Can we just take a minute to appreciate how amazing this view is…
… because no matter how many times I see it, it never fails to take my breath away. Un.real.
I spent a lot of time this past weekend thinking about how the mountains are good for my health. They really are. They keep me active (engaged in my favourite sport, no less). They give me a good dose of fresh air and sunshine. They fill me with a sense of peace that I don’t feel anywhere else…
And they even influence my diet in a positive way.
Say whaaaaat? Okay, I realize that last one needs a little bit of explaining since most people associate vacations and weekend getaways with unhealthier indulgences, but hear me out for a sec.
See, I have this habit of falling into food ruts. I actually prefer calling them “grooves” since “ruts” have a negative connotation and I genuinely enjoy the things that I eat, but whatever I choose to call them doesn’t change the fact that I tend to eat a lot of the same things on repeat. Remember that bowl of oats I had for breakfast every.single.day for years?
Mmm hmm. And I know I’m not alone! It’s easy to fall into those ruts grooves. Life is hectic and there are so many things that are constantly vying for our attention — it can be hard to find the time and motivation to plan out and rotate our meals. So we figure out a handful that work and eat those on repeat.
But just because it’s convenient doesn’t mean it’s in our best interest when it comes to our overall health. Not only are we limiting ourselves in terms of the vitamins and minerals we take in, but we also run the risk of developing hypersensitivities to foods that we consume too often. Yup! Our bodies can literally tell us to lay off of certain foods by reacting to them with allergy-like symptoms. I have a feeling that’s what happened to me with oats, and I ended up having to stop eating them for a handful of months before I was okay with them again.
So how can it be prevented and what on earth does all this have to do with my love of the mountains? Variety. Going away to the mountains breaks me out of my routine and forces to me to eat different things, and eating a variety of different things helps keep my body happy. It’s true! I’ve noticed that both my digestion and energy improve when I eat a varied diet, and if I’m being completely honest, so does my level of satisfaction. The same foods can get a little old, no matter how delicious they are…
So what’s an easy way to add a little variety without having to put in too much effort? Well, if you’re anything like me, you have a basic formula for your meals — carbs + proteins + fats — and all you have to do is rotate what you fill each spot with.
Let’s take carbs, for example. There are so many delicious ones to choose from!
Oats…
[White & Brown] Rice…
Quinoa…
Buckwheat…
Beans…
Starchy Veggies…
And if you’re wondering why they all happen to be gluten-free, it’s because I’ve found that the GF carbs tend to be a lot easier for most people to overlook, while the wheat-based ones tend to be a lot easier to fall back on. That and a lot of our favourite foods are wheat-based (bread, pasta, cereal, waffles, pancakes, cookies, crackers, muffins, etc.), so it becomes a lot easier to miss out on getting in more variety without even realizing it.
I know some people look unfavourably at a gluten-free diet and see it as the latest fad, but I love that it encourages people to get creative and experiment with a different variety of foods. Heck, even I love experimenting with with it! I mean, have you seen all my gluten-free recipes? And if it’s convenience you’re after, then you’re in luck because there are some pretty great store-bought options for you, too. Those favourite foods I just mentioned? Companies like Udi’s Gluten Free have most of them available, and they use ingredients like brown rice, millet, tapioca, and amaranth — a great way to add some more variety into your diet!
Learn more about living gluten free by visiting Udi’s Community page or following them on Facebook!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Udi’s Gluten Free. The opinions and text are all mine.
My kids, because of their ages, dictate some of the food grooves we get into. My husband is just as likely to say that he doesn’t like eating the same thing, but also doesn’t want me to “experiment” on them. I’m open to trying a lot of new things and I also enjoy when I travel….the opportunity to eat things that maybe the other people in my house don’t like to eat or eat as often as I would like to.
Guilty as charged. I’m a creature of habit/routine/grooves and it’s not getting me anywhere. Not recovery-wise and not in terms of satisfaction. These past months of starting a new job and then being busy-busy-busy served as my “no time for experimentation” excuse but I’m SO over it.
Good thing I have some time off because I agree it’s way easier to break out of routines when we’re “forced” by vacations or day trips. Only there’s still always the need to push past my discomfort first.
You can do it, girl 🙂 I’ll be your cheerleader.
You should make more savory recipes. Those meals look delicious! I like to mix it up if I get bored or if I feel like eating something different. For example, instead of having oatmeal last week for breakfast, I had pancakes or I made myself a smoothie.
