Happy What I Ate Wednesday, friendly faces!
A day where you get a little sneak peak into what I’ve been eating, and I get to rant about anything food-related that’s been on my mind. Or share some food-related pearls of wisdom. Snort.
Truth be told, I have a hard time giving any kind of diet advice outside of the 1-on-1 work I do with people because we’re all so different that it’s basically impossible to make generalized statements that will be true across ALL cases. That’s why it drives me crazy to see absolute statements like “you MUST eat X to be healthy” or “you MUST avoid Y to be healthy.” Like… yes AND no. It depends who you are. Heck, even fruits and vegetables aren’t healthy for everyone.
Case in point: a few years back, we discovered that my mom has a sensitivity to salicylates… which are natural preservatives that most plants produce to protect themselves from diseases, fungi, and insects. They’re not a big deal to most people, but if you have a sensitivity, they can cause a tonne of chronic problems that include things like asthma, depression, hyperactivity, sinusitis, headaches, and a general feeling of malaise.
SO, to someone like my mom, “healthy” foods like berries (and most fruit, tbh), almonds, sweet potatoes, coconut oil, spinach, and avocado do the opposite of what they promise, while a more basic diet that’s built around white rice, white potatoes, beans, meats, and small amounts of dairy makes her feel great. It “shouldn’t” be that way according to all the popular health advice we’re constantly bombarded with, but there ya go.
I have another example for you guys too, but I’ll share that one in a sec because I think I’ve wall-of-text’d you enough, so let’s get to the food! Aaaaaaaand a little commentary about what I’ve found works for me, because you guys know I love my themes…
[Breakfast:] 1 cup of oats with a banana cooked in. 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder, 2 spoonfuls of ground flax, a handful of blueberries, maple syrup, and cinnamon added post-cook.
A Big Breakfast
You know the saying “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper?” I feel like that’s more or less the eating formula I stick to. I’ve always liked breakfast to be my biggest meal of the day, and it’s become even bigger since I cut back on snacking and started eating bigger meals in general.
I just find that I need to “front-load” my calories because not eating enough early in the day will make me insatiably snacky in the evening… and that’s just a crazy annoying feeling to have. That and it’s nice to eat and not think about food for a good 4 or 5 hours.
[Lunch:] typical swampy chocolate smoothie (2 frozen bananas, 2 Medjool dates, big fistful of spinach, 1/2 scoop protein powder, 2 spoonfuls of cocoa, and cashew milk) and an almond butter and [blueberry] jelly sandwich.
An Easy-to-Digest Lunch
Notice how, besides the spinach in my smoothies, my lunches are usually completely devoid of veggies? It’s not because I don’t love the big salads and buddha bowls, but because I find that eating a tonne of bulk in the middle of the day will put me in the BIGGEST energy slump in the afternoon… to the point where I’ll basically have to take a nap and sleep it off. I actually eat a smoothie/sandwich combo daily, just because I’ve found it’s one of the best ways to avoid that.
And that brings us to the issue of fibre -> We’re constantly being told to eat plenty of it and load our plates with veggies, but even that isn’t a great thing for everyone.
Case in point: there are a lot of damaged guts in the health and fitness community. A lot. I don’t think most people realize how much long-term damage things like undereating and overexercising can do to your digestion, but your body is a lot smarter than your brain, and it doesn’t care that you want to be a size 2 if you’re not meant to be that way naturally. All it cares about is keeping you alive, and it’s equipped with tonnes of handy dandy mechanisms that’ll help it do that when your brain is being stupid and not letting you eat.
One of those mechanisms involves slowing down your digestion so that it can keep food in your system for as long as possible and extract the maximum amount of nutrients from the small amount you’re giving it. And guess what’s an absolute nightmare for already slow digestion? Fibre-rich meals which slow digestion even more and cause food to build up in your intestines, which leads to bloating, discomfort, diarrhoea, constipation, and basically all the other digestive complaints you can think of.
So… fiber. Not great for everyone, especially those trying to recover from disordered/restrictive eating.
[Afternoon Snack:] Kashi Cinnamon Harvest with raspberries and roasted almonds.
No Small Snacks
I know “they” say to keep snacks between 150-200 calories, but… more often than not, those micro-meals only make me hungrier. And it doesn’t matter if they’re properly balanced with the right amount of carbs, proteins, and fats… It’s just not enough food 😭
Maybe it’s because I’m used to eating bigger meals at this point, but when I do snack in the late afternoon (that’s when I find I need a little something to tide me over ’till dinner), I eat more than “they” say I should 🙊
[Dinner]: burrito bowl! White rice seasoned with lime juice, sweet corn, kidney beans, guacamole, and some broccoli because #greens.
