Tuesday, April 5, 2011

food for thought and thoughts on food.


i've been thinking a lot about food and wellness lately, especially after being sick to my stomach for a chunk of the last two weeks (and feeling not-well in general through most of the month of march, thanks to a cold that preceded the stomach bug). and after reading this interesting interview in whole living magazine, with yogi seane corne, i started thinking about both of those things even more this past weekend.

here's a little background info you may or may not know about me: over the course of the past two years, i lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 30-40 pounds (i don't weigh myself, ever, so i don't know the exact amount, but i'm estimating that number due to clothes sizes dropped). i did it by giving up a lot of dairy (i used to be a huge milk drinker), eating healthier and upping my exercise ante. i was also a pretty strict vegetarian from the time i was 20 until the end of 2009, when i reintroduced fish into my diet, so that helped. and while i still don't eat red meat or pork (with the exception of the occasional bite), i have incorporated chicken and turkey again, as well.

i was mostly happy with this until a couple of weeks ago, when i went to a farm sanctuary event honoring the co-founder of twitter, biz stone (this was also the day i met martha stewart). i was really impressed with the emphasis farm sanctuary places on the concept of empathy, and as someone who was vegetarian for so long and who is an avid animal lover, i started feeling a little guilty about so quickly dropping the vegetarianism because of the siren song of a piece of fried calamari (true story). so that's when the change-your-food-lifestyle thoughts really begin swirling, coupled with the fact that my job that feeds me quite a bit of delicious-but-not-always-healthy food on a fairly regular basis.

(before i go any further, please note: i know vegetarianism is not for everyone, and i know that eating meat doesn't make someone any less of an animal lover, by any means. this is just my personal experience, and it relates to my bigger point about health, which i'll get to shortly.)

basically, long story short,  i've been contemplating going back to fish-only, and limited fish, at that, for the last couple of weeks. and then i got the stomach flu and, as we all know, that really takes it out of you. and while being sick was gross, the recovery process has allowed me to rebuild my daily diet. i've been off coffee for a week, and i actually mostly feel better for it -- less anxious, less jittery. i've also had to be really careful about the processed food i'm eating, and while i've had a couple cans of soup, i've realized that soup is something i can easily make pots and pots of and eat throughout the week. plus, it's something i love doing, so why not do it more often?

i'm also really into the idea of being gentle with yourself, so in conjunction with the food detox, i'm going to try to incorporate more yoga, pilates and walks into my routine, as well.

so, what's the end result, you ask? i'm taking a page from jane's "healthy march" plan and a page from that whole living interview and committing to the idea of healthy april, with a big emphasis on getting back to pescetarianism and foods that are as whole and real as possible. it should be an interesting -- and, ultimately, super beneficial -- process, and i'm hoping that by the end of the month i'll have developed some new habits/behaviors that will stick with me for the long haul. (and yes, i'll be completely honest: i wouldn't mind toning up and dropping a few more pounds -- but it's the breaking bad habits and building better ones that's most important to me.)

i'll check in here periodically, probably on mondays, but the theme of our monthly project on little life changes this month is, in fact, detox, so if you're interested in reading more, you can do so right here.

what's your best tip for making healthy choices? have you ever done a food detox?

photo: tartelette

7 comments:

  1. Booze and dairy are my 2 biggest challenges when it comes to my diet. I'm taking a 6-8 week break from any alcohol and I'm drastically cutting back the dairy intake. And I plan on walking more. I'm really excited to feel better, both mentally and physically. xoxo

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  2. I'm a vegetarian who recently (within the last year) started eating fish for nutrition sake. I've been thinking about going back to chicken and turkey only for health sake because I've had a lot of issues lately and wondered if it had anything to do with my diet. I try to eat a ton of vegetables but sometimes it's just soooo easy to make a grilled cheese sandwich or mac n' cheese. Plus, I drink a lot so that doesn't help! After this winter I know I need to eat a little better. But it's not always easy! So any motivation you offer will be greatly appreciated :)

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  3. I was a vegetarian for about 5 years in my early 20s, but I wasn't a very healthy vegetarian. I instead started to focus more on ensuring a lot of variety in my diet. I make sure I have several colors at every meal. I don't drink milk, but I get enough dairy by eating cheese and yogurt. I still don't eat very much meat, (never at breakfast/lunch, and I always try to include a couple veggie dinners during the week), and now that I'm a bit smarter about knowing how to eat well-balanced meals, I think I could cut out even more. I don't think I could go back to full-time, though, because I have a husband and two sons to cook for, so eliminating poultry/fish just isn't realistic for me.

    Exercise is now my problem. I have two small boys and a full-time job. Finding time to exercise is difficult at best. But it's important, so I try. I have good weeks and bad weeks, and I'm sure that will always be the case. If all I can do one week is play with and chase after my boys, well that's okay.

    Overall, I think the important thing is to listen to our bodies. Mine always tells me when I'm taking care of it and when I'm not. It's an interesting topic and one that is often top-of-mind, so I'll be interested to read more of your thoughts!

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  4. Did you go to New College, by chance?

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  5. hi sarah! i actually went to stetson, then moved to sarasota after graduation.

    are you local, too? :)

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  6. Hello!

    I'm not local anymore, but I grew up in Florida and graduated from New College a few years ago. I found your blog through Whatever She Wants and saw your post about the Sarasota farmer's market. And then Burns Court! Sigh....

    Have you been to Tropical Thai? I miss that restaurant more than anything else.

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  7. YAYYYYYY!!!! Another pescy person in Sarasota! You can guest post on my blog too :) I'll even give you some veggies from our garden! And yoga, we've talked about this on Twitter, is so so so awesome. You'll have to come to Body Heat with me. It's not the best studio I've been to, but it's really all we got here.
    Go Mean! - I mean Megan!! ;)

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