’s necessary with flax oil. I just hate to see people waste money taking too little of the wrong things, and that’s my only beef with these drs who become popular in the media.
christie @ honoring health says
Both Dr. Oz and Oprah have said repeatedly on their shows that they do not promote supplements and that if viewers see their names connected with such they should disregard it.
Lara says
Agreed, flax does not provide a complete Omega 3, no plant based sources do and most people can not convert it adequately or in nearly the amounts that are beneficial. Fish/Fish oils are the best sources but if one does not eat fish they can get a vegan complete Omega 3 supplement.
Kath says
I’ve always heard the same about flax. He explained it in one of his podcasts, but I’m still not sure what his conclusion was. But he seemed to say that most people CAN convert the ALA. Which is not what I have heard!! That’s why I want to talk to him more 🙂
Mama Pea says
I love your take on Dr.Furhman’s info. I think when you couple the nature of starving our bodies of nutrients while gorging them with unhealthy food, coupled with our cultural tendencies to emotionally eat, we wind up with an obesity epidemic. I’m really excited to hear more as you learn more!!!
Heather (Heather's Dish) says
what a wonderful sauce! i did something like that once with walnuts, roasted butternut squash, potato flakes, and broth…the flakes made everything all the more thick and creamy, and it made it taste like something naughty 😉
Freya @ foodfitnessandfreya.wordpress.com says
Good call on the running – it’s so much better to just loosly follow a regime, and mix it up to suit you personally than stick to it rigidly.
That sauce sounds amazing! And I couldn’t agree more with re-training your taste buds. I used to live off junk and junk was all I craved, but now I’m eating more whole, clean pure foods, I crave them more! It’s the bowl of almonds I’ll pick at, not the bowl of crisps, kinda thing.
Although I am interested in what Jillian above said – it does seem there’s always phases of people recommending the next superfood (goji berries etc etc) but I sometimes wonder how much of a difference these things really make? I wonder if it’s more just general overall quality of diet, not the addition of one or two superfoods that makes one healthy. I SO wish I was studying nutrition so I could learn more!
But I definetly agree with you – quality over quantity!
Sara says
Here’s also a reason to be skeptical: the “MD” part about Dr. Fuhrman is kind of misleading. He is actually an orthopedist. And while he is stating the obvious with the whole nutrient density shebang, his “equation” and many of the “studies” in his book are faulty and/or highly pseudo-scientific. I know you can take his stuff with grain of salt, Kath – especially because of your classes, but not everyone can, and some people are falling for some crazy stuff and buying all his products. If his diet is so perfect, why would you need so many supplements?!
Kath says
Well he doesn’t really push the supplements. He does MAKE them, but in his shows he doesn’t advocate them much.
Sarah says
I read one of his books, and it just pained me to see the aforementioned faulty “studies” as well as the fact that he has such a fatalistic tone to everything. It’s like “if you eat dairy, you will die”. That doesn’t really work for me. I just know several people who adore him like a cult, and they basically shun everyone who won’t convert to veganism. That, of course, is not his fault. 🙂
Sara says
OMG, I can’t believe I just misspelled my own name! *lol* Where is my head.
Laura says
Hi Kath-
I was just wondering your take on canola oil. I see you use it sometimes to cook, stir-fry, etc. I have obviously heard mixed things about it, and usualy avoid it for the GMO factor alone.
So.. I just wanted to hear what you thought about both sides. =)
Kath says
I use it… apparently (from what I’ve read casually) the pressed is the kind you want. Not the processed kind? Whatever that means!
tiffany says
wondering if you could put a copy of that schedule somewhere on your site so we could download and print??
Kath says
Try this:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tq2DvP_NAm_M7iv1LuRQ7cQ&output=html
Simply Life says
what a great idea with the herbal water!
Tiffany says
Your dinner looks so good! I LOVE bokchoy too! And I’m going to check out Dr. Fuhrman’s podcasts now… it sounds really interesting. Also, I love that you’ve been able to move away from measuring foods. I’m still in that stage and can’t wait to break out of it!
Jenn (www. j3nn.net ) says
I agree that we should try to eat as many nutrient-dense foods as possible, mostly plants, but sometimes I think experts are going too far with so many rules and restrictions, which ends up making people develop orthorexia if they become too obsessed. My philosophy is all about balance, not perfection, but the balance has to be easy and sensible the way our ancestors approached it. My grandmothers and their siblings lived very long, healthy and active lives without worrying about every little calorie or nutrient.
There are so many conflicting “expert” opinions out there, that it will make your head explode with information (opinion) overload. Just eat real food most of the time in the right ratio for YOU and your lifestyle. 🙂
Jenn
Judy says
I got Dr. Furhman’s books out from the library. Can’t say they were life changing, but I always take a little bit of this & a little bit of that from everything I read. I really upped the size of my salads.
And his banana walnut ice cream (just frozen bananas, a little bit of walnuts & soy milk) is to die for.
I might buy his second book eventually, but in the meantime I just copied a bunch of recipes to try!
SentimentsbyDenise says
Reading Eat to Live a year ago really opened my eyes to some great nutritional truths. I look at food in a much different way and knowing what I know now about plant protein vs animal protein has helped me make better choices in my meal plans.
It’s all about wellness and keeping things in perspective. I’ve survived cancer twice now and know that eating healthy is important in the whole wellness scheme of things.