Easy Go-To Meals
Real talk -> I’m not a fan of cooking dinner or trying to come up with new meals all the time, so I have about 3 easy dishes that I cycle through so that I don’t resort to eating cereal for dinner [all the time]. I’ll cook up a huge batch of rice (for use in multiple meals), open up a can of beans, slop on some ready-to-eat guac, and all that’s left is to chop and steam some veggies. Easy, peasy, and I never seem to get sick of it. Wins all around!
. – . – . – .
And that’s that, friendly faces. A handful of eats, and a handful of things that I’ve found work for me. Most of the time. There are days where even the tried-and-true don’t do so hot, and those are the days where you know you’ve just got to sleep it off and start from scratch tomorrow 😉
Speaking of tomorrow, I’ll see you then for ToL!
Let’s chat!
What’s something you know works for you?
What’s something that doesn’t?
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This is a great post and one I can defiantly relate too. I am in recovery and am finding most types of fibres difficult to have without causing issues!! I miss my fruit, veg, nuts and whole grains so badly and hope that I can go back to having them.
With talk of all this fiber and restrictive eating…may I ask if you had the same issues of not being able to have much fiber when trying to recover and at what point did (if it did!) it get batter? How did you know when to add in more fiber? Was it just when you had gained more weight back?
Love you posts Amanda! 😉 Keep em coming! 🙂 xxx
I definitely had a lot of issues in the early days of recovery, Lucy. I actually got to a point where I was eating mostly processed foods and almost no veggies just to give my stomach an easier time with digestion. I’d say I did that for about 6 months before going back to more whole foods, and I did it slowly to see how my stomach would react. It started getting better when I was eating enough consistently and not going back and forth between eating and then not. It’s definitely a long process though.
Wow, your almond butter looks so ridiculously smoooooth! Not grainy at all like a lot of brands are! As a fellow almond butter addict… what kind do you get? ^_^
This one is from Barney Butter, Lucy. It’s one of the only no-stir almond butters that I’ve been able to find, and I love the texture but the taste can take some getting used to.
So this might be a little weird, but I’m not aware of any food that doesn’t work for me or makes me feel yucky. I’m one of the fortunate ones who’s digestion seems to be working a-ok. I’m guessing this means I have just enough of the right kinds of bacteria in my gut. In fact, I read something recently that said a wide range of different foods can help keep your gut health in check so mixing it up can be a good thing.
You are definitely one of the lucky ones! Mine has been bad since the day I was born (hello colics in the hospital), and it’s been ups and downs since then. Even now I’ll feel like I have it figured out and BOOM. I think stress plays a big part.
If I don’t get something carby in in the morning my stomach goes all out of whack and makes the oddest noises. And too many veggies at once leads to the same issue. Eating salads often does not make me feel as great as they’re ‘supposed’ to :/
I’m a carbs in the morning person as well. Actually, I’m a carbs person in general. I love them.
So so true – what works for one doesn’t work for another – there are no ‘set’ healthy foods!
What doesn’t work for me are food high in gluten – aka bread/pasta. It makes me feel horrible. No I’m not allergic to it but with the way it makes me feel it’s enough for me to avoid it! And food that works for me – plain yoghurt – it makes my tummy feel so good and happy!
I’d say these are pearls of wisdom, Amanda. Valuable to hear!
There are a number of foods that really aggravate my tummy, even though they’re really healthy, like avocados, peaches, apples, and my personal favorite: raisin bran. 🙁 Cheese on my burrito bowl may be less “healthy” than avocado, but if it makes me less miserable, I say go for it.
I’ve never found big meals to work well for me–breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Maybe someday, but not as my life is now. 🙁 Too painful.
My stomach’s been through a pretty big transformation in terms of what works and what doesn’t too, Joyce… especially with recovery. Things change, though! And you never know what a couple years might bring 🙂
Could we work out a deal where you cook for me, at least three times a day? 😉
In all seriousness though, your eats looks amazing! (As always!)
Such a well written post, Amanda. I love my vegetables (and all foods really) but I can’t eat them in the volumes that some people do. Cruciferous vegetables do not agree with my stomach and when I tried to make cauliflower rice or potatoes they upset my stomach so much. Real brown rice and potatoes of any kind are much better!
PS my husband is sitting my next to me as I read your post and he thinks your food photography is phenomenal. I agree!
Thanks so much, Laura! And I’ve always wondered the same thing about cauliflower rice. It’s like… okay, so it’s way lower in calories than real rice, but how do you eat that much cauliflower and not hate your life for the rest of the day?!?
I just want to say that your WIAW posts are some of my favorite blog posts EVER. Not only is your food uber drool worthy, but you also always get me thinking. The fiber issue is definitely real and it is something I should probably look out for since I eat so many veggies. Thanks for the tip!