I fall into ruts that last a few weeks, maybe a few months, but I get bored of food quickly and have to mix it up a lot. I’m not a fan of diets that exclude certain kinds of food, but I always like looking at recipes for something new, no matter what diet the recipe is made for.
Oh man I’m queen of ruts! Grooves actually…I like it. The stomach wants what it wants! But really, I know from experience that if I don’t eat what I’m actually craving, I’ll be “ravenous” all day. I think the biggest food change I’ve made in the last year is switching my breakfasts from sweet (oats, waffles, buckwheat bakes) to savory (basically eggs over avocado toast). It’s made a huge difference in how I feel the rest of the day, helps me prevent random carby or sweet cravings, and fills me up much better. So I guess we need to occasionally experiment!
I’m the same way if I don’t listen to my cravings — starving but not really starving. Better to just knock those suckers out so we don’t have to worry about them. And I’m definitely a sweet breakfast kind of girl, but I do hear people say that savoury makes them feel better for the rest of the day. Might be worth experimenting with… Eep.
I see what you mean about falling into a food rut. I think the general American (or Canadian) can be in a food rut. Cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and meat and potatoes for dinner. At least that’s how I grew up. When I’ve gotten older, a food rut might mean eating foods I can get cheaply; bananas, peanut butter, chickpeas or things that are quick to make, sandwiches etc. For me, a food rut means I found something economical that tastes good to me.
I’m not going to change until prices do hahaa
I have actually been changing things up a bit in my kitchen lately and it has felt REALLY good…For example: I’ve been eating savory breakfasts; more cooking with quinoa; and more oats. Like you, I had to take a break from them, but now they’re back and I love it. Variety is so key with not only our eats, but our workouts, and life in general. Love this post…Love you! XOXO
I definitely miss your old blog, when everything wasn’t a sponsorship or something ,and it had some personality. It’s become generic and boring.
I’m sorry you feel that way, Sarah. I actually try to keep my sponsored posts pretty limited and don’t end up doing more than 1 a month. Spoons has changed since I started blogging, and I expect that it’ll continue to change as I do. I’m constantly learning and experimenting with my style, and I -do-appreciate your input.
I definitely agree that variety is important too. Not just for nutrition but to keep eating fun and interesting. I’d get bored eating the same 5 foods over and over again. Except when it comes to breakfast – I never get sick of oatmeal haha.
Silly gluten free fad diets….jumping on the band wagon, I see. We’ll just ignore that whole gluten free cookie post I did, says the pot calling the kettle black. 😉
I think variety in a diet is a huge plus. Interesting enough or maybe because of my CSA, I do get good variety. I tend to cycle through foods a lot too. I’ll go on a granola run for a couple weeks, then naturally veer towards something else, then another thing, and then back to granola again a couple months later. It’s a pretty constant rotation though.
She’s currently on a bean burger rut. What a black kettle.
This totally reminds me of the oat intolerance I got too! Stop copying my intolerances.
Says the woman who just whipped up a batch of gluten-free blueberry muffins 😛
We LOVE Udi’s around here. We tend to be mainly gluten free since my daughter has allergies. And we definitely do have carbs over here 😉
YAY FOR CARBS!! Seriously, I hate hearing that people are avoiding them in efforts to lose weight. Eating the right carbs helps control your blood sugar and actually helps you lose weight. I love that you made your sweet potato into a heart too, hehe. <3
And that view is most definitely good for your health. STUNNING.
ohhh that is such a gorgeous scenery shot. Gosh I miss snow. I haven’t touched it in years. I can’t even remember the last time I tossed a snowball at someone! [the horror!!] 😉
Its funny, I’ve never been tested for a gluten allergy, but I do definitely feel it in my tummy when I eat too many processed white carbs like pasta. Sometimes I think its what else is paired with the carb, but I can have spaghetti sauce with wheat pasta and feel totally fine. Although it could be mental too, seeing as how I’m not all there most of the time….. 😉
😆 Sometimes I wonder how much of it is in my head… especially because I notice my stomach probs get a lot worse if I’m worrying or stressing.
This is an excellent reminder! For me it’s especially difficult in winter because routine seems like the only thing I can controll, but when I do go out of my comfort zone or away from my normal paths I feel so invigorated.
