Some call it unnecessary.
Others call it a healthful way to improve digestion and prolong your life.
I call it experimentation time.
My favorite time. :)
For some slightly-creepy reason, I get a real kick out of trying fad diets for a day and then going back to my naturally better eating habits. I've been reading so much information lately about intermittent fasting and I've decided to see what all the fuss is about. There are far too many comments on internet forums for me to reference, so I will just summarize all of them like this: some people are huge fans and have adopted this way of eating as a lifestyle, others think you may as well say "goodbye" to the universe because it's a guaranteed way to send yourself straight to the grave. A little dramatic, dontcha think? If that's the case, why can people live to be one hundred years old by spacing their meals out pretty far apart? I'm not saying everyone who partakes in intermittent fasting will live to be one hundred, and I'm not saying that someone who eats 18 meals a day can't live to be one hundred either. Point is: I'm on a mission to see how intermittent fasting affects my body and mind. I don't plan on weighing myself, I simply want to feel my best.
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| Free Yogurtland happened last night. Red velvet cake batter on taro on strawberry on pistachio...ouch. |
I've had it up to *here* with lethargy from eating a huge sugary snack right before bed or feeling sick from my (at least) once-weekly froyo binges. So, here I go, in addition to my total freedom from gluten (which is effortless now), I'm also cutting out eggs, meat, fish, and dairy (FROYO) for the improvement of my own health and the health of the environment. Call me crazy, but I'm not a huge fan of the whole eating something that more than likely had a panic attack before it entered my body deal. No eggs or frozen yogurt, my main breakfast and dessert until recently? How ever will I live without them?! Upon pondering these questions, I realize that this is precisely what people ask me on a weekly basis about gluten. After a short while, it becomes effortless! I know in my heart of hearts that, when I eat gluten or dairy, my body disagrees with me in more ways than you can probably imagine. We won't go into that right now, but let's just say I feel my best (mentally & physically) when I don't eat wheat bread, steak, cookies, chicken, red velvet cake batter frozen yogurt, etc. My digestion runs far more smoothly (pun in...ten...ded....?)
I am one of those people who are always "in their head." I analyze everything and anything, and I've noticed that the more unhealthily I eat, the more tension I harbor in my mind and body. Anxious thoughts cloud my mind when I'm glutened, my eyes itch and feel foggy when I have dairy, and I feel like there is a rock in my gut when I consume meats. Caffeine gives me migraines the day after I have it. Chocolate, especially dark, prevents me from falling and staying asleep at night. Peanut and sunflower seed butter give me horrendous acne on my face, and pinto beans, bananas, and oils of any kind disagree with my tummy. Apples make my stomach rumble when eaten alone. Too much nutritional yeast (I'm talkin' over 1/4 cup consistently everyday) makes me break out in puffy hives, beginning with my scalp and ending with my elbows and knees. I know my body very well, to say the least.
BUT WHAT WILL I EAT?!
Ohhhh trust me. I have plenty that I can eat. Protein shakes that literally taste like brownie batter for breakfast? Check. Quinoa and black bean tacos for lunch? Check. Endless vegetables for snacks and sides? Check. Gluten-free vegan baked goodies, vegan nachos with homemade nooch nacho cheeze sauce and guac on top? Yes friggin please, in moderation ;). Basically, the idea behind my eating habits is that I literally do eat whatever I want, whenever I want it. The more vegetables I eat, the quicker my "I'm full!" signal activates. The more vegetables I eat, the less sugar and salt I crave. The less sugar and salt I crave, the more incredibly delicious vegetables and fruits taste. Kinda cool, huh?
While I'm not the fattest pig in the pen, I'm always trying out different ways of eating. This is because I am always on a hunt for mental clarity and energy. I like to see what works best for me. When my energy is up, my anxiety level and negative thoughts subside. This, in my opinion, is far more important and desirable than any particular weight or body type.
So, with this quest for mental clarity and physical fabulosity in mind, I will now embark on a new journey--one that requires me to eat any amount of whatever I want in an 8-10 hour time period. Today, I had breakfast (brownie batter milkshake and toast) at 7a.m., lunch at 11:30 (black beans, tofu, salsa, nooch, cholula, tortillas), and second lunch at 2 (quinoa, slow cookered zucchini, yellow squash, onions, and sweet potatoes, spinach salad with balsamic, almonds, and mushrooms). To say I was stuffed was an understatement. Because I eat so slowly, I finished eating lunch #2 at around 3:15 (don't h8) and my eyeballs felt as though they were going to pop out of my face. I usually don't eat a big lunch, so I'm thinking it'll take a bit of time for my body to get used to eating all of my day's worth of calories in a very short period of time. Eyes popping out aside, I feel much better now (it's 4:29 p.m.) I'm about to enjoy a hot cuppa TJ's organic ginger pear white tea. Not my absolute favorite, but it'll do :). If I get ravenously hungry tonight, I'll check back in on this bloggity blog and write about it. As for now, I'm feeling fresh and fancy and may even pay a visit to the gym with my boo before my evening class. Time to wrap this up with a toodle-oo and an unconvincing promise to post here more often. :P
Love, peace, and
Cg
UPDATE: I became exceptionally hungry around 8 p.m. and couldn't think straight. After chugging two fat glasses of water, I gave in and ate. A lot. Sesame seed butter + banana + a slice of GF bread, and some black beans with slow cookered veggies. Oops. Better luck tomorrow.
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