Thanks Casey! That’s super sweet of ya 🙂
I couldn’t agree more Amanda. I also find that some foods work well with other foods, and some don’t. I know that if I eat something like tofu khan with a melon or oddly, bread, I get an upset stomach. However, if I eat the same tofu with avocado or vegan cheese, I don’t have that problem. Food combining isn’t something I think about, so this happens, but it does make a difference I can feel.
Something I know works for me is monomeals. I don’t do them often, but sometimes I eat like 5 or 6 baking potatoes for lunch and it’s a large volume, but oddly, I never feel bloated.
I wish I could be better at food combining as well, but some combinations are just too good to say no to. And I hear you on the monomeals! I’ve done the same thing with potatoes and it’s oddly satisfying and never makes me feel sick at all.
YES on all fronts. It enrages me when I get told in an article that I ‘must’ eat certain foods or in a certain way to be healthy. It always depends on the person. Always.
And, too, with fibre- I remember during my ED I suffered from horrible digestive issues, only to be told to eat more fibre and drink more water (practically all I was ingesting anyway!?) but the doctors didn’t believe me when I said I ate enough of the stuff. They put me on a fibre supplement and things got even worse.
Thank you for the healthy dose of reality- it’s so good, even nowadays, to be reminded that ‘normal’ is different for each person. xx
Big breakfasts and lighter dinners work best for me. I also don’t like to eat past 8 because otherwise I have a rough time getting to sleep and staying asleep. I have always been a morning person, probably why I like most of my food in the morning.
Love this. I’m always tweaking my meals and figuring out what works best for me and my digestion. I’m also waiting on some results of a food sensitivity test that I’m really excited about!
I hope you share! I always find those interesting to read about 🙂
What I wouldn’t give to go back and tell my younger self to run from the fiber! My colon is basically non functioning and I know all the low calorie, high volume foods contributed to it. I’m currently trying to figure out what works best for me, but I’ve found that meat causes no problems for me, so while it’s not my favorite to eat, my body seems to like it.
I really liked this post! I agree that there is no single best way to eat, it totally varies from person to person. Also, thank you for the reminder that underrating and overexercising wreaks havoc on you digestive system over time, I am currently in the early stages of recovery (again) and these reminders are very helpful.
I know it’s hard when you feel like you have to go against everything that we’re always being told is healthy, but I hope it helps to know that you’re definitely not alone in it 🙂
Totally agree with you. It is not one size fits all in nutrition. That is why I have always felt a food diary is the perfect way to uncover food allergies etc.
I would love to hear how your mom found out what she was sensitive to. My stomach is rebellious and I’ve had a really hard time pinpointing the cause of the problems….sometimes eggs, recently beans, maybe grains??? It’s so frustrating. I know I need to food journal but it would be nice to be able to take some kind of test that would definitely tell me what to avoid. I cut out all meat except seafood and that helped a little but I’m not certain how much was actually from that. I feel like there’s something I’m reacting to as I’ve had issues as far back as I can remember, even loosing my gallbladder at 18. Anyway, great post and I appreciate any advice I can get.
My mom was told to avoid taking aspirin by both naturopaths and medical doctors because she’s allergic to it, and when I was doing some research to try and figure out what was contributing to her chronic sinus problems, I randomly came across an article that talked about how people who are allergic to aspirin usually have a problem with the salicylic acid in it, which happens to be in a lot of foods too. I showed that to her and we decided to test it out by putting her on a low salicylate diet, and she improved a tonne within a few weeks. She didn’t have any stomach problems, though… mostly just sinuses, asthma, and allergies. Have you tried the classic elimination diet to try and figure it out? Some of the biggest triggers for people are gluten, dairy, soy, corn, eggs, citrus, and nightshades, and cutting those out for a couple of weeks and then introducing them one by one to see how you feel could help you pinpoint what it might be.
I have 2 coworkers that have issues with nutrient dense foods…they both get kidney stones (as well as other issues) when they eat my “healthy” staples. One is even allergic to fresh bananas – GASP!! I find myself going through phases of eating…sometimes I will eat vegetables all day, everyday…and others are more filled with protein. I am working my way around what makes me feel best and a little less to lose a couple lbs. Just eat to eat and be healthy in your own mind! 🙂
Teeny snacks make me hungrier, too! I much prefer a hearty, filling snack 🙂 My problem is that I eat it too close to dinner usually, so then I’m not very hungry for dinner!
Thank you thank you thank you! This is so refreshing to hear. I have always had a crazy sensitive stomach and end up eating a lot of white carbs and peanut butter, with veggies in small portions either in a smoothie or cooked to mush. I love your blog and your wiaws because I don’t feel pressured to eat a certain way to be healthy.