I am always in the oats “groove” (btw – I really like using this word over “rut”) because of the melty nut butter. UGH. I can barely contain myself. It’s a weird thing, but I just love when things are hot and the nut butter gets all drippy and stuff. The same goes to sweet taters and pancakes/waffles. Mmmm. I told my mom the other day one of the best weekends for me in recovery was spending a weekend in Philly. I had no “safe” foods and I was left to fend for myself. I found the more I let go of my routine, the more I recovered as far as “re-learning” how to eat.
Vacations were always some of the most healing times for me as well. I feel like sometimes we just need to be -forced- out of our routines to both see what we’re missing and to see that nothing bad happens as a result. We need a certain degree of routine, but too much makes us miss out on too many of the great things that life has to offer. It’s a tricky thing, learning to find that balance.
I agree that it can be fun to experiment with different carbs! I actually eat brown rice pasta and whole grain pasta both, and it’s fun to mix it up!
I hear ya on breakfast ruts/grooves. The same thing happened to me with eggs and now I break out into hot flashes and a headache when I eat them. 🙁 It’s so sad!
I love Udi’s bread! It’s the only GF product I actually like!
That started happening to me with potatoes! Maybe not the hot flashes, but I was definitely starting to get headaches. I had no idea where they were coming from at first, but then stopped when I stopped eating potatoes, so I have a feeling that had something to do with it…
I agree variety is so important! I tend to eat the same staples (smoothies, oats, stir fry, etc.) over and over, but I do try to change the mix-ins often
Tim really enjoy’s UDI bread actually. All of your food looks really good. I do agree that adding variety is really important to add to your diet. Eating the same thing day in and day out gets old but also is not healthy at all. Great post.
Beautiful pictures from your mountain, and also of your foods!
You have made me think of the fact I’ve eaten oats for breakfast this last week, every day and I should think about varying it now! 🙂
This is so true! Not even just that you can start developing allergy-like symptoms but sometimes your body sends that signal to your mind like “nuh uh, none of that for me today or you’re going to regret it!!” I kind of had that happen with sweet potatoes. I ate them on repeat for a really. long. time. and then all of a sudden when I would smell them I would get nauseous. I think that aversion is coming to a close, but switching up your diet (and/or even having the ability to switch it up) is something a lot of people take for granted! PS I love Udi’s.
I think we all get into ruts from time to time. I still can’t eat Clif bars or certain kinds of yogurt because of overdoing it at one point or another. I try to vary our foods, especially grains, so we don’t have the same things week after week. Millet is my new grain this week!
Good lord, I’ve been having baked potatoes topped with a mountain of hummus for dinner at LEAST 5 days out of the week. It’s just so easy for when I come home from class or work, and it tastes so awesome. But now I don’t want to develop a digestive aversion to it….guess who WON’T be purchasing bakers in two hours at the grocery store today?!
I actually had to step away from the potatoes because I -swear- I was starting to get headaches because of them. I hardly ever get headaches, so the fact that I was getting one every day was a little suspicious. And then when I stopped the potatoes, the headaches stopped as well. Sigh.
NOOOOO what is this, Halloween?! One of the scariest stories I’ve ever heard. Have you tried bringin’ ’em back into your diet?
I love this – and I totally need to get better about it. I absolutely feel better when I eat a more varied diet, but it’s so easy to fall into grooves. Udi’s does have some really great products!
This is exactly what happened to me and eggs! I was eating too many (well, too many for MY body anyways) and had to go on a purge for a few months. I still can’t eat them every day even though I want to–my stomach just can’t handle that many I guess. So I try to eat them every other day and eat oats/waffles/pancakes on the other days. It works!
Those views really are incredible! And I agree, gluten free carbs all the way! I’ve actually been meaning to try Udis bread for some time now, just to mix things up once in a while and because my husband keeps wanting to make a sandwich!
P.S. That is the best looking sweet potato I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen quite a few 😉
Hehe, thanks Michele! Would you believe me if I told you it was a fluke and I didn’t mean for it to come out that way? 😉 And definitely give Udi’s a try! Their bread tastes really good — especially toasted.
Oh gosh… I don’t know if I can give up my oats just yet…
No need to give them up at all! Just make sure you’re eating more than just oats 🙂
Getting out of food “grooves” can be so challenging, but the health benefits of variety are amazing. Thanks Amanda! 🙂