Lara says
LOL on 2009 fun weight. I have always found the “pants method” of weighing to be pretty effective. If all your pants fit the same way they did when you were at your goal weight then you know you have lost or whatnot. Of course this only works with real pants and not stretchy pants or workout pants. But usually a pretty good gauge.
I agree it is important to eat very nutrient dense foods, that is how I structure my eating but have also heard lots of negative stuff about Dr. Furhman and agree what someone wrote above about a lot of his stuff is pseudo science. So important to read things with a critical eye. Most reputable scientists are not recording podcasts for ITunes..
Heather @ Side of Sneakers says
I love that nutrition concept! Your plan looks great- I think being able to adjust to accommodate your schedule and how your legs feel is so important!
Deva (Voracious Vorilee) says
I like the concept of nutrition density, and try to use it in my daily life with fruits, veggies, whole grains, and the like. I don’t strive for perfection, because that makes my head hurt, but I do strive to eat and make lots of whole, good foods day in and day out.
Jessica @ The Process of Healing says
Oh wow girl, that dinner sounds yummy!
And the nutrient density is so interesting. I would love to hear more about it. I used to be afraid of high calorie things like nuts (i.e. nut butters… can you imagine life without nut butters?!) but It is SO true that quality is more important than quantity. And it is funny how your tastes can change to prefer something healthier.
Rose-Anne says
This post has so many great ideas in it that I just have to throw my two cents into the mix. First, I’m trying to follow a similar strategy in training for my half-marathon: run three days a week. I’m prioritizing my long run by doing it on Sundays when I feel rested and ready to run. But it is really hard to run on weekdays after I’ve been at work, on my feet, all day. I totally agree with you about mentally preparing!
Second, I’ve been thinking a lot about grains in the last few months. For me, I’ve decided that I eat grains because I like them and they are filling. I aim to eat whole grains most of the time but it’s easier for me to focus on adding healthy foods AROUND the grains rather than replacing grains with nutrient-dense(r) foods.
Salah@myhealthiestlifestyle says
I totally get you on the measuring thing! I used to measure all last year and I lost weight, but I didn’t see HUGE change till this year when I decided to stop counting and just worry about getting all of my nutrients! I wouldn’t barely eat nuts (and when you are trying to get a flat tummy Nuts are one of your best friends!!!) or avocados or anything…I basically deprived myself and then I would get so sick of being deprived I would go crazy at a restaurant or something and then feel super guilty for the next week, where I’d just kill myself in the gym!
Instead, now I’m all about portion control and just being in control of me. I think people get so lost in all the nutrition information that one of the main things that many nutritionists say is to remain balanced. So now, if I’m craving some ice cream I’ll just make a better decision, instead of going to Coldstone and getting the I Love it size of the Birthday Cake remix, I go to yogurt story, fill the cup up half way with healthy frozen yogurt (90 cal every 1/2 c….the store is great because they do provide nutritional info for everyone) and top it with every fruit in sight, then I’ll add a few chocolate chips or something.
Meghan@traveleatlove says
Looks like a great sauce recipe! I am hosting Blogger Secret Ingredient this week, and the ingredient is coconut milk 🙂
I totalllllllllly get the Mentally prepare bit for weeknight workouts. I have been doing my marathon training long runs on Thursday nights, great that it frees up the wknd, but so hard to motivate after 9 hours of work!
Kelly says
That dinner looks really great. I wish I was as confident/good at whipping things up like that! I’d definitely be interested in reading that book. Thanks for the recommendation!
caronae says
Sounds like a yummy dinner! I totally agree with what you said about making it to the gym on a weeknight. Soooo important to be mentally prepared! Have a fun weekend 🙂
Jill says
What vita mix model do you have, I did not realize that there are different options??
Kath says
The CIA model.
Sara says
FYI: Apricots that are orange contain Sulfur Dioxide…yuck! Get the dark brown apricots w/o the extra chemicals. Just an fyi.
Katie@ Two Lives, One Lifestyle says
Thanks for the little intro to Dr. Furhman’s views, I’ll have to download some podcasts. I don’t know why it never occurred to me before that there may be undiscovered nutrients! You mentioned that he advocates more plants and minimal meat, but who knows, maybe meats have other undiscovered nutrients too. I know that idea might cause some contention among those who don’t agree with meat eating but especially when the meat is raised humanely and naturally (so there aren’t tons of added hormones and chemicals), it could be true!
Kath says
Very insightful Katie!! You’re so right about meat having undiscovered nutrients too. I will continue to enjoy meats in my diet 🙂
anne says
I love Dr Fuhrman! I read Disease-Proof your Child a few months ago. It is very good.
klm says
I think I need a vita mixer in my life!!
Jenny says
This is such an info filled post! From what you’ve shared, I would agree with Dr. Furhman’s thoughts on eating nutrient dense foods. I mean that is the most basic point of fueling our bodies. The only thing that experts do not seem to include is how for the “average person” it might be rather difficult to obtain both a good balance of nutrients, as well as enough calories daily when working with plants. While it’s not hard to use plants in the kitchen, they do take more planning and prep, and I think for most people at this point, knowledge about these things is really what is lacking. I doubt I would have enough energy or calories if I didn’t eat my whole grains in the form of oatmeal and bread each day. But overall he makes very valid points 🙂
KathyR says
Ambitious schedule! Makes me tired just reading it!
Agree with Jenny, this post is just packed with good stuff. Gonna read it again right now.