I’m really glad the WIAWs help, Anna! 🙂 And I’m with you on the white carbs – it’s part of the reason why I always take white rice over brown and why I’ll often choose plain old Wonderbread over whole wheat bread.
I’m all about go-to dinners and luckily my family is too – mostly 🙂 I also front load calories and can’t do a ton of veggies and fruit. I love berries and find that they also work the best for me, so yay for that! Really interesting info about your mom too. It’s amazing really how different each individual is when it comes to truly healthy nutrition.
I love this, because I do struggle with digestion especially after years of undereating. I’ve been kind of sad about it, but I’m thankful for a new body someday! Here on this earth, I definitely eat less fiber, because fiber + me are not always the best combo.
And my snacks are barely ever small. They’re more like a mini meal. No one size fits all. Everybody looks different, and I love how you just debunked a lot of the popular rules of eating.
One of the most amazing thing about bodies is their ability to repair and rebuild, so while it might take a while, I have a feeling you’ll definitely see your digestion improving if you just keep treating your body right. It took a handful of years, but mine is getting better 🙂
This post is one of my favorites of yours. I could rant for days about the fiber thing. I don’t track food or add up the amount of fiber I’m eating, but it drives me crazy when people with a history of ED eat all of these giant salads and complain about IBS. I ate more processed food in recovery (and probably now, still) than I did pre-ED. But I have zero stomach problems, whereas I was a lot more uncomfortable when I was eating a ton of fiber all the time. I love my big salads, but I generally prefer them for dinner and stick to a plainer lunch. It really is all about what works, but I do wish people understood that their “stomach problems” might have an easier fix than they realize.
It is pretty interesting to see the disproportionate amount of people in the healthy living sphere that have problems with their digestion. I ate a tonne of processed foods before I got sick but had way less stomach problems than I did when I was trying to load up on a lot of fruits and veggies. It’s hard to believe that healthy foods might not necessarily be all that great for everyone, which is why I think a lot of people have trouble letting them go.
Doing what works for YOU is something that everyone seems to celebrate these days, but then has a hard time actually figuring out. I know personally it’s a struggle because I tend to be like you with the larger breakfast (like, 3-4x normal size) especially since I run in the mornings and need to refuel after. Then I snack throughout the day, and my dinner tends to be early and smaller and I eat a lot less at night. Which is the opposite of what most young professionals do, with barely eating breakfast, coffee-ing the day, and having a big late dinner. So while it “works” in the sense of how I feel, it’s a struggle in aligning that with the “normal”.
Love it! I feel like I’m always on the lookout for a “plan” that happens to magically match up with how I already eat haha. Even then, when I look at what “they” say should be eaten every day I can’t understand how a person could fit all those specific “perfect” items into one day. Also, the whole low-carb, high-protein thing. Can’t do low carb. ever. I get that a lot of people think carbs are the devil, but I feel 10x better when I eat them!
You and me both, girl! My body does a lot better when my diet is higher in carbs. I’ve done the higher protein thing before and my stomach and energy levels suffered big time.
Thats a really interesting fact about your mom – I had no idea something like that even existed! I would be so sad if I coudln’t eat fruit…it’s seriously one of my favorite foods! Poor Mama Spoons…but at least chocolate is safe, right? 😉
And I basically make the same 3-5 meals too. Every once in a while I will throw something new in there, but mostly its baked chicken and veggies, stir-fry, or a sort of spaghetti dish.
We had no idea something like that existed either! And it was pretty hard for her to adjust as well, but I guess it gets easier when you start to feel better.
I can totally relate. My digestion goes up and down depending on stress or travel etc. I cannot follow all of the food trends like the “eat a big micro nutrient dense salad all day! You will be full AND skinny!” My stomach cannot handle huge amounts of vegetables. I have to do what’s right for me, not the latest trend. Thanks for sharing!
https://thedogtribe.com/2016/06/02/the-body-i-want/
Stress is one of the biggest deciding factors for me as well. It’s frustrating because i can eat the same thing on two different days and my body will react completely differently depending on if I’m stressed or not.
Great post Amanda and and I definitely agree. There are a lot of damaged guts in the blogging community. Your body knows the best and it truly doesn’t discriminate. For me, I like eating vegetables but I can’t eat bowls full of veggies for every meal or I’m bloated and uncomfortable.
you know I agree with you! I actually feel better when I don’t eat vegetables lol. they are kind of hard to avoid but every few days I try to skip them to give my body a break. especially at lunch! so much easier on digestion to not eat vegetables for lunch especially as you say because they make us tired!
I tend to cycle them too 😆 I’ll crave a big salad every now and then, but it’s definitely not a daily thing like it used